Minimal bug in the Hyperlink dialgue

[tswaters1]

Upon pressing OK in the hyperlink window, RoboHelp will automatically convert "/#" or "\#" to "#"....
if you don't include the "/" before the "#" when linking to a robohelp project, you will be redirected to the default topic.

So say I want to link to the What's-New topic on the RoboHelp user guide:
http://help.robohelp.com/robo/projects/rht13en/#RoboHTML/Whats_new_in_this_release.htm

If I tried to place that link in a robohelp project, it would turn out like this:
http://help.robohelp.com/robo/projects/rht13en#RoboHTML/Whats_new_in_this_release.htm

which of course goes to the default topic!

As for a workaround, you can place %5C in the url so it looks like this:
http://help.robohelp.com/robo/projects/rht13en%5C#RoboHTML/Whats_new_in_this_release.htm

Robohelp will automatically convert %5C to a "\"... However, if you go into the hyperlink to check it and press OK, it will then convert it back to nothing. So basically you need to set it and forget it -- and always include the %5C whenever you change the link.

Strangely enough, once the project gets generated, the "\" will be changed to "/". Like I said, minimal bug -- but still annoying.

[HKabaker]

I'm confused by your examples.

I can't tell which is a folder, what's the launch .htm file and what's the desired topic .htm file.

The form is

http://(path into the external project folder)/launchexternal.htm#topic.htm

Say I have an external WebHelp project on doughnuts. The master directory is baking_doughnuts and the launch file is doughnuts.htm. The default topic is welcometodoughnuts.htm. It includes a topic named withholes.htm somewhere in the project.

I'm doing a separate project on baking, and I want to link to withholes.htm as a topic, but don't want the entire doughnuts project to open. The path should be

http://(Web site)/(path to )baking_doughnuts/(path to)withholes.htm.

If I want to open the doughnuts project, displaying withholes.htm instead of the welcome topic, the link address should be

http://(Web site)/(path to )baking_doughnuts/doughnuts.htm#withholes.htm.

opening into a new window.

It doesn't matter whether withholes.htm is in the top level folder or in a subdirectory.
doughnuts.htm knows where to find withholes.htm and doesn't need a subdirectory path in the call.

I get the Webhelp tripane showing the TOC and withholes.htm
show welcometodoughnuts.htm doesn't automatically display.

Harvey

[tswaters1]

Thanks Harvey... Your post has let me see the err of my ways...

I always link to a robohelp project like this:
http://www.server.com/path/robohelp_project/

My problem comes when I tried to append a topic path to that,
http://www.server.com/path/robohelp_project/#testpath/test.htm

and plug it into the hyperlink dialgoue in RoboHelp.

It takes away the "/" before the "#" to make it:
http://www.server.com/path/robohelp_project#testpath/test.htm

A much easier workaround is to insert the start page between the two to make it:
http://www.server.com/path/robohelp_project/index.htm#testpath/test.htm

Putting that link into RoboHelp causes no problems.


Anyway, I was a little intrigued by something you said in your post: your "doughnuts.htm", how does it know where "withholes.htm" is -- whether it be in the top directory or in a series of subdirectories?
Something like that would be incredibly useful for my assorted projects. I'm unaware of how to work it like that as of now.

[HKabaker]

ts,

With this approach you are, in effect, opening the WebHelp package and clicking something in the TOC before the default topic is displayed.

Peter Grainge discusses other methods, which may be more effective for what you're doing, on his excellent site here: http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/authoring.htm

Read the "Calling WebHelp" topic.

Harvey