Issues with Flash Help output

[S_Allen]

Hello there, hoping to get some advice on a couple issues with RoboHelp.

We just started deploying FlashHelp here, and have run into a couple of snags. I am running RoboHelp version 6, Flash player version 9, and have the Flash authoring software (if needed), but that’s version MX 2004. We’re running IE 6 and Windows XP Pro.

Question 1

In a FlashHelp (generated) project, when on the Index tab, if I use the search box to search for an index word, the following error displays: "A script in this movie is causing Adobe Flash Player 9 to run slowly. If it continues to run, your computer may become unresponsive. Do you wish to abort the script?" If I tell it NOT to abort the script, the computer still runs slowly. If I tell it to go ahead and abort the script, Internet Explorer freezes up.

I asked our in-house web team and Flash development team to look at the index issue, and they discovered something strange. The index only breaks if the index word entered starts with the letter A. Has that ever happened to anyone else? We’ve tried multiple help projects on multiple boxes (computers), and results have been very inconsistent. Sometimes it breaks, sometimes not, but ONLY when the index entry starts with an A.

Is there something that I can change in the code anywhere to prevent that from happening in the first place? Alternately, is there a way to change the skin to completely remove that input field from the index? It's not necessary to our process to have it there, so long as the index entries are there with the scroll bar.

Note: We’re just using the Flash Default skin – no modifications.

Question 2

One of my latest help projects is context-sensitive. When called from within the application (F1) the proper topic displays. However, the TOC always shows the default book - it does not expand to match to where the user really is within the help.

Even stranger (to me), the TOC works just fine for the first-level and second-level books and pages. However, anything third level or deeper, the TOC behaves as described above - defaulting to the welcome page book.

All the books are books with links (to topics), if that matters. Also, I tried generating the project as WebHelp, and had the same results - the TOC still would not automatically populate when called as CSH from within the application.

In all other respects, things seem to be functioning just fine.

I downloaded the trial version of RoboHelp 7, and had the same issues.

Thanks so much!

[Peter Grainge]

I can recreate the problem but I haven't seen it reported before. WebHelp has an option that would let you avoid the input box in the Index but not FlashHelp.

There is information in Snippet 1 on my site about TOC synchronisation but I don't know if it will help with FlashHelp.

Please report this bug via the Adobe site.

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

[S_Allen · Accepted solution]

Wow, Mr. Grainge, you have saved my sanity! Thanks!

I put in the bug report for the Index issue, and your suggestion under Snippets to optimize for Local PC versus Internet seems to have fixed the TOC issue as well!

Many thanks!!!!