NEWS

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ Core:
      - Flat, new random implementation
      - Can't browse anymore (cf. mediatree)
  * Add support for dual subtitles selection (via the player)
+ * Support of HTML help (via the vlc_plugin.h:set_help_html macro)
 
 Audio output:
  * ALSA: HDMI passthrough support.

include/vlc/libvlc.h

@@ -498,6 +498,7 @@ typedef struct libvlc_module_description_t
     char *psz_shortname;
     char *psz_longname;
     char *psz_help;
+    char *psz_help_html;
     struct libvlc_module_description_t *p_next;
 } libvlc_module_description_t;
 

include/vlc_modules.h

@@ -219,6 +219,14 @@ VLC_API const char *module_get_name(const module_t *m, bool longname) VLC_USED;
  */
 VLC_API const char *module_get_help(const module_t *m) VLC_USED;
 
+/**
+ * Gets the help HTML for a module.
+ *
+ * \param m the module
+ * \return the help HTML
+ */
+VLC_API const char *module_get_help_html(const module_t *m) VLC_USED;
+
 /**
  * Gets the capability string of a module.
  *

include/vlc_plugin.h

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ enum vlc_module_properties
     VLC_MODULE_DESCRIPTION,
     VLC_MODULE_HELP,
     VLC_MODULE_TEXTDOMAIN,
+    VLC_MODULE_HELP_HTML,
     /* Insert new VLC_MODULE_* here */
 
     /* DO NOT EVER REMOVE, INSERT OR REPLACE ANY ITEM! It would break the ABI!
@@ -356,6 +357,10 @@ VLC_METADATA_EXPORTS
     if (vlc_module_set (VLC_MODULE_HELP, VLC_CHECKED_TYPE(const char *, help))) \
         goto error;
 
+#define set_help_html( help_html ) \
+    if (vlc_module_set (VLC_MODULE_HELP_HTML, VLC_CHECKED_TYPE(const char *, help_html))) \
+        goto error;
+
 #define set_capability( cap, score ) \
     if (vlc_module_set (VLC_MODULE_CAPABILITY, VLC_CHECKED_TYPE(const char *, cap)) \
      || vlc_module_set (VLC_MODULE_SCORE, VLC_CHECKED_TYPE(int, score))) \

lib/core.c

@@ -187,10 +187,12 @@ static libvlc_module_description_t *module_description_list_get(
         const char* shortname = module_GetShortName( p_module );
         const char* longname = module_GetLongName( p_module );
         const char* help = module_get_help( p_module );
+        const char* help_html = module_get_help_html( p_module );
         p_actual->psz_name = name ? strdup( name ) : NULL;
         p_actual->psz_shortname = shortname ? strdup( shortname ) : NULL;
         p_actual->psz_longname = longname ? strdup( longname ) : NULL;
         p_actual->psz_help = help ? strdup( help ) : NULL;
+        p_actual->psz_help_html = help_html ? strdup( help_html ) : NULL;
 
         p_actual->p_next = NULL;
         if ( p_previous )
@@ -214,6 +216,7 @@ void libvlc_module_description_list_release( libvlc_module_description_t *p_list
         free( p_actual->psz_shortname );
         free( p_actual->psz_longname );
         free( p_actual->psz_help );
+        free( p_actual->psz_help_html );
         p_before = p_actual;
         p_actual = p_before->p_next;
         free( p_before );

modules/gui/qt/dialogs/preferences/complete_preferences.cpp

@@ -257,8 +257,9 @@ void PrefsTree::createPluginNode( QTreeWidgetItem * parent, module_t *mod )
     const char *help = module_get_help( mod );
     if( help )
         item->help = qfut( help );
-    else
-        item->help.clear();
+    const char *help_html = module_get_help_html( mod );
+    if( help_html )
+        item->help_html = qfut( help_html );
 
     item->setText( 0, item->name );
     //item->setSizeHint( 0, QSize( -1, ITEM_HEIGHT ) );
@@ -446,14 +447,12 @@ bool PrefsTreeItem::contains( const QString &text, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs )
     /* check the node itself (its name/longname/helptext) */
 
     QString head;
-    if( is_core )
-        head.clear();
-    else
+    if( !is_core )
         head = QString( qfut( module_GetLongName( p_module ) ) );
 
     if ( name.contains( text, cs )
          || (!is_core && head.contains( text, cs ))
-         || help.contains( text, cs )
+         || (!help_html.isEmpty() ? help_html.contains( text, cs ) : help.contains( text, cs ))
        )
     {
         return true;
@@ -566,8 +565,19 @@ AdvPrefsPanel::AdvPrefsPanel( qt_intf_t *_p_intf, QWidget *_parent,
     title_line->setFrameShape(QFrame::HLine);
     title_line->setFrameShadow(QFrame::Sunken);
 
