Is there a way to prevent pop-ups?

[Tech_Writer_KC]

RH9, webhelp, merged projects.

Scenario: We have an externally-created .htm page that lists our new features along with the relevant issue/case number. We use Map IDs to assign these case numbers to the relevant topics (i.e. the topic for feature '12345' has a Map ID assigned to it of '12345') and the html page has hyperlinks on the case numbers so theoretically users can click on the number and go directly to the relevant help topic. This .htm page is added to our help project and can be accessed through the TOC/etc.

The issue is that clicking on a link invokes the topic as a pop-up, rather than just going directly to it as with normal help navigation. As a result, we are tripping numerous pop-up/activex/scripting controls in most browsers and its breaking this system on most test systems.

Is there a setting or control or such to prevent this? To force the help to open the new topic inline rather than popup? My understanding is popups are controlled by the eHlpDhtm.js file, but that RH overwrites this with the default (meaning you can't edit it), and when I peaked in this file it has comments saying that popups shouldn't be removed because inline can't be handled. (?)

Edit: Just to clarify, our linking system works - when pop-up blocking is disabled in FF, for example, the setup works. The issue is that we can't ask customers to disable this, and there doesn't seem to be any way of getting Firefox or IE (for example) to exempt our help system. In FF for example, the help addy won't add to the exempt list, and if you try to select "allow pop-ups for" it doesn't do anything, as if the browsers can't recognize or don't treat a local help system the same as a website and thus don't allow it to be added to any kind of exempt list or similar. Hence trying to bypass popping up altogether.

[Peter Grainge]

As you assign the externally created page a Map ID, it must be that the externally linked page is imported into the RoboHelp project.

Have you tried manually typing in the content of what is created by the external editor? (Not copy and paste but a manual retype.)

I would be comparing the externally created version for differences with the RoboHelp created version. I'm thinking that RoboHelp adds something that allow the topic to popup that is not in the external file.

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@petergrainge

[Tech_Writer_KC]

Peter,

I'm not sure if I'm misreading your comment, or if you're misunderstanding mine.

The external page, enhancements.htm does not have its own Map ID. It's the internal topics built and maintained in our help project, like AddAThing.htm or DeleteAThing.htm, that have the map IDs. So, say we added a "Delete a Thing" feature to our software. This shows up as case '12345' - "Delete A Thing". When the enhancements.htm page is generate, it automatically adds that case info to the list of new features, and it adds a hyperlink to the '12345' pointing to look for a Map ID of the same number in Help.

So basically the enhancements page looks something like:

Case Number     Feature

12345               Delete a Thing

67890               Add a Thing

11111               Multiply a Thing

22222               Do Other Things with Things

Meanwhile, in help, I create a new topic - "Delete A Thing" - and add a map ID ('12345') to it. Thus if a user opens up help, navigates to the "What's New" page, and views the enhancements.htm page and decides they want to learn more about deleting things, instead of navigating or searching, they can click on the hyperlink and directly open the topic. The issue is that something in the process is telling Help to open a clicked topic in a new popup window, rather than just opening it inline as it would if it was a 'regular' hyperlink or directly from the TOC.

[Peter Grainge]

Let me reword that to see if I am with you.

enhancements.htm is external and gets generated elsewhere, say Dept X. Dept X update it and add Delete A Thing.

You create a topic Delete a Thing with Map ID 12345.

Department X will know what Map ID you will apply so their document links to Delete a Thing using the Map ID.

I think you are saying that enhancements.htm is your What's New page. If it is, how is it getting into your TOC because so far it is just an external file and nothing to do with your project? If What's New in the TOC is an external link to enhancements.htm, then it seems like the issue is with how enhancements.htm is working. Before we go further, please confirm / clarify.

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@petergrainge

[Tech_Writer_KC]

Your summary is basically correct. Once the enhancements.htm page is created, it's imported into our Help, where we link to it on the TOC.

The 'What's New' page is actually a separate page, as we auto-generate two separate .htm pages - one for enhancements and one for fixes. Since we don't do hyperlinks for the fixes, this issue is only with the enhancements.htm. But we auto-generate both, import and TOC-link both. The What's New is a simple page completely internal to our Help, it simply provides links to the enhancement and fixes .htm pages.

So, for example, if I click on the enhancements link on the What's New page, it opens inline in the current Help window/tab. It's only the hyperlinks on the enhancements page itself that open in pop-ups. My assumption is that linking via map ID is what triggers this, and I was hoping there was a setting somewhere in the RH project that I was overlooking that would allow us to supress this and have these topics stay inline.

[Peter Grainge]

OK so sticking with just considering enhancements.htm it is imported into RoboHelp and part of the project.

When a user accesses enhancements.htm all is well at that point. If they click a link, that is when it goes wrong, correct?

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@petergrainge

[Tech_Writer_KC]

Correct. In Firefox, if we turn off all pop-up blocking, the system works perfectly. The issue in Firefox is that, if pop-up blocking is on, it blocks the pop up and doesn't seem to allow any way around it:

1. If you click on the block message and try to select the "Allow pop-ups from..." option, nothing happens.

2. If you open settings and try to add the help system address (which is local to the machine), it doesn't work. It won't add to the exempted list of websites. I assume because it's not a website (i.e. a www.blah.blah address).

In IE we are also getting a ton of activex/scripting issues, but we think that these are separate issues. We don't test for any other browsers.

We know the linking itself works, so as far as we can tell the pop-up mechanism itself is our primary issue, and that - at least with Firefox and possibly also IE - if we could just avoid using pop-ups the issue would be completely resolved.

[Peter Grainge]

That sounds to me as though it is the way the target is called.

I think if just by way of test you convert one of those links to a URL in the same way as any link to another topic and define that link as a popup, that link will work fine. Assuming it does, that proves my point.

I would suggest you take a look at Willam's site http://www.wvanweelden.eu where he has some excellent information about calls.

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@petergrainge