PDF Hyperlink not working-why?

[spiraljoe]

I use a variety of hyperlinks within my topics - internally within the topic, externally to remote topics, externally to other media such as Excel, Word, etc. My problem is with PDF's.

My coworker can link no problem, and if I work on one of his topics, I also see the pdf. If I create the pdf, however, on my pc and embed it as a remote hyperlink, when clickin on the link in the chm, I get the good ole "Page Not Found" error in the topic pane. He and I both have XP and both use Office 2003. In our Word, we use the PDF Toolbar to compile our Word Docs into pdfs.

WEIRD THING: I created several topics awhile back in Office 2000 and those pdfs continue to work!!!! Everytime I try to update however, even those old topics, the new pdf won't open. If I restore it to the old pdf, it works again. I assume by this there is something weird on my pc with my MS Office - any ideas?

What kind of setting can we compare? Neither my supervisor nor VP has any idea why this happens - Thanks!

[Guest]

Have you checked that the pdf file has been added to the Baggage folder? If not, you can add it manually.

Hope this helps,

Brian

[spiraljoe]

Thanks, Brian. It didn't work. It was not in the Baggage Files folder, so I manually added it as suggested and recompiled the CHM, but it still gives me the "The page cannot be found" error.

[Captiv8r]

Hi spiraljoe

Are you launching the .CHM file from an application? If so, you are probably encountering a bug with the path. You have to work past this using JavaScript if this is the case.

Basically, you use something called a "parser" script to determine the path "on the fly".

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

Following Rick's advice, I found the following Thread which may help.

Brian

[Guest]

I tried the tricks (Shortcut Control, the Java Script and the Baggage files), still I cannot open the PDF links in the FlashHelp? Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Lisa

[M-C_Hammer]

Hello
I have returned to this forum with a new identity, due to a job change.

Dunno if this helps but in the HTML primary output there is a limit of size in the path of the hyperlinks. I have moved my PDFs to the same folder as the project file as well as reduced the filenames of the PDFs to a minimum, hence reducing the path to the PDFs and it works. Could that be the solution to your problem?

[Guest]

Hi Marie,

The PDF files were saved in the same folder as the project file. I changed the PDF file name to a minimum. Still, I cannot open the PDF link in FlashHelp. I am using RoboHelp 5.0.

Lisa

[RoboWizard]

Hi Lisa and welcome to our community

You say FlashHelp? If so, you are probably being bitten by the MOTW (Mark Of The Web) as I believe it is added to each FlashHelp page.

What version of RoboHelp are you using?

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

I am using RoboHelp 5.

[Guest]

Hi Rick,

I am using RoboHelp 5.

In your reply, you said, "you are probably being bitten by the MOTW (Mark Of The Web) as I believe it is added to each FlashHelp page."

What should I do then? Do you have any susggstions?

Thanks,

Lisa

[RoboWizard]

Hi Lisa and all

Well, I do have one thought that may work. Seems the goal here is to use MOTW and still be able to make links work. I'm thinking that one could create a redirect topic that would do the linking. The trick with this would be to keep the redirect page out of the main topic files. After all, the topic files are all recipients of MOTW. So how to create a HTML page that doesn't end up receiving MOTW?

Use RoboHelp to create the redirect page. A redirect page is created by inserting the following META tag:

<meta HTTP-EQUIV=refresh CONTENT="0;URL=FileName.PDF">

Just replace FileName.PDF with the actual file name you wish to use.

Now you should have a topic in RoboHelp that will perform a redirect. The trick here is to make RoboHelp unaware of it. So this is one of the few times I'll actually suggest stepping behind RoboHelp's back and making a change. Right-click the redirect topic and look at the topic properties. Click the File tab. See that button labeled "Open Folder"? Click the button. Rename the topic file name and close Windows Explorer.

Back in RoboHelp, you should see that RoboHelp now has a fancy red X on the topic, indicating it cannot find it. This is good and what you want! Just delete the topic from RoboHelp. You aren't really deleting the topic. Only the errant reference. Now right-click the baggage files folder and import the redirect topic as a baggage file. If the topic exists as a baggage file and not a normal topic, it shouldn't receive the standard MOTW stamp.

Give that a go and see if it works. Hopefully it will!

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

Rick and all,

It's working!!!! I followed Rick's suggestion by adding a meta tag in a redirect page. Now I can open all my PDF links in FlashHelp.

Rick, thank you so .....much!!!!!!

Lisa

[spiraljoe]

Still no success - just created a brand new PDF from Word2003. Added the link inside my Robo topic and after compiling the CHM, I still get the "page not found" error.

Any other ideas are appreciated! (The name is small enough, it's in the right paths, etc.).