-    QLabel *helpLabel = new QLabel( node->help, this );
+    QLabel *helpLabel = new QLabel( this );
     helpLabel->setWordWrap( true );
+    if( node->help_html.isEmpty() )
+    {
+        helpLabel->setText( node->help );
+        helpLabel->setTextFormat( Qt::PlainText );
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        helpLabel->setText( node->help_html );
+        helpLabel->setTextFormat( Qt::RichText );
+        helpLabel->setOpenExternalLinks( true );
+    }
 
     global_layout->addWidget( titleLabel );
     global_layout->addWidget( title_line );

modules/gui/qt/dialogs/preferences/complete_preferences.hpp

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ public:
     AdvPrefsPanel *panel;
     QString name;
     QString help;
+    QString help_html;
     enum vlc_config_cat cat_id;
     enum vlc_config_subcat subcat_id;
     module_t *p_module;

src/libvlccore.sym

@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ module_config_get
 module_find
 module_get_capability
 module_get_help
+module_get_help_html
 module_get_name
 module_get_object
 module_get_score

src/modules/cache.c

@@ -302,6 +302,7 @@ static int vlc_cache_load_module(vlc_plugin_t *plugin, block_t *file)
     LOAD_STRING(module->psz_shortname);
     LOAD_STRING(module->psz_longname);
     LOAD_STRING(module->psz_help);
+    LOAD_STRING(module->psz_help_html);
 
     LOAD_IMMEDIATE(module->i_shortcuts);
     if (module->i_shortcuts > MODULE_SHORTCUT_MAX)
@@ -582,6 +583,7 @@ static int CacheSaveModule(FILE *file, const module_t *module)
     SAVE_STRING(module->psz_shortname);
     SAVE_STRING(module->psz_longname);
     SAVE_STRING(module->psz_help);
+    SAVE_STRING(module->psz_help_html);
     SAVE_IMMEDIATE(module->i_shortcuts);
 
     for (size_t j = 0; j < module->i_shortcuts; j++)

src/modules/entry.c

@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ module_t *vlc_module_create(vlc_plugin_t *plugin)
     module->psz_shortname = NULL;
     module->psz_longname = NULL;
     module->psz_help = NULL;
+    module->psz_help_html = NULL;
     module->pp_shortcuts = NULL;
     module->i_shortcuts = 0;
     module->psz_capability = NULL;
@@ -310,6 +311,10 @@ static int vlc_plugin_desc_cb(void *ctx, void *tgt, int propid, ...)
             module->psz_help = va_arg (ap, const char *);
             break;
 
+        case VLC_MODULE_HELP_HTML:
+            module->psz_help_html = va_arg (ap, const char *);
+            break;
+
         case VLC_MODULE_TEXTDOMAIN:
             plugin->textdomain = va_arg(ap, const char *);
             break;

src/modules/modules.c

@@ -69,6 +69,11 @@ const char *module_get_help( const module_t *m )
     return m->psz_help;
 }
 
+const char *module_get_help_html( const module_t *m )
+{
+    return m->psz_help_html;
+}
+
 const char *module_get_capability (const module_t *m)
 {
     return (m->psz_capability != NULL) ? m->psz_capability : "none";

src/modules/modules.h

@@ -86,7 +86,9 @@ struct module_t
      */
     const char *psz_shortname;                              /**< Module name */
     const char *psz_longname;                   /**< Module descriptive name */
-    const char *psz_help;        /**< Long help string for "special" modules */
+    const char *psz_help;        /**< Long help plain string for "special" modules */
+    const char *psz_help_html;   /**< Long help HTML string, shown instead of the plain help where it makes sense to render HTML.
+                                      Supports only a limited HTML4 subset, see https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/richtext-html-subset.html */
 
     const char *psz_capability;                              /**< Capability */
     int      i_score;                          /**< Score for the capability */

test/libvlc/core.c

@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ static void test_moduledescriptionlist (libvlc_module_description_t *list)
         assert (strlen (module->psz_shortname) );
         assert (module->psz_longname == NULL || strlen (module->psz_longname));
         assert (module->psz_help == NULL || strlen (module->psz_help));
+        assert (module->psz_help_html == NULL || strlen (module->psz_help_html));
         module = module->p_next;
     }