Robohelp - main page loops/refreshes continously when using Firefox

[paymanpoorsh]

All,

I have read through all of the posts and unfortuantely I have not been able to find a solution to my problem.

Problem: When accessing online help in Firefox, the main page loads for the most part but before it's complete, it reloads the main page again. This looping process is endless (main page reloading) and if I click on any links, the link will start to load and then main page starts to loads agan and again...  When I access online help via IE, I do not experience the same problem. In IE,  the main page loads and online help functions correctly. Ironically, another online help was created for a different product that is hosted on the same machine (linux) but when i access that help, i do not experience the looping problem.

I am using Firefox version 3.6.

Things that I have tried to fix the problem:

• access online help in Firefox (safe mode)
• use default theme
• access online help in version 1.5 or 2.0 in firefox
• change the page encoding
• disable all plug-ins
• I have also compared all of the javasript files from the working help and the problematic one and for the most part, everything is the same. The working help has 9 more js files but i think its because its context sensitive (not sure).

One way that I can stop the page from looping is by changing the encoding in the browser. No matter what its set to, if i change it and refresh the page, the looping stops but the Search field does not appear and after a short period of time, the pages doesnt respond.

Any ideas? Thank your for your time and consideration. If you would like to ask me some questions about this problem, my number is 703.227.4890. Thanks

[Peter Grainge]

Welcome to the forum.

I know you have included your phone number with good intentions but it is preferred that questions are via the forum to help others. Also not all supporters are US based, I am assuming that is a US number).

Also please see the sticky topic Before You Post. What version and edition of RoboHelp are you using?

Is this when the help is called from an application or when you open it directly? If the latter, does the same happen in both the locally generated help and the published help?

Does the same happen with the supplied sample projects or a newly created project?

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@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

Thanks Peter.

I am in charge of verifying that all of the documentation was converted correctly.  I do not directly use the software itself but i know its version 5.5. I have reached out to the team that was responsible for doing the conversion but unfortunately they are aware of the problem and are not sure why its occurring. When i asked them if this happens with all of their builds, they said yes but then i discovered that they did a build for another product that we support a few months back and this problem is not occurring when i directly access the link. I was not able to access the 'working' version from the application because i am not a user in that system.

The refreshing occurs when I access online help through the application and by directly entering the url in firefox. When you ask,  'does the same happen in .. locally generated help ', do you mean by accessing the one of the .htm files on my local drive? If so, the problem does not occur when i enter the html file name in my firefox browser when and access it when it on my local drive.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

-Payman

[Peter Grainge]

Are you sure it is RoboHelp? Hopefully Rick Stone is online can check whether there was a version 5.5

When the authors create the help, the generate it to a local folder. Then they either zip it up and send it to you or they publish it direct to the server. I am guessing they zip it up and send it to you.

If I follow you, the help for one product is working correctly no matter how it is accessed, via the application or by entering a URL to the start page. The start page opens the help with the tri pane window.

The start page name is set by the authors in the first page of the wizard. In the output you have, there will be a file called startpage.htm (or whatever they used) and it will be followed by two other files startpage_csh.htm and startpage_rhc.htm. If you browse to the startpage, the help should open in the tripane window.

If the problem help opens fine that way but not from the application, I would suspect the problem is with the way the help is called. That said, there were some browser issues in older versions of RH. I may still have access to the information but check the above first.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

You are correct Peter. The file is sent to me in a zip format. I have unzipped it and placed its contents in a folder. I accessed the .htm page that you asked me to. It works fine (locally).

To clarify -

I am experiencing the problem when i access online help from the application and by directly entering the url in firefox.

The other version that was developed for another product works correctly when i enter in the url in firefox and access the link directly. I do not have access to the application to navigatie from within it to online help but i am pretty sure that it works fine also.

the version is webhelp 5.5. sorry for the confusion.

meta name="generator" content="RoboHelp by eHelp Corporation   www.ehelp.com">
<meta name="description" content="WebHelp 5.50">

Thank you for all of your help

[Peter Grainge]

I am experiencing the problem when i access online help from the application and by directly entering the url in firefox.

