CSH calls to local WebHelp when Chrome is your default browser and no IE is installed

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Just ran across a scenario today that is slightly puzzling - the situation is a local install of WebHelp created through RH10. The workstation has no IE installed, but has Chrome. They can launch the start page of the WebHelp output from within the application (because it's just a straight launch of the ProjectName.htm page), but when launching a CSH call, nothing is happening. My developers are using the RoboHelp_CSH.js Javascript method of CSH (works fine in an IE environment), so I think it's got something to do with the whcsh_home.htm file not figuring out what to do with Chrome.

A variation of this was having both IE and Chrome, with Chrome set to being the default browser. The straight launch correctly starts up the help in Chrome, but the CSH call launches IE - very strange! That result seems to reinforce my suspicion that the whcsh_home.htm page isn't aware of Chrome. Any ideas for tinkering under the hood appreciated

[Willam_van_Weelden]

That IE is opened seems like a problem from the application. It may be

calling IE directly instead of the default browser.

you state you use the JavaScript method for calling the help, how are

you doing that from a desktop application? I'm a bit confused.

When you launch a CSH call, do you see anything in Chrome? It is

flickering, loading, something else? Can you open the developer console

by pressing F12 and see whether you receive any errors.

As far as I know, the csh pages don't look for a browser. It just tries

to open a popup or redirect (whatever you set in the CSH call).

Kind regards,

Willam

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Sorry for the confusion Willam – since the application is written in Business Basic, we had to build an installer for the workstation that can talk to the RH CSH method. The application invokes an object that calls the help with the required parameters for the RH_ShowHelp() function. I can see the lines in the code doing that – “DEF OBJECT NH,”RoboHelp.RoboHelp_CSH”,ERR=*RETURN; WAIT 0” and then on the next line – “NH’RH_SHOWHELP(0,%JONASCLUBHELP$,NH’HH_HELP_CONTEXT,MAPID)” which seems to correspond to the parameters I see in the RoboHelp_CSH.js program.

I thought it was using the JavaScript method, but now I think I had better confirm that with the developer who built this installer package for me 4 years ago. He may have been using one of the .NET flavours. I gave them the whole \CSH API\ folder to choose from at the time.

I’ve got to dig deeper into the no-IE scenario – I only had it reported to me & I need to recreate it to see if there’s some flailing going on in Chrome when the CSH call is made.

The reason I was suspecting the whcsh_home.htm file was because of this thread - http://forums.adobe.com/message/4882189#4882189

[Willam_van_Weelden]

The API's all look alike. Perhaps changing the old API with the new ones

provided will solve it for you. After all, four years ago, Chrome was

just a new kid on the block. And older API's might not even recognize

it. (No promises though.)

The problem in whcsh_home.htm could only occur if you are using an old

version of RH. (RH8 or earlier. I know that Chrome and RH9 work fine.)

Try loading up a CSH call with the developer console active. (Press F12

to enable.) Use the CSH test tool in RH to call your help and see

whether there is a problem in Chrome. If you don't have the problem with

the test tool, the problem is probably in the API.

Kind regards,

Willam