Setting up context sensitive help for WebHelp in web application.

[joannemarie44]

Hi,

I'm working on a help system for a web application. It will include context sensitive help triggered by an icon on the screen, and the Topic will open in an iframe with a set size. The developer has already set up the iframe that pops up when the icons are clicked. He is giving me the ID for the screens with the help icons as a fully qualified java file name. I'm not sure what the correct process would be in RoboHelp to map the ID's to the topics.

1. Do I create a map file using the list of ID's the developer sends me? Would it be in this format:

#define Topic_Name Java_File_Name

2. Do I then add the ID to the appropriate help Topic using Project Setup pod Context-Sensitive Help folder?

3. When I generate the layout I specify the map file I created above (.h extension)

3. If the developer already set up the iFrame size, is it correct that I don't need to create a custom window to set up the size? Is there a way to set it so two panes open? (I believe using the method above one pane opens with link to navigation pane)

Thanks in advance,

Joanne

[Captiv8r]

Welcome to our community

See if the link below helps.

Click here to view

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[joannemarie44]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the quick reply. I have checked out all the links, saw most of them before. I'm still not totally sure how I should do this.

I believe the developer is planning on calling the WebHelp as a direct call to the  htm file, but we still have to map the ID to the topic so he knows which file is the target.

Joanne

[Willam_van_Weelden · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Check Project Set-up > Context Sensitive Help > Map files. You can assign ID's the developer send you to topics. If you want to play with the map files, you need to create the map files (.h) and the alias file (.ali). Just assign a single ID to a topic and open those files with notepad to see how you should format those files.

Greet,

Willam

[joannemarie44]

Hi William,

Thank you, that is just the information I need.

Regards,

Joanne

[joannemarie44]

Hi,

One more question - is it possible to set a custom window when generating WebHelp? I see where you can choose default window for WebHelp Pro, but don't see the option when generating WebHelp. I would like to control whether it opens as one pane or two pane for context sensitive help, but maybe I do that in the map file.

Thanks,

Joanne

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Hi,

You can't set a default window for WebHelp. If you don't specify a window in your context sensitive help call, the help will simply ignore all window definitions available: Only the topic will be opened. If you want to show the pane and use the topic, you need to use a window definition.

Greet,

Willam

[joannemarie44]

Hi William,

How do I use a window definition, do I need to specify it in the map file?

thanks,

Joanne

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Hi,

You set map files in Project Set-up > Windows. Your developers will need to amend their call. See

• http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_webhelp/calling_webhelp.htm
• http://www.wvanweelden.eu/robohelp/context_sensitivity_in_webhelp/methods_for_calling_Webhelp/regula...

Greet,

Willam

[joannemarie44]

Hi,

The second link is exactly what I needed to know.

Thanks,

Joanne