Bert, The instructions for how to convert a Quickguide from a .pr file to a .sexp.data.gz file are already in the OLPC image. See the comment of class QuickGuideGenerator.
** Here is a newer and simpler version **
Instructions to generate .sexp files for the Quick Guides. These are the help system for Etoys.
To create a new guide, copy the bookmorph out of the QuickGuides flap. Use the halos to completely change the contents. Create help pages for a new topic. When you are done, write the entire project out using "Keep the current project". It is now a .pr file. Look in the Quickguides folder to see how guide files are named. You can rename the guides to have a title in the local language. The file name must still starts with the original stem (NavBar, Paint, etc). An example is NavBarSpeichern-und-Laden.pr
If you put the .pr into the QuickGuides folder, you will be able to see it in the Help flap. (Click the Help button [?] once to close help, and once again to open it.) You can test a .pr file in the QuickGuides folder, but it is not in the proper format to include in the OLPC build.
The purpose of QuickGuideGenerator is to put a guide in to the proper format for distribution. (Thanks to Yoshiki for writing this converter and inventing the .sexp format.) 1) Make a folder called "To-Be-Converted" at the top level of your file system. Put the .pr files of all new guides into this folder. 1.5) Make a folder called "Newer" in the folder that has the Etoys image file. This must be a fresh new folder. 2) Start Etoys. You will NOT save this image. 3) Execute QuickGuideGenerator new openInWorld. 4) Wait until a new window appears. 5) Find the folder "To-Be-Converted" in the list and click on it. It's path will appear in the top pane. 6) Press the "Generate" button. Wait. 7) Quit Etoys without saving.
8) "Newer" will now have a .sexp file for each guide that was a .pr file. Files ending in .sexp contain Yoshiki's S-expression linearization of object trees. 9) Copy the .sexp files to QuickGuides, and remove the .pr files of the same name. 10) Start Squeak and view your new guides.
--Ted.
P.S. How to use the guides, in case you have no idea what we are talking about! Pressing the Help button [?] at the top left of the screen, brings up the QuickGuides flap. The index page has categories of help. The Jump To... button allows you to get to any help guide.