page size control

[nulupbez]

is there any way to control the size (width especially) of an entire project? are master pages the answer? and if so, where should that be configured?

i'd like to do away with the normal left-pane TOC display and create a thinner (horizontally) page, like Microsoft Word does, with their help system. i like that it's streamlined and not 'distracting' to the user.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

How are your JavaScript programming skills? Because short of turning off the ToC in your SSL recipe, there’s no way through the front end of RH to tweak this.

[nulupbez]

let's just say i'm way more of a writer than a coder... but is this impossible, though? there must be SOME way that this can be done without major underarm sweating.

am i limited to the regular, boring, left-hand-TOC look with RH?  

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Not impossible, just a little difficult. You can get rid of the ToC entirely if you want by not selecting it in the SSL – have a look at that first. There’s also the CSH option – launching a topic directly through a context sensitive help call usually produces a “ToC-less” screen. Depending on your version of RH, you might also want to have look at what Multiscreen HTML5 output can give you too.

[nulupbez]

thank you so much! i'll explore these options. i'm determined to dispense with the TOC - it looks so dated.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Just curious, are you relying on “Search” or “Index” buttons for your users to find your content?

[nulupbez]

yes - i was using the search and index buttons for a previous help system.

but now, i'm developing help for a brand new app and i wanted to do something fresh and innovative this time.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Well, AIR Help used to be the new sexy thing, but now it’s gone to Multiscreen HTML5

[nulupbez]

oh - also - is shrinking all page sizes to a smaller width accomplished with javascript, too, or can i control that with HTML on the 'front' end? i don't see anywhere i can configure that in any of the normal page/master page settings.

[Jeff_Coatsworth · Accepted solution]

That’s because it isn’t there – you have to go under hood and mess with either the JS or the HTML/CSS

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Sounds like you dislike the framed approach of WebHelp and FlashHelp.

You might want to investigate the new "Multiscreen" SSL recipe. These don't use frames and naturally provide some of what you are looking for.

Presently a bit difficult to coax into a custom look and feel though.

Cheers... Rick

[nulupbez]

thanks, everyone. hopefully i can investigate these and implement some version of them for the new app i'm writing for.