[Tip of the day] Actually two of 'em!

tip 1

Display ANY *.pdf file in ANY order from the Cubase Menu > Help > Documentation menu!

Find your Cubase application folder and go into the Documentation folder and open
“helpdocuments.xml”
in a text editor like NotePad.

Looks like this:
helpdocuments.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<documents>
	<doc file="Getting_Started.pdf" title="Getting Started" condition="cubase">
		<translation id="de" file="Getting_Started_de.pdf" title="Einführung" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Getting_Started_fr.pdf" title="Prise en Main" />
		<translation id="es" file="Getting_Started_es.pdf" title="Cómo Empezar" />
		<translation id="it" file="Getting_Started_it.pdf" title="Guida Introduttiva" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Getting_Started_jp.pdf" title="入門マニュアル" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Operation_Manual.pdf" title="Operation Manual">
		<translation id="de" file="Operation_Manual_de.pdf" title="Benutzerhandbuch" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Operation_Manual_fr.pdf" title="Mode d’Emploi" />
		<translation id="es" file="Operation_Manual_es.pdf" title="Manual de Operaciones" />
		<translation id="it" file="Operation_Manual_it.pdf" title="Manuale Operativo" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Operation_Manual_jp.pdf" title="オペレーションマニュアル" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Remote_Control_Devices.pdf" title="Remote Control Devices">
		<translation id="de" file="Remote_Control_Devices_de.pdf" title="Fernbedienungsgeräte" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Remote_Control_Devices_fr.pdf" title="Pupitres de télécommande" />
		<translation id="es" file="Remote_Control_Devices_es.pdf" title="Dispositivos de Control Remoto" />
		<translation id="it" file="Remote_Control_Devices_it.pdf" title="Periferiche di Controllo Remoto" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Remote_Control_Devices_jp.pdf" title="リモートコントロールデバイス" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Plug-in_Reference.pdf" title="Plug-in Reference">
		<translation id="de" file="Plug-in_Reference_de.pdf" title="PlugIn-Referenz" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Plug-in_Reference_fr.pdf" title="Référence des Plug-ins" />
		<translation id="es" file="Plug-in_Reference_es.pdf" title="Referencia de Plug-ins" />
		<translation id="it" file="Plug-in_Reference_it.pdf" title="Riferimento dei Plug-in" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Plug-in_Reference_jp.pdf" title="プラグインリファレンス" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="MIDI_Devices.pdf" title="MIDI Devices" condition="pdfMidiFeatures">
		<translation id="de" file="MIDI_Devices_de.pdf" title="MIDI-Geräte" />
		<translation id="fr" file="MIDI_Devices_fr.pdf" title="Périphériques MIDI" />
		<translation id="es" file="MIDI_Devices_es.pdf" title="Dispositivos MIDI" />
		<translation id="it" file="MIDI_Devices_it.pdf" title="Periferiche MIDI" />
		<translation id="jp" file="MIDI_Devices_jp.pdf" title="MIDIデバイス" />
	</doc>
	
	<doc file="NEK_Cubase_Music_Tools.pdf" title="Nuendo Expansion Kit - Cubase Music Tools for Nuendo" condition="nuendoExpansionKit">
		<translation id="de" file="NEK_Cubase_Music_Tools_de.pdf" title="Nuendo Expansion Kit - Cubase Music Tools für Nuendo" />
		<translation id="fr" file="NEK_Cubase_Music_Tools_fr.pdf" title="Nuendo Expansion Kit - Cubase Music Tools pour Nuendo" />
		<translation id="es" file="NEK_Cubase_Music_Tools_es.pdf" title="Nuendo Expansion Kit - Cubase Music Tools para Nuendo" />
		<translation id="it" file="NEK_Cubase_Music_Tools_it.pdf" title="Nuendo Expansion Kit - Cubase Music Tools per Nuendo" />
		<translation id="jp" file="NEK_Cubase_Music_Tools_jp.pdf" title="" />
		</doc>
	<doc file="Menu_Reference.pdf" title="Menu Reference">
		<translation id="de" file="Menu_Reference_de.pdf" title="Menübeschreibungen" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Menu_Reference_fr.pdf" title="Récapitulatif des Menus" />
		<translation id="es" file="Menu_Reference_es.pdf" title="Referencia sobre los menús" />
		<translation id="it" file="Menu_Reference_it.pdf" title="Riferimento dei Menu" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Menu_Reference_jp.pdf" title="メニューリファレンス" />
	</doc>
</documents>

