Context Sensitive Help (RH7) and Microsoft Word 2003

[MK1962]

I working with my developer to add context sensitive help to a Microsoft Word 2003 template we have developed. The template has its own toolbar. The toolbar has several drop-down menu listing (e.g like File or Edit, etc). At the bottom of each menu list is a help option which is intended to open the relevant section of the help file (generated using RH7 Webhelp). The help files are stored on the office's shared drive.

To launch the help file the developer has resorted to placing the various URLs into a *.ini file. This is fine to a point.

The original URLs provided by me to the developer looked this \\PDCCPPRDFIL01\DPCDATA01$\Help\SSASG.htm#//PDCCPPRDFIL01/DPCDATA01$/BRANCH1/Help/SSA_Report_Templat... . Note the # symbol, this made sure both panels of the help file opened.

While thes URLs worked fine if launched from within a Word document, when added to the toolbar menu they did not (hence the creation of the *.ini file by the developer). But the URLs in the *.ini file have now been stripped of their first part so that only one panel of the help file will now open. The relevant help is opening but not the rest of the help system.

Any thoughts about how I might get the two panels in my help file to open and do it from a toolbar in Microsoft Word?

[Amebr]

By default, there is normally an option in the WebHelp Single Source Layout called Show Navigation Pane Link in Topics. This will display a Show button when you open a topic by itself. This will Show the TOC pane when clicked. This might be an acceptable work around for you, if it is currently turned off.

I haven't tried calling webhelp from a word macro, but two thing strike me about your path and could also be double-checked.

1. The part in front of the hash shows a different path to the path after the hash. (I'll assume the space in the second "Hel p" is not in your ini file.) I've highlighted the bit I'm referring to.

\\PDCCPPRDFIL01\DPCDATA01$\Help\SSASG.htm#//PDCCPPRDFIL01/DPCDATA01$/BRANCH1/Hel p/SSA_Report_Template/SSA_tools/SSA_tools.htm

The BRANCH1 bit. This indicates that the individual page is being called from a different place than your help project page. This doesn't seem correct to me?

2. Assuming BRANCH1 shouldn't be in there, theoretically a relative link should be used like so:

\\PDCCPPRDFIL01\DPCDATA01$\Help\SSASG.htm#SSA_Report_Template/SSA_tools/SSA_tools.htm

Hope that helps,

Amber

[MK1962]

Thank you for the very quick response.

The Show Navigation Pane Link in Topics is turned on. Yes, this is appearing at the top of each relevant help section. It is a work around, I was just hoping to get both panels to load.

In pasting the URL in my original question I attempted to edit it to make it fit and botched it. Here is the complete original URL:

\\PDCCPPRDFIL01\DPCDATA01$\BRANCH1\SSA\Communications\Help\SSASG.htm#//PDCCPPRDFIL01/DPCDATA01$/BRAN...

in the *.ini file it now reads:

HelpURL_SSATools = "\\Pdccpprdfil01\dpcdata01$\BRANCH1\SSA\Communications\Help\SSA_Report_Template\SSA_tools\SSA_tools.h..."

In light of your reply I have attempted to shorten the original it but still no good.

If I place the original URL into the *.ini file and then amend it by adding file:/// at the start of the URL the first panel now opens but not the context help - very frustrating.

The original URL works when launched from within a Word Document but from the toolbar via the *ini file.

Any further thoughts?

[Amebr]

The only other thought I have is make sure all th slashes are the same way. Usually Windows is forgiving of it, but maybe not in this case? try them all \ and if that doesn't work then all /.

\\Pdccpprdfil01\dpcdata01$\BRANCH1\SSA\Communications\Help\SSASG.htm#SSA_Report_Template\SSA_tools\SSA_tools.htm

I hacked together this Word macro as a test (I assigned it as a toolbar button) without an ini file which worked for a project on one of my network drives (location changed to protect the innocent ). I'm not a programmer and don't know what I'm doing, so it's probably not pretty, but maybe it'll  trigger some ideas in your developer.

Sub callcontextweb()
Dim ie As SHDocVw.InternetExplorer
Set ie = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
ie.navigate ("\\server\path\Help.htm#Folder\File.htm")
ie.Visible = True
End Sub

Additionally, Peter Grainge's site might help. He has a whole section devoted to calling webhelp, and possibly there is something in there dealing specifically with VBA, which I assume is what's being used.

http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_webhelp/calling_webhelp.htm

That's about the end of my flailing around in the dark.

Good luck.

[Guest]

Thanks for your help and patience. I'll give it a go. Have a great weekend.