Implementing Context Sensitive Help

[Guest]

I have read as many topics on this forum I could find on this subject, read Peter Grainge's pages with scrutiny, extended my research to other areas of the web, even read Adobe's help.  I am still confused how to implement context senstive help using TopicAlias markers.  I am hoping someone has clarification.

TCS 2.0 (RH8 integrated with FM 9)  Output is Webhelp

All TopicAlias markers are set and picked up in RH as MapIDs.  What I am inferring is those MapIDs are the same as TopicAliases.  So far so good?  I do not care about the numerical MapID RH assigns.  I am interested in the TopicAlias being recognized.  Reason being, I am swapping out the current WebWorks configuration with RH and need to retain the same concept of calling the context-sensntive help.  For example.  WebWorks uses a string such as:

../wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm?context=project_user_guide&topic=topic_alias2

I would like to retain the same format.  Does RH have a string like that?  The nearest I can tell is it does not.  I am seeing topicaliases need to be called using javascript or HTML triggering method using an url such as .../page.html#topic_alias_2.  We don't want to use the javascript method because the WebWorks method was called using a customized XML file that recognized the topicaliases.

Have I provided enough detail for knowledgeable folks to get the picture?  Is there a method someone is aware of to get this to work?

By the way, I have also tried creating a new window and getting the context-sensitive help to be called using the index_csh.htm#topic_alias method.  It spawns a blank page.  I cannot find any instructions how to get the CSH method buried as an obscure feature in RH to work (if that is an option here).

Thank you very much in advance for any insight anyone can provide.

TT

[johndaigle]

Hi.

My focus is RoboHelp rather than FrameMaker, but let me see if I can help. It sounds like you may have already found this, but just in case, there is this thread which seems related to what you are asking. That said, the string you use as an example seems to be proprietary to WebWorks.

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/795893

Here is something I found on the Adobe Tech Comm Blog

http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2007/10/generating_context_sensitive_h_1.html

Meanwhile, I will try to find some other resources.

John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor
Evergreen, Colorado
www.showmethedemo.com

[Guest]

Thanks John, much appreciated. http://forums.adobe.com/thread/795893 seems to be the same situation for me.  Though I am unsure what str=MapID means int he suggested solution.  Our testing has included using the URL.htm#topicalias.  Do we need to include the MapID numeral as wel?  #topicalias=16

When I test using the CSH pod the correct page launches.  So this seems to be a string syntax issue.  I want the whole help system to launch though, not just the topic in a single pane.  Is that a URL string element as well?  I created a new window but the CSH test tool does not launch the page if I enter the window name.

The RH help for the test tool is not very descriptive http://help.adobe.com/en_US/RoboHelp/8.0/RoboHTML/WS5b3ccc516d4fbf351e63e3d11aff59c571-7fe0.html

Also, after some discussion with our developer, I clarified we are using javascript to trigger the help.  I thought there was a custom API in place using XML.  The existing webworks system is a few years old so the implementation was a mystery to me.

[RoboAsh]

Hi,

       The #<str=MapID is the string that you need to append in your main help url to open the CSH page with map id = MapID (it will be alphanumeric string), but this is required if you want to directly call the CSH page in a browser.

but I think you should use predefined CSH API installed with RboHelp, the path to these APIs are "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe RoboHelp 9\CSH API", you will find CSH APIs for multiple languages and from your discsssion it seems you require one in JavaScript so you can use that by including the JavaScript API available in this folder in your App code, It will reduce a lot of CSH integration time for you, as the required functions are avilabel here.

Hope this helps and feel free to revert back for any clarification

Ashish

[RoboAsh · Accepted solution]

For custom windows (defined in Help project), add ">" followed by the window name ("/help/help.htm>mywin") and it shows that you have missed the symbol ">".

All the elaborated help and support is there in the CSH API

Ashish