Now, for the sake of safety, close that file and make a copy of it and call it "HelpdocumentsX.pdf
Open the original again and select all, then hit delete.
Copy and paste this into its place:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<documents>

	<doc file="Operation_Manual.pdf" title="Operation Manual">
		<translation id="de" file="Operation_Manual_de.pdf" title="Benutzerhandbuch" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Operation_Manual_fr.pdf" title="Mode d’Emploi" />
		<translation id="es" file="Operation_Manual_es.pdf" title="Manual de Operaciones" />
		<translation id="it" file="Operation_Manual_it.pdf" title="Manuale Operativo" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Operation_Manual_jp.pdf" title="オペレーションマニュアル" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual.pdf" title="HALionSymphonicOrchestra">
		<translation id="de" file="HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual_de.pdf" title="Einführung" />
		<translation id="fr" file="HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual_fr.pdf" title="Prise en Main" />
		<translation id="es" file="HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual_es.pdf" title="Cómo Empezar" />
		<translation id="it" file="HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual_it.pdf" title="Guida Introduttiva" />
		<translation id="jp" file="HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual_jp.pdf" title="入門マニュアル" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Getting_Started.pdf" title="Getting Started">
		<translation id="de" file="Getting_Started_de.pdf" title="Einführung" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Getting_Started_fr.pdf" title="Prise en Main" />
		<translation id="es" file="Getting_Started_es.pdf" title="Cómo Empezar" />
		<translation id="it" file="Getting_Started_it.pdf" title="Guida Introduttiva" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Getting_Started_jp.pdf" title="入門マニュアル" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Menu_Reference.pdf" title="Menu Reference">
		<translation id="de" file="Menu_Reference_de.pdf" title="Menübeschreibungen" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Menu_Reference_fr.pdf" title="Récapitulatif des Menus" />
		<translation id="es" file="Menu_Reference_es.pdf" title="Referencia sobre los menús" />
		<translation id="it" file="Menu_Reference_it.pdf" title="Riferimento dei Menu" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Menu_Reference_jp.pdf" title="メニューリファレンス" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Remote_Control_Devices.pdf" title="Remote Control Devices">
		<translation id="de" file="Remote_Control_Devices_de.pdf" title="Fernbedienungsgeräte" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Remote_Control_Devices_fr.pdf" title="Pupitres de télécommande" />
		<translation id="es" file="Remote_Control_Devices_es.pdf" title="Dispositivos de Control Remoto" />
		<translation id="it" file="Remote_Control_Devices_it.pdf" title="Periferiche di Controllo Remoto" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Remote_Control_Devices_jp.pdf" title="リモートコントロールデバイス" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="Plug-in_Reference.pdf" title="Plug-in Reference">
		<translation id="de" file="Plug-in_Reference_de.pdf" title="PlugIn-Referenz" />
		<translation id="fr" file="Plug-in_Reference_fr.pdf" title="Référence des Plug-ins" />
		<translation id="es" file="Plug-in_Reference_es.pdf" title="Referencia de Plug-ins" />
		<translation id="it" file="Plug-in_Reference_it.pdf" title="Riferimento dei Plug-in" />
		<translation id="jp" file="Plug-in_Reference_jp.pdf" title="プラグインリファレンス" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="MIDI_Devices.pdf" title="MIDI Devices" >
		<translation id="de" file="MIDI_Devices_de.pdf" title="MIDI-Geräte" />
		<translation id="fr" file="MIDI_Devices_fr.pdf" title="Périphériques MIDI" />
		<translation id="es" file="MIDI_Devices_es.pdf" title="Dispositivos MIDI" />
		<translation id="it" file="MIDI_Devices_it.pdf" title="Periferiche MIDI" />
		<translation id="jp" file="MIDI_Devices_jp.pdf" title="MIDIデバイスと機能" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="New_Features.pdf" title="New Features">
		<translation id="de" file="New_Features_de.pdf" title="MIDI-Geräte" />
		<translation id="fr" file="New_Features_fr.pdf" title="Périphériques MIDI" />
		<translation id="es" file="New_Features_es.pdf" title="Dispositivos MIDI" />
		<translation id="it" file="New_Features_it.pdf" title="Periferiche MIDI" />
		<translation id="jp" file="New_Features_jp.pdf" title="MIDIデバイスと機能" />
	</doc>
	<doc file="VersionHistory.pdf" title="VersionHistory">
		<translation id="de" file="VersionHistory_de.pdf" title="Benutzerhandbuch" />
		<translation id="fr" file="VersionHistory_fr.pdf" title="Mode d’Emploi" />
		<translation id="es" file="VersionHistory_es.pdf" title="Manual de Operaciones" />
		<translation id="it" file="VersionHistory_it.pdf" title="Manuale Operativo" />
		<translation id="jp" file="VersionHistory_jp.pdf" title="オペレーションマニュアル" />
	</doc>
</documents>

