[Myndex]

I just now came across a fix for the CD manual, and I did not see this in EGv107, so here goes.

If you use a iPad or iPhone, you know you can't see FLASH based web pages. I had taken the CD manual and copied it to my personal web server so I could access the PDFs when away from home, or simply to not have to mount the CD image. But I could not access Mercedes' silly flash-based indexes.

Well, apparently, several people took the time to develop an HTML based index that can directly access all the PDF files on the CD. It's awesome, and best of all it allows you to access the manual from your iPad or iPhone !


Steps:

1) You must already have the w107 CD based manual, or a disk image of it.

2) Download the 107 HTML index zip file from Steve Nervig's site:

Mercedes-Benz Service Library Index Download Page

3) Unzip the file and you'll see these inside the folder:

4) Now, mount your manual CD and copy the entire program folder into the r107CD1 folder:

5) Now open Main.html in the web browser of your choice, and enjoy a much easier to navigate service manual that works on all devices - AND there have been numerous fixes to the bad links present in the CD version, plus a special section of helpful tips from these forums, not available on the CD by itself.

6a) (optional) put the R107 folder on your personal web server, and then you can surf to the manual from anywhere, including access from your iPad or iPhone. The precise steps will vary depending on how your web server is set up. For instance, you may want to rename "Main.html" to "index.html" if you have directory listings turned off.

6b) (optional) instead of putting it on a personal web server, you can also reduce the ENTIRE web-based index to a single PDF file using IE, Chrome, FireFox, or Acrobat. Just open the Main.html page, and select "create PDF", using unlimited levels. For more specific instructions, see:

http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/converting-web-pages-pdf.html

The advantage of this method is you then have a single PDF file that you can upload to your iPad or other device (it will be large though, as in over 600 MB).


Sample Web Index Pages:

And a huge debt of gratitude to Steve Nervig for maintaining this.

 

[cwmoser]

Good write up on how to do this.

I got the Service Manual on my Nook Tablet and on my PC.
Its great to have it this way without the Flash.
If one knows a little HTML you can substitute pictures of your own SL.

 

[Ears]

I tried to run the manual ( nervig version) from a sd card in an Asus tablet without success. The HTML worked beautifully, but the PDF when called, would not load. I could load PDF by picking from directory; however...


Sent from my dumb phone...

 

[Myndex]

I tried to run the manual ( nervig version) from a sd card in an Asus tablet without success. The HTML worked beautifully, but the PDF when called, would not load. I could load PDF by picking from directory; however...]

Are you using Linux by chance? Or do you have case sensitive files names "on" in your OS or for your SD card?

One of the reasons the factory CD wouldn't work in some Macs, was that the disk format used a case sensitive file system that the Mac OS respected, but oddly windows and IE ignored.

If your SD card is formatted with a case sensitive file system, then some of the links may not work, because when MBZ did the original CD, they were quite careless with maintaining the correct case-sensitive path names.

If you make sure your SD card is formatted as a case-insensitive file system, it most likely will cure your issue as described.

A quick test for this is to look at the path in the address bar of the browser that isn't working, and look at the actual path to see if ANY characters are of a different upper or lower case. If you correct the case manually in the address bar, and the file then comes up, then bingo - you are using a case sensitive format, and that is preventing it from working.

 

[cwmoser]

Are you using Linux by chance? Or do you have case sensitive files names "on" in your OS or for your SD card?

One of the reasons the factory CD wouldn't work in some Macs, was that the disk format used a case sensitive file system that the Mac OS respected, but oddly windows and IE ignored.

If your SD card is formatted with a case sensitive file system, then some of the links may not work, because when MBZ did the original CD, they were quite careless with maintaining the correct case-sensitive path names.

If you make sure your SD card is formatted as a case-insensitive file system, it most likely will cure your issue as described.

A quick test for this is to look at the path in the address bar of the browser that isn't working, and look at the actual path to see if ANY characters are of a different upper or lower case. If you correct the case manually in the address bar, and the file then comes up, then bingo - you are using a case sensitive format, and that is preventing it from working.

