Need help with a Help problem

[vittalv]

Hi,
I've been using RoboHelp for about seven years now and this is the first time I've come up with this problem.

The application for which I'm building the Help file contains a What's New menu item in the Help menu. I have a page called What's New but when the menu item is clicked, the Help file opens the default page.

This is a help file I've taken over from someone who's retired now. The previous versions of the application work just fine. I've checked with the developer and find that there's nothing different from what was there earlier.

We also threw an older help file into the application's executables folder and it worked.

Has anyone encountered this kind of a problem? Please help.

Vittal

[johnmccallum]

Hi Vittal,

A lot depends on how your developer is calling the help file, but it seems like your new help file just isn't connected to that menu item. Do the other calls work OK? Any other menu items, F1 help, etc? What I would do is to use RH's BugHunter or Help Workshop to check the message from the application. It should return something like HH_HELP_CONTEXT and a map number or HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC and a file name.

Make sure the map number is linked to your topic. In the project.hh file (open it with notepad), there should be a line #define IDNAME mapnumber. Then search for that IDNAME in your project.ali file. It should be linked to your topic filename IDNAME= Topicfilename.htm. That "Topicfilename" should have no spaces (for example, "Whats New.htm" wouldn't work).

John

[vittalv]

Hi John,
Yes, all other calls are working just fine. Its only this one. Initially, it was throwing up a HH_GET_WIN_TYPE error but I fixed that by creating a window against the error call.
The application is C++ if that'll help.
The file name is whatsnew82.htm.
I've put in the required mapID and it is linked to the topic.

Vittal

[johnmccallum]

Vittal,

We also use C++ and the HTML Help API with HH_HELP_CONTEXT. I vaguely remember a difficulty with launching topics from the menu as opposed to F1 help but now the call is exactly the same.

You write: "I've put in the required mapID and it is linked to the topic," but if it were linked it would be working, no? Since it worked with an old help file, I'd assume the app end is OK and that there is something amiss with the help file - but it could be that the app is calling this item differently. I'd be suspicious since you were getting an error on this topic previously. Have you run BugHunter? Is it still called that in X5?

John

[vittalv]

John,
The app end seems to be fine. I'm reasonably sure it is the Help file that has a problem. I've tested the context sensitivity of the same menu item and it works. The trouble is in launching it from the menu directly.

Yes, I did run BugHunter and yes, it is called the same in X5.

I have a release set for end of this month and a final QA this weekend. If I can't set this right by end of day today, I'll have to use my workaround and default the Help file to open the What's New topic instead of the Introducing... topic.

Thanks for helping me out here, John.

Vittal

[johnmccallum]

Vittal,

What did BugHunter return? I'm also sure it can be fixed from the help file but it seems to me that something was done differently with this item in your past releases. If the trace from BugHunter to .hh file to .ali file is sound, a duplicate topic ID or map number in your .hh or .ali files could cause this problem as the help will connect to the first one.

John