WebHelp generated from RH11 has empty navigation panes when viewed in IE8, 10, 11, and Chrome

[AMHP]

I specifically "upgraded" to RH11 from 8 to resolve this issue. I have installed update 4 (11.04.291) and installed another patch from this location: WebHelp issues in RoboHelp versions 10 and 11

RH11 is installed on Windows Server 2003 R2. I am merging projects, a parent project and 2 child projects, using the redirect very helpfully supplied on Peter Grainge's website, and am adding the MOTW to resolve issues with customers using IE enhanced security and am manually changing the MOTW from <!-- saved from url=(0014)about:internet --> to <!-- saved from url=(0017)https://localhost --> (see previous post Navigation panes empty with Internet Explorer Enhanced Security enabled).  I have also tried generating the WebHelp without the MOTW with the same results.

Despite having the latest version of RoboHelp with the latest patch (as far as I have been able to find on the Adobe website), the navigation panes are still empty in any version of Internet Explorer that I have (8, 10, and 11) , as well as Chrome. Is anyone else still experience this issue of empty navigation panes in WebHelp?

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

First, I'm curious why you decided to change the MOTW stuff. Do you have a pointer to information that told you to try that?

Does the same thing happen if you open one of the supplied sample projects?

Cheers... Rick

[AMHP]

Hi Rick,

This goes back a fair way, so bear with me...

When I first delivered WebHelp as an alternative to chm files, with the guidance of a developer in my organisation, I added the MOTW to prevent prompts when user's called up the help. Then in a subsequent release, I had issues with the navigation panes being empty on systems where enhanced IE security was being used. This is the reason why I changed the MOTW. When our software is installed, https:localhost is added as a trusted site, so I use Notepad++ to change the MOTW across all files (not ideal, but the only way I could find a resolution to that particular issue). Now with IE 11 I seem to have the same problems again. I seem to experience the issue without the MOTW, with the generic MOTW, with the changed MOTW.

[AMHP]

The operating systems I've viewed the WebHelp generated by RH11 are:

Windows Server 2003 R2 with IE8

Windows 7 64-bit with IE10

Windows 12 with IE11

Ironically (and somewhat frustratingly), the WebHelp I generated over a year ago with RH8 opens correctly in all of the above environments, that is, the navigation pane is populated.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I don’t recall that RH will run on Windows Server – or are you referring to where the WebHelp is generated?

[JGaf]

There's a similar problem:

WebHelp generated from RH11 has empty navigation panes when viewed in IE8, 10, 11, and Chrome. Any s...

For me, the only issue is Chrome - even on non-customized output files.  When I switch between content categories, the navigation panes appear empty.  I have to select the Table of Contents button from the toolbar to get it displayed again.  If I close the documentation and re-launch,  the navigation pane still appears empty, occasionally reappears when I switch categories.  It's very frustrating and it's a major issue for me.  I'm about to declare my documentation is not Chrome-compatible again!  I've already filed a bug.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

What point version of RH11 and Chrome are you getting this happening with? Where is the WebHelp located – local c:\ drive, local LAN server, or on a webserver?

[JGaf]

Sorry, I posted this a couple times and I missed that important information in this post.

RH 11.04.291, Webhelp

Chrome Version 42.0.2311.135 m

IE 10

Doc is viewed locally, and this issue is repeatable on more than 1 machine.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Sorry, not experiencing that at all with my RH11 output. Is this happening when launching the index page or when the help is called via CSH? Have you enabled JavaScript in the browsers?

[JGaf]

When launching the index.htm page directly.  It occurs when launching the index file from the output files and from the published files.

Javascript is definitely enabled.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Is it happening with the sample projects?

[JGaf]

Hi,

Now that I've hijacked someone elses post, I will create a new one (after this response) because my issue is continuing!

I generated a sample project, with content categories, and I could NOT reproduce the problem of the disappearing TOC's in Chrome.  I still need to ask my colleagues to test these files as well. 

However, I went back and applied a new, default, ootb skin to my current problem project.  I made no changes to it.   I CAN reproduce the disappearing TOC's in Chrome when I switch between content categories, with the new skin.  I really don't know what else to do or where to begin to fix this.  This is a new problem with this version of my project - but previous versions of this project were affected by the Chrome javascript issue, which was fixed in RH 11 patch, so I thought I was good to go! 

I'm also experiencing this problem: Customized whthost.js - not working as expected

And of course, my project deadline is the end of this week....with no budging.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

If that’s the case, then you’ve definitely got something goofed up in your project. Does it misbehave with any other browser (other than Chrome)?

[JGaf]

No, I take that back.  The TOC has disappeared on me three different with further testing on the sample project, but with each time,  if I continued switching between content categories it would re-display without having to click on the Table of contents toolbar button.  

For my project - at least one of the content categories TOC is blank when I launch the documentation using Chrome, from the index file, locally.

The only other misbehavior with the RH project is that in IE, the TOC occasionally does not expand when the topic is selected, as one would expect.  I can click on the topic and the corresponding content appears correctly, but the TOC doesn't expand.  Even if I click once or twice.  This happens whether on Chrome or IE 10.  Once this error occurs, even if I click on links in the content pane, the TOC stops responding and won't sync to expand the topic and show the sub-topic.  what a mess.  Sometimes I can get it to work if I refresh the browser. I assumed THAT issue is the result of customizations to the whthost.js file because I can't reproduce this expansion issue on output files - only when I apply customizations do I have this issue.

thanks for your help.