Ditto. You reminded me of what i had to do.
I bet Ears is running an Android Tablet (i.e. Linux) and it treats
file names case sensitive like you mentioned. Now that you mentioned
this I had to rename many of the files that were uppercase to lowercase - some
but not all.

Carl

 

[Myndex]

Ditto. You reminded me of what i had to do.
I bet Ears is running an Android Tablet (i.e. Linux) and it treats
file names case sensitive like you mentioned. Now that you mentioned
this I had to rename many of the files that were uppercase to lowercase - some
but not all.

Carl

Yea, the inconsistency is frustrating. Whoever they had put those CDs together was damn sloppy about it.

 

[PanzerPuff]

Myndex, thank you so much for this posting and easy to follow instructions. I have it installed and working in a few minutes. I have been searching the net for a way to eliminate those annoying Adobe "Do you trust this content" prompts that are downright stupid, since it is asking if I trust the content on my own computer, as plainly shown in the URL bar. Thanks to you and Steve Nervig, we no longer need to deal with this asinine twisted Adobe logic.

 

[Ears]

Yup, android. Sd card formatted fat32 (micro sd). My son and wife were gonna buy me my own tablet for bday until I learned of the issue. Now I'll have to revisit

Also, I can't see anyway to choose browser when running/opening HTML from android file manager. Maybe a download file manager is available. I don't know much about android system on this Asus tf300 tablet that I was testing (wife's device)


Sent from my dumb phone...

 

[reno4u2]

I have used Steve Nervig's index for a couple of years now on my main computer. With a bit of code re-write on the main.html page you can add a custom touch...your car.

 

[Ears]

Are you using Linux by chance? Or do you have case sensitive files names "on" in your OS or for your SD card?

One of the reasons the factory CD wouldn't work in some Macs, was that the disk format used a case sensitive file system that the Mac OS respected, but oddly windows and IE ignored.

If your SD card is formatted with a case sensitive file system, then some of the links may not work, because when MBZ did the original CD, they were quite careless with maintaining the correct case-sensitive path names.

If you make sure your SD card is formatted as a case-insensitive file system, it most likely will cure your issue as described.

A quick test for this is to look at the path in the address bar of the browser that isn't working, and look at the actual path to see if ANY characters are of a different upper or lower case. If you correct the case manually in the address bar, and the file then comes up, then bingo - you are using a case sensitive format, and that is preventing it from working.

Ditto. You reminded me of what i had to do.
I bet Ears is running an Android Tablet (i.e. Linux) and it treats
file names case sensitive like you mentioned. Now that you mentioned
this I had to rename many of the files that were uppercase to lowercase - some
but not all.

Carl

Yea, the inconsistency is frustrating. Whoever they had put those CDs together was damn sloppy about it.

I'm about to try this ASUS android tablet and Nervig manual again. I have discovered the following after the great input here:

1. My "Program" folder was named "program"... (ignore quotes, case was wrong)
2. Several .htm files were pointing to PROGRAM Folder, instead of Program as follows...
All .htm files in C:\R107\Index\Groups were pointing to PROGRAM instead of Program, C:\R107\Index\ 117.4index.html, 116.3index.html, and 117.5.html were pointing to PROGRAM, instead of Program...

We'll see how it goes...

 

[Ears]

Test was a fail...
Still same results. No .pdf called will open...
Screw-it!

 

[Ears]

...6b) (optional) instead of putting it on a personal web server, you can also reduce the ENTIRE web-based index to a single PDF file using IE, Chrome, FireFox, or Acrobat. Just open the Main.html page, and select "create PDF", using unlimited levels. For more specific instructions, see:

Acrobat Help | Converting web pages to PDF

The advantage of this method is you then have a single PDF file that you can upload to your iPad or other device (it will be large though, as in over 600 MB)...

