Hi,
I've been working with an old Robohelp help file. There are
two "windows" specified in the main project, one is the default
window and another window for context sensitive help.
I'm now creating a new help file and would like to repeat
this two-window setup.
How you set the project so that when someone uses context
sensitive help, the context sensitive window is opened, not the
default window?
hi simon, what is your help output format? If you are
producing WebHelp and you are using map ids to call help from your
application you can specify a customised window in the link string.
See Peter Grainge's site here for more on this:
http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_webhelp/using_map_ids.htm hope this helps,
mike
If producing a CHM file, this is controlled by your
application's call. That said, you can define which window is used
to open a topic but only if it is in the TOC. This would however
defeat your purpose as it sounds like you'd want the same topic to
open in two different windows depending on how it was
called.
I actually need to do both WebHelp and CHM file output.
Colum, you're right when you say I want to be able to open one
topic in two types of window. So there's nothing I can specify
within Robohelp? I just, presumably, tell the developer how I'd
like the help to behave and forward them the articles you (Mike)
mentions?
With the webhelp output you can use the info on Peter's site
to specify a window to open. With the CHM output, which window you
use to open the topic is part of the API call from the application.
All you need to do is set-up the windows as you require.
The idea I mentioned of specifyng a window in the TOC
properties for a topic in the CHM, I don't think would work in your
scenario as the API call would have to override the TOC properties.
Hope this makes sense.
Hi Colum,
I
think I've understood you
I think it was this setting that was confusing me. As you can
specify which window to open, I assumed that there would be another
setting to open a different window under specific circumstances...
But in short, very interesting and informative, thanks for
your help,
Sorry if I have confused you. If it is any consolation I have
been on a star schema / data mart course for the last two days and
my head is spinning!
Anyhow, in a CHM file there is a deafult window created for
your project. This window is used to display all topics displayed
from inside the CHM except if an alternative window has been
specified in the TOC properties. So if you have a topic in the TOC
with a specific window specified it will ALWAYS open in that
window.
Where CSH comes into the equation, things get a little sticky
if the TOC properties option is used. The call from the application
can also specify the window that the help opens in. So if you want
to have a topic open in a different window from the one specified
in the TOC you may be able to override this. What I am unsure about
is whether this would work.
What I would do in your case is create another window
specifically for the CSH calls but not assign that to any topics in
your CHMs TOC. The call from the application only would specify
this window. This means that if the topic is opened from within the
CHM, the default window would be used. However if the topic is
opened from the application, the alternative window would be
used.
Yes, your last paragraph, in particular, covers just what I
wanted to do, so thanks, great stuff. That must have been what the
people did who created the "legacy" help file I've been dealing
with.
...And it wasn't you confusing me, I was confusing myself
(nothing new there then)!
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