This way in MY installation of my DAW I’ve sorted the PDF files like I wanted them and also added three new files:
HALionSymphonicOrchestra_Manual.pdf
New_Features.pdf
VersionHistory.pdf
I copied the original PDF files and dropped them into the Cubase Documentation folder so that’s what you need to do to if you try. You can use whatever file you want but I needed the HSO file availabel without losing focus and it’s not available from the GUI front of HALion Symphonic Orchestra, so …


With the files in place save the “helpdocuments.xml” file and open Cubase … et voilà!

if you need to ask this isn’t necessarily for you …

tip 2

If you can’t seem to save a VST3 preset of a *.fxb after a “Imprt fxp/fxp” try with the following
close/reopen Cubase
open MediaBay and navigate to the folder of the plugin that didn’t want to be saved and scan it
open the plugin and save a dummy preset with whatever in it without using “import fxp/fxb”.
close/unload/reload the plugin
open the preset selector and if you can see your dummy preset you can close again
now perform the real “import fxp/fxb” and save it as a VST3 preset.

Should work a lot of the times, but …
After struggling for half an hour with HSO this is what did the trick for me.

maybe

Sorry, didn’t dare to trust the magical capacity of the phpBB3 experts in Hamburg so I supply this link as a separate post since I don’t want my long post to poof on me.

Nice HSO preset from Dan the Man in this topic

I removed the sid=… and it worked when I tried the link!

Nice and useful tips, Howling : great job ! Will try the PDF reordering as soon as I can , as it could allow me a direct access to the added manual that came with 5.5.

Cheers,

Great Tips, cheers Howling

Good call,HowlingUlf. And beware of the ampersand in “VersionHistory_Issues&Solutions” should you wish to include this document in the menu. Took me a while to figure out.

And by the way, you don’t need to add all the translation id entries unless you want to include documents in all those languages.

Naw, I just got lazy and happy it worked to begin with
But keep adding anything of interest!

It was actually my girlfriend (who happens to be a beginning software developer) who took over the process of xml editing and helped me identify the problems I had (Cubase just refused to see my new xml entries before she came in). While I was marveling at her coding achievements she was already fixing a wardrobe drawer with a hammer, pliers and a saw. What a multitalented lady she is!