PDF hyperlinks in FlashHelp

[acaboss1]

I'm using RoboHelp HTML x5.02 and Acrobat 7. I have PDF files linked to an HTML page. If I open the HTML page before generating the FlashHelp files, I can click on the PDF link and it launches. Once I have the FlashHelp file and go to the same page, the PDF link doesn't launch.

Code is normal - <a href="docs/HANDLING Quick Notes.pdf" target=_blank class=whs3>Handling Quick Notes</a>

Anyone have any ideas? This is making me crazy!

Debbie

[Captiv8r]

Hi Debbie and welcome to our community

If you look closely at the HTML page containing your link, you should see that it bears something called a "mark of the web" (MOTW) near the top of the code. It usually looks like this:

<!-- saved from url=(0026) http://www.macromedia.com/ -->

Unfortunately, this code also has issues with preventing your PDF from launching. You can try either removing the MOTW or you can insert a page that has no MOTW and link from there.

Cheers... Rick

[acaboss1]

thanks for the suggestion. Guess I'll search for folks having this problem. I tried editing the html page in the !SSL! folder but it comes up blank in the FlashHelp system once you do that.

Debbie

[RoboWizard]

Hi again Debbie

Is this happening on your development PC only or after you publish? Are your users going to be viewing this via a server or on their local PC after an installer places the content there?

Cheers... Rick

[acaboss1]

It happens after publishing. We are going to put the final files on a CD - not on a web server.

[RoboWizard]

Hi again Debbie

This just gets curiouser and curiouser

It appears that this whole Mark of the Web thing is what is killing things. I am seeing the same behavior as you with this. If you remove the MOTW, the page content doesn't load. I've tried every trick I can think of with this. Unfortunately, I'm stumped! I've tried all sorts of combinations of redirect pages. Opening in new windows, inserting IFRAMEs, combining with Flash content, etc. Nothing I've tried thus far is making a difference. I did some Googling and found an application that someone highly recommended that was called Server2Go, but I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what to even download from this site to make the silly thing work. I will post back if I make any discoveries.

Cheers... Rick

[acaboss1]

Rick - Well at least this reaffrims my confidence in myself and my abilities. I'll check out Server2Go and see if I can get it working. Going to the web is not a solution for my customer. and I don't think having their users all switch to Mozilla will be the answer either.

Debbie

[acaboss1]

I came up with a solution – works for me. Feel free to pass it along. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

1. loaded contribute/flash paper on my system – I just wanted flash paper but you can’t just install it.
2. fixed the bug in flash paper file set up – see adobe flashplayer forum (FlashPaper2 WinXP BugFix - Fixes inability to convert anything using FlashPaper)
3. converted the PDFs into FlashPaper SWF files
4. created html pages with embedded FlashPaper files
5. Changed the page that I linked to the file from:
6. added the following code to header:
<script type="text/JavaScript">
<!--
function MM_openBrWindow(theURL,winName,features) { //v2.0
window.open(theURL,winName,features);
}
//-->
</script>
7. replaced the hyperlink with the following code:
onClick="MM_openBrWindow('handling.html','','scrollbars=yes,width=800,height=600')"><a href="#">Handling Quick Notes </a></

The file opens in RoboFlash after being published – and works from either the hard drive or the CD.


Debbie