Show navigation pane link in topics

[Guest]

Looking for more info on a new option for WebHelp layouts:

In the layout properties WebHelp Navigation screen (2nd page of properties) there is an option Show Navigation Page Link in Topics If I click the Help button on this screen, I see that this option is described as "Include a link to the navigation pane."

I don't see any such link in my topics when I generate WebHelp with this option enabled. I am just viewing my output locally. Are these links only visible when the Help is called using the API from a server?

Anyone using this option, or know what it is supposed to do?

I am using Breadcrumbs Links and these are working fine.

[Captiv8r]

Hi JeanneMindjet

What this option does is to cause some JavaScript code to be added to each of your topic pages. The code executes when the page loads. Basically, it checks to see if the page is being displayed inside the WebHelp frameset. If so, it doesn't do anything. But if the page is opened directly by some means where it isn't inside the frameset, you will see a "Show" link. When the "Show" link is clicked, the full WebHelp frameset loads with the page inside the Topic pane.

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

Hi Rick,
First, thanks for all your help over the years with both RH and Captivate, and for the great hints at your site.

Second, I was *hoping* this option would show the nav pane link in the following case:


In my project I have set up a 2-pane window (Main_window) and a 1-pane window (CS_Window).

Main_window is used for calling Help from the toolbar button and some other places in the app when we want users to open help to the default topic.

CS_window is called from our app when a user presses F1 in a dialog (context-sensitive help). This window displays pertinent topic and toolbar but no nav pane. Just what I want.

Problem is, there is no way for users to access nav pane from the context-sensitive window. Related topics etc are all opened in this same window. In order to get more info, users have to close the help and re-open it via the toolbar or other link.

When a user presses F1, I would like them to see the "naked" topic, with a way to open the nav pane.

What is the best way to acheive this?

Is there a way to invoke a context-sensitive topic outside the WebHelp frameset so that this nav pane link will appear, and do what you describe?

OR

Is there a way to add a button to my CS_Window that would re-open the topic in the Main_window, which includes the nav pane.

OR

Other ideas? Suggestions greatly appreciated!

Jeanne

PS RoboHelp 7's own Help suffers from same problem: Click the Help button in a dialog, see the pertinent topic, but there is no way to find additonal info unless it is listed as a related topic. You have to close the Help window and invoke Help via the menu to see the nav pane.

[MergeThis]

You shouldn't have to mess with multiple windows; simply create one WebHelp output and let your developers do the heavy lifting.

You would generate the WebHelp with the "Show" link (which you can customize by using Rick's "Changing the 'Show' link appearance in all topics (WebHelp Only)" topic.

Note that you can also change the verbiage from "Show" to whatever, by replacing the "+sTitle+" string (including the two double quotes), so that your result is:

title=\"My_Show_Link\"

For CSH, the developers would call the topic's URL directly (target_topic.htm instead of start_page.htm#target_topic.htm). This would display the single topic pane only, with your spiffy new Show link available to open the full frameset version.


Good luck,
Leon

[epsobolik]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Note that you can also change the verbiage from "Show" to whatever, by replacing the "+sTitle+" string (including the two double quotes), so that your result is:

title=\"My_Show_Link\"

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Where is "+sTitle+" and title=... ?  I'm using RoboHelp 2015, but I also have 7 and didn't see it there either.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

You can mess around with a project's verbiage by going into the Project Settings and editing the Language - the resulting file settings are stored in a .LNG file in the \!Language!\ folder of your project.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Wow, you posted on a really old thread. There really isn't a need to manipulate code unless your desire is for perhaps a single topic's show link to be different than all the others. RoboHelp offers a facility to manage that text. All you have to do is click the Project tab > Project Settings > Advanced > Labels tab > Scroll to bring Show=Show into view and change it there.

Cheers... Rick

[Captiv8r]

And as Jeff pointed out, all these settings are found in the LNG file if you really want to roll up your sleeves and root around in the raw code.

[epsobolik]

Thanks.

[Guest]

My apologies!

I just got the new code from the developers that calls Help using the API. Context sensitive topics come up just as I want and include the Show link.

Sorry for the confusion.

Jeanne