HTML Help pulling up full help not just mapped topic

[redwritergirl]

Hi! I'm creating an HTML Help project using Robohelp 8.  I created map ids and gave the map id report to my developer.  When a context sensitive help topic pulls up....the correct topic pulls up but it includes the full TOC pane. Shouldn't it only pull up the topic only?

This is the embedded code to call the help. Is this correct syntax?   The Map Number is 1 and the topic title is Product Offer_Offer Info Tab

Help.ShowHelp(Me.tabVPCOrderEntry, My.Application.Info.DirectoryPath & "\VPO_HELP.chm", HelpNavigator.TopicId, "1")

Thanks in Advance,

Diana

[Captiv8r]

Hi Diana

See if the link below helps.

Click here to view

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[redwritergirl]

Thanks Rick,

My developer read this and another article and is not sure what he is not doing correctly. Should the topic only pull up and not the topic with the TOC on the left pane? I usually create web help so I don't have these issues. This is what he wrote me:

Yep…that's pretty much what I'm doing. Everything I read on this appears to indicate that this call will show the Help File positioned to the specified selection, in our case, the TopicID.

For my Help|Help Contents, I make the same call, bus specifying the following instead:

Help.ShowHelp(Me, My.Application.Info.DirectoryPath & "\VPO_HELP.chm", HelpNavigator.TableOfContents)

So I think it's doing what it's supposed to….?

diana

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Sorry, but I'm not a developer. I have dealt with help files in the past so I'm familiar with help but not really well versed on what the developer has to do to make the magick happen.

I do recall that with CHM format you have to define a specific window for the CSH to display in. Your developer then has to code his/her call so that the call summons the window you have defined. This usually means you have to make the developer aware of the specific name of the window.

For WebHelp, the HTML code looks like this:

<a href="javascript:RH_ShowHelp(0,'WebHelpFolder/DesiredTopic.htm>CSHWindowName', HH_HELP_CONTEXT, 1)">Help</a>

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[redwritergirl]

Ok thanks. I did create a map id for the topic and provided him the name of the topic.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Sorry, had to step away for a meeting.

But did you create a specific window to display that topic in and provide the window name?

S/He needs to code the call to reference the specific window.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[redwritergirl]

the help does open in a secondary window as it should...the question is whether just the topic can be extracted without the TOC/Index etc for context sensitive help.  When I create this for webhelp, only the topic itself displays and we have a link to full blown help if the user wants to access that.

Diana

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

So when you examine the Windows area for your CHM you see two windows? One for the main overall help and the second for the CSH call?

Assuming you don't see two CHM window definitions listed, then you are simply seeing the main CHM window open and you think because a "window" opens to display the help, it's a secondary window.

Assuming you do see two CHM window definitions listed, you need to examine the properties of the window you expect to be used for presenting the help. You need to ensure the TOC & Index and Browse Sequences check boxes are cleared.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[Guest]

I'm not sure why I'm getting these; the person who asked the question is named in the attached email.

Thanks!

[Guest]

I'm attaching an email I got yesterday that might help you with this issue. The writer is correct, you do have to name a specific window.

[Guest]

If the html files are located somewhere on a server separately from the CHM, you might try having the developers simply open the html file itself directly.

[redwritergirl]

Do you know if I need to create an alias to my topic in my project? If so do you know how to do that?

[Guest]

Look at it from the standpoint of the user--I would be insulted and outraged if I were not allowed full access to all of the online help. Yes, the topic in question should open first--this is the context-sensitivity. But when you offer the entire help package as well, the user can continue searching from that page, to his or her satisfaction. Often, one answer leads to another question.

Also, if your help is in the form of a .CHM file, it's nearly impossible to extract JUST the one HTML file, ignoring the rest; you always get the whole thing--because the .CHM file itself is a single file containing compressed copies of all files in the project. When the developer opens an HTML file using the proper syntax, the topic opens, together with all the associated baggage such as TOC and index.

If you want to deny the user access to the entire CHM file, then you're better off isolating the individual HTML files and having the developer open the .html file directly, not going through the .chm.

[redwritergirl]

Thank you for your response. We have a reason for not wanting full access at this time. We are only documenting two topics for the entire application at this time for a quick release. We will be adding topics continuously over time and when there is a reasonable amount then it make sense to offer full blown help.

[redwritergirl]

Also full blown help is offered in the main menu at the top of the application under the Help menu item. So we are not denying this to our users. When I create context sensitive help for a web app using Web Help, ONLY the topic displays for that specified component in the application.

[Pete_Lees]

Hi, Diana,

I don't know that the Help.ShowHelp method permits a developer to specify the target HTML Help window in which to display a Help topic. (If it does, I don't believe that I've seen this documented anywhere.) Perhaps this can be achieved by appending the name of the target window to the second parameter, like this:

My.Application.Info.DirectoryPath & "\VPO_HELP.chm>NoNavPane",

where "NoNavPane" is a cut-down window that you've defined in your Help project.

If your developer were to use the old HTML Help API instead, you can achieve what you want by using the HH_HELP_CONTEXT command.

HtmlHelp(Me.tabVPCOrderEntry, My.Application.Info.DirectoryPath & "\VPO_HELP.chm>NoNavPane", HH_HELP_CONTEXT, 1);

Pete