You say that if you open the help locally it works but then you add the above. The fact that it fails from the application is indicative of a problem with the call. What I am still not clear on is what you mean by entering the URL in Firefox. Do you mean you are entering the direct path to the help when it has been put up on the server? In other words you are opening the server version of what you have locally. If so, you are telling me the server version fails when startpage is called whereas the local version works and that means it is not the call but something wrong when the help gets on the server. Are you sure everything that is locally is getting onto the server if that is the case?

It's the version of RoboHelp I want, not the webhelp version. Your authors can give you that from Help > About.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

Sorry for the confusion Peter - you are correct, when i access the server version the file fails ( i mean by entering the direct path to the server location of the file) but when i access the local version ( my c: drive), it works fine.

they use Robohelp X5

I asked my technical team and they said that all they  put the .war file out on the server and call it. They do make an update to the weblogic.xml file. they update the <context-root>momentum-help</context-root>  to <context-root>XXXXX-help</context-root> where XXXXX represents the name of the application.

The link that i use to access the server version looks similiar to this - https://abcd.net/XXXXX-help/momentum_online_help.htm

Thanks you for all of your help!https://cjatest.usc.cgipdc.net/cja-help/Momentum_Online_Help.htm

[Peter Grainge]

Given that the help does not work on the server but does locally, the options are:

• The files that are in the local folder where the help does run are not all making it to the server
• There is something wrong in the server environment but that would apply to any help output on that server.

There is some information on my site under RoboHelp > Browsers but I think that would apply to the local version as well, hence my conclusion above.

Start by using a tool such as Beyond Compare.

There is one other thing I am not sure about, running WebHelp on a secure server. Is the help that does work on an http server and it is just this one on https that does not work? If so, I would have to call the cavalry in to help us. I'm about to log off as it is late here in the UK.

Back tomorrow and meantime perhaps one of my US cousins can help.

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@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

Peter - both of the helps are being run on a secure server.

Are there any problems with robohelp and a round-robin configuration? I am not sure if the working help is employing this method but i do know that the problematic one is.

Please let me know any questions that you have an ill get all the answers for you. Thanks again for everything.

[Peter Grainge]

I'm not sure what you mean by a round-robin configuration.

I still think you need to run something like Beyond Compare.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

Hello Peter -

Round Robin is a dns method thats used for load balancing.

additional information - when the problematic help is being loaded, its seems like all of hte content has been loaded but then the Search field disappears and the help stops for a second, then reloads everything again.

If i change the encoding setting in my browser, it seems to stop but then the search field disappears and the page seems to not respond after a few minutes.

I loaded both files in beyod compare and didnt notice any major differences. As i mentioned before, they are for different products so i expected some differences.

Are there any server configuration limitations when using firefox?

[Peter Grainge]

I posted one link to a topic on my site about the TOC failing to complete loading. I don't know if it is relevant but you didn't comment either way.

It is not necessary to configure Firefox in any special way that I have ever encountered or seen posted.

How webhelp works where load balancing is used is something I have no knowledge of but from what you say that is not an issue with IE.

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@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

where did you post the link?

Are you refereing item #5 in Browser Issues? I didnt see a solution posted for the problem.

[Peter Grainge]

When I look at item 5 it says it was fixed in Version 7.0.2.

You still have not told me what version of RoboHelp you are using. See my earlier post explaining your authors will have to give that. The webhelp version is not what I need.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

Hello Peter -

I did respond with the version in post #6.

They use robohelp X5.

[Peter Grainge]

Sorry, missed that.

The problem could be the item in Browsers. I have no way of telling when that problem first arose, simply that it was fixed in RH7 with the patch.

The only thing I can suggest is that they download the trial version of RH8 and install that on a non production machine. Do not install it on a machine they currently use with RH.

Then they should make a copy of the project and upgrade the copy, generate fresh webhelp and see how that works.

The problem I have with that answer is that you have a project that works OK. When was the help that works last updated? Maybe a more recent version of that would also fail. (Do make some backups first if you decide to test that)

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[paymanpoorsh]

thanks Peter - I will touch base with them and see if they are willing to try this out.

Ill keep you updated.

Thanks,

Payman

[Peter Grainge]

Or perhaps they would share the source project with me? See my contact page if that is possible and the project is not ridiculously large.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge