WebHelp URL call from application

[Guest]

Hi,

Our application developers want to standardize all URL help calls from all applications to have this format, which uses ?helpcontent= instead of the # that I've seen in RH:

http://servername/helpfolder/default.html?helpcontent=subfolder/topicname.html

Is it possible to do this with RoboHelp or are we required to use http://servername/helpfolder/default.html#subfolder/topicname.html for the URL?

Thanks,

Jenny

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Hi,

RoboHelp does not support url parameters using a question mark. (Unless you want to start rewriting the CSH JavaScript in your output. )

Does that mean you're stuck with it? Yes and No. Your output is stuck with it, but you can always create an extra startfile that supports the url paramters, builds the correct url and forwards to your project. Your developers should be able to create such a startfile in no time. (And it's them who want a different CSH call...)

Greet,

Willam

[Guest]

Thanks... I ran this solution by our developers. Unfortunately the developers who are asking for the change were unable to decipher enough of the RoboHelp javascript to set this up.  Would anyone like to volunteer?

[Guest]

Hi,

Please see if modifying function window_OnLoad() in whcsh_home.htm in the WebHelp output helps you resolve the issue.

Currently  function Window_OnLoad() parses the anchor portion of a URL, including the hash sign (#) and patches it to create the CSH url.

Thanks,

Aditi

[Guest]

Thanks Aditi, I passed your suggestion to the developer and he said that was exactly what he did. He said that, after the conversion, the ? call displays the correct topic - but it doesn't display the TOC/Index frame.  This is a merged help system that is using a redirect, set up exactly as described in Peter Grainge's web site.

[Peter Grainge]

For Aditi's benefit, the only difference that makes is that the default topic in the parent has a redirect to a topic in one of the child projects under mergedProjects. It would not affect the call.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Hi,

WebHelp checks for the hash character whenever it's opened. If it is found it checks if there is a regular call such as generated by the API or a translated, interal call. Both methods use the hash characters and if you want to change that you need to rewrite quite a bit of script in the project startfile, whstart.js, whcsh_homt.htm and whcshdata.htm. Also, you have to do this in every merged project as well.

A much easier approach (one I use) is to create an extra html file that your developers can call in the way the want. The extra file then translates the call into a default WebHelp call and redirects to the project start file. You only need to provide this file for the master project, as the merged WebHelp will automatically search all the child projects when it can't find the id in the master project.

Also note: If you are using local webhelp, Internet Explorer does not support calling a htm file with parameters using a question mark. Your developer will need to create a workaround for that. My guess is that this may be the reason that WebHelp uses a hash instead of a question mark.

Greet,

Willam

[Guest]

The approach of adding the extra file seems to work well for us - thanks!