I guess this is for one who is fortunate enough to have a (full) copy of Adobe?

 

[Ears]

Oh, S**t!

could this be the case? Forward slash instead of backslash?

If so, how is it working at all...?

<UL>
<LI COLOR="#99ccff" SIZE="+2">[A HREF="../../r107CD1/Program/Engine/107/M117_56/00-005.pdf"]<FONT
SIZE="+2">00-005</FONT></A><FONT COLOR="#99ccff" SIZE="+2">
- Instructions for use of service manual</FONT>
</UL>

Shouldn't the forward slashes in the href be backslashes, ie A HREF="..\..\r107CD1\Program\Engine\107\M117_56\00-005.pdf" ?

edit... so I tried changing the forward to backslash and PC still works. Now to try with Android...
edit #2 ... still no workie! At least this time I get an error that the address is not valid.

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="content-type" CONTENT="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1">
<TITLE>00 Identification - M117 5.6 Liter</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#99ccff" LINK="#66ccff" VLINK="#ff9999"
ALINK="#cccccc">

<H2><FONT COLOR="#99ccff" SIZE="+4"><HR ALIGN=LEFT>00 Maintenance
Procedures, Identification and Owner's Manuals - </FONT><FONT
SIZE="+3">M117 5.6 Liter</FONT></H2>

<HR ALIGN=LEFT>

<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><FONT COLOR="#cccccc" SIZE="+2">Service Manual, Engine 117
5.6 Liter</FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE>

<UL>
<LI COLOR="#99ccff" SIZE="+2">[A HREF="..\..\r107CD1\Program\Engine\107\M117_56\00-005.pdf"]<FONT
SIZE="+2">00-005</FONT></A><FONT COLOR="#99ccff" SIZE="+2">
- Instructions for use of service manual</FONT>
</UL>

</BODY>
</HTML>

This htm file runs beautifully, and opens in the browser with a link to click on to get file 00-005.pdf if one clicks on the link. The result is the pdf file does not load, but I get an error of invalid address. I have verified the address...

In the past, I would not even get an error... The .pdf just wouldn't load as if the link were never clicked.

Shi*, Shi*, Shi*

ps... yes, I know the [A HREF...] should be <...>

 

[Myndex]

I guess this is for one who is fortunate enough to have a (full) copy of Adobe?

I'm pretty sure the regular reader app will also generate this, and there are other apps out there that do it as well.

 

[Myndex]

could this be the case? Forward slash instead of backslash?


This htm file runs beautifully, and opens in the browser with a link to click on to get file 00-005.pdf if one clicks on the link. The result is the pdf file does not load, but I get an error of invalid address. I have verified the address...

<...>

Back slashes : ..\windowz\sucks Is used of rdos\windows file systems

Forward slashes : ./unix/is/better Is used for osx/unix/Linux file systems.


Browsers however correct this for users because of the common confusion. All web addresses are forward slashes. Windows local file slashes are backwards, but IE should correct if they are reversed.

Not sure how you are loading all the files into your android device, but my assumption is there's a problem with how the file hierarchy is structured.




.

 

[Ears]

I'm pretty sure the regular reader app will also generate this, and there are other apps out there that do it as well.

No choice in reader XI, and no adobe toolbar in Firefox, nor does anything happen if I hit F8...

I read the attached link from your earlier post, and no Joy...

Oh, well.

 

[Ears]

Back slashes : ..\windowz\sucks Is used of rdos\windows file systems

Forward slashes : ./unix/is/better Is used for osx/unix/Linux file systems.

Well, there ya go...

Not sure how you are loading all the files into your android device, but my assumption is there's a problem with how the file hierarchy is structured.
.

No doubt. I just copied the file folders exactly like they are on my PC (with edits mentioned to case of Program folder) to a micro SD, inserted into android (ASUS TF300 Transformer pad), and launch main.html from the file manager...

 

[Myndex]

I can't investigate right now, but will try and look into the Android issue next week. Remind me if I forget.