IE6 ActiveX update from Microsoft

[Nina_FMR]

Hi. My group at work recently received a notice that Microsoft is releasing a patch to Internet Explorer 6 that changes the behavior of ActiveX controls:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/912945/en-us

Does anyone know whether this patch is likely to have an adverse effect on WebHelp?

Thanks.

- Nina

P.S. If this has been covered in another topic, I apologize (and please point me to it). I did a search on the forums and didn't turn up anything...

[Roger_N]

Hi Nina -

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for pointing that link out - its a good heads up on Browser Behavior to Come.

If you use a lot of .pdf files, it might be inconvenient. It looks like we're going back to a confirmation click before they open. It also looks like Websites with Flash will be affected, and thus FlashHelp.

I know Adobe/MM won't be thrilled that .pdf and .swf files will now evoke a dialog box first. That new family of Web apps that use Flash as a front end might not like it either.

But, anything that can access your operating system needs permission, I guess. At least its only a confirmation box, and nothing disabling....

[Nina_FMR]

Thanks, Roger!

- Nina

[susan3]

My engineers are also asking me this. This is the the error they are receiving:
//Begin to support previous HHActiveX invoking

function BsHHActivateComponents()

{

if( HH_ActiveX && (HH_ChmFilename != "") && ((self == top) || (self == top.frames[0])))

{

var objBody = getElementsByTag(document,"BODY")[0];

if( typeof(objBody) == "object" )

{

insertAdjacentHTML(objBody, "beforeEnd", '<OBJECT ID="HHComponentActivator" CLASSID="CLSID:399CB6C4-7312-11D2-B4D9-00105A0422DF" width=0 height=0></OBJECT>');

if (HHComponentActivator.object)

HHComponentActivator.Activate(HH_ChmFilename, HH_WindowName, HH_GlossaryFont, HH_Glossary, HH_Avenue);

}

}

}


Also, the engineers say that the IE patch is to circumvent patents from Eolas. Any thoughts on how I can fix the problems associated with Webhelp/Pro? Thanks!

[Roger_N]

Susan -

You'll have to provide a little more information. What was the error?

Of what problems are you speaking? Are you perhaps looking for a method of circumventing the security message when running active content from the desktop? Or these new .PDF and .SWF file messages?

[susan3]

Based on the info in this article,
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1943847,00.asp
and that RH has Active X objects in it, it appears there will be a problem.

What would be the suggested fix or work around?
S

[DiMost]

About ActiveX, Robohelp, and IE6 with the yellow "security bar": I have not seen any workable solutions to this issue that I can use, and I have looked and looked.

I am using WebHelp output.

I've tried generating WebHelp as Pure HTML, and still get the security bar in IE; I've tried the "mark of the Web" solution (impractical due to the size of my help file); and I have heard that our developers can "register the ActiveX file" on our network (haven't tried this yet, but will as a last resort).

There just does not seem to be any solution. (Switch to a different browser?)

Our IT department will NOT allow us to change the browser settings to lower security. For other reasons, Flashelp (which does not display the bar with a fix I found) or HTML Help are not viable solutions for us either, due to the plug-in and LAN aspects.

Macromedia, is there no solution to this problem? I am completely stymied.

(help, help!!)

-- Diana

[Peter Grainge]

This should only be a problem to you when you generate or publish your output to your hard disk. The webhelp is presumably going to be installed on a server for your users and the problem will not arise.

You ask this question of Macromedia. Note that they do not monitor these forums as indicated below.

[alden4]

Peter, When you say "This should only be a problem to you" do you mean that if I create the WebHelp project on my hard disk, then upload the WebHelp folder to a web server, that users who access the files from the web server will not see the "Click to continue" dialog box after implementing the IE 6 patch?

Also, maybe someone can explain: I don't quite understand how ActiveX is involved in WebHelp, I don't see any *.ocx control files in my project?

[Captiv8r]

Hi again Alden

I see you just left the Captivate forum and I'm wondering if you might be a bit confused.

This thread is referring to the yellow "Information bar" that IE6 presents when WebHelp runs. I think this is because of all the JavaScript in WebHelp. It's a different scenario than the "Click to activate this control" message that one sees when the browser tries to display Flash content.

This scenario only affects WebHelp that runs on the local PC. Once you move it to a server and access it that way, the issue goes away. With the other issue, you see it regardless of whether the Flash content is on the local PC or the Internet. It's happening because of the way the courts forced Microsoft to adjust the browser behavior.

Dontcha just LOVE the litigious society we all live in these days?

Cheers... Rick

[alden4]

Hi again Rick ... Thanks for recognizing my confusement .... I read that first post & it sounded like the same ActiveX issue but of course now I realize it isn't.

So, is WebHelp immune to the litigious ActiveX issue that is causing pain to Captivate/Flash developers? I'm not aware of any ActiveX controls involved with WebHelp, but what do I know. Someone who is researching this issue called my boss & said she found evidence of Active X in my WebHelp projects. I haven't been able to get in touch with her yet but I would like to be able to say that for WebHelp, ActiveX is not going to cause problems in this case (apparently we haven't implemented the updated, patched IE browser yet, and she was doing some advanced troubleshooting ...)

[Captiv8r]

Hi again Alden

See if the TechNote linked below helps to explain things better or differently.

Click here to read the TechNote

Cheers... Rick

[alden4]

Thanks again Rick ... so if my IE is set to allow active content, is that all I need to do to inoculate it against the new IE browser patch? Is this the same issue that is causing the "Click to continue" dialog box with Flash content? It sounds like a different issue.

And ..I still don't get what ActiveX has to do with WebHelp.

[Captiv8r]

Hi again Alden

I'm really confused when you say "innoculate against the new IE browser patch".

I don't believe WebHelp actually has ActiveX per se. Maybe if it shifted gears and slipped into Java Applet display mode, it might be considered "ActiveX". But that's about all I could fathom. I believe the reall issue at play here is simply the fact that Active content is being displayed. This means JavaScript. And WebHelp is rife with JavaScript. It's what makes WebHelp work the way it does. Actually, to turn off the display of this information bar, you click Tools > Internet Options... > Advanced tab > Security area and place a check mark inside the check box labeled: Allow active content to run in files on My Computer. Notice the message is Active Content and not ActiveX. I think this is where the confusion is stemming from. I think this simply means "JavaScript".

So to answer your question, indeed the issue with clicking to activate the control and the issue with the yellow information bar are two entirely different things. Spiders and Hedgehogs. Both look prickly, but are different species entirely.

How's that? Are we more confused than ever now? Rick

[alden4]

That helps a lot, Rick ... I think I'm straight on this now ... thanks again so much for helping me understand, even in the midst of my confusement!

[Peter Grainge]

quote:

---

Peter, When you say "This should only be a problem to you" do you mean that if I create the WebHelp project on my hard disk, then upload the WebHelp folder to a web server, that users who access the files from the web server will not see the "Click to continue" dialog box after implementing the IE 6 patch?

---

Yes.