Calling a specific webhelp topic doesn't work on some pcs

[carolhobz]

Users press F1 to get help on a specific page in our app. The calls are implemented as absolute paths using file:///path/main_help.htm#topic.htm. (This method is described in Peter Grainge's site: http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_webhelp/using_urls.htm.)

[RoboColum_n_]

The fact that you are using absolute paths and that it works on some PCs would indicate that you are using a mapped drive and that some PCs may have their mapped drives mapped differently.

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The RoboColum(n)

@robocolumn

Colum McAndrew

[carolhobz]

It seems that part of my post didn't make it. Here is the rest:

On some PCs, the help displays the main help topic, instead of the topic specific to the page called from. It seems that everything starting with # gets stripped off. It doesn't seem to matter what OS or browser is used.  So, help does open, but it doesn't open the topic that was called.

[Peter Grainge]

There has to be something common about the PCs where the call fails. Calling help cannot work in a random way.

Is the help already open when the second call fails?

The call suggests the help is installed locally rather than on a server. If the help is on a server, then the

file:/// 

prefix is wrong. That said I would have thought the result is it would fail for everyone.

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@petergrainge

[carolhobz]

Thanks, Peter. Yes, the help is installed locally. I think you are saying that file:/// is correct for local help. Is that correct?

The engineers have ruled out operating system and browser type as possible differences among systems. Do you have any suggestions for other things they should check for?

thanks,

Carol

[Peter Grainge]

Sorry but I don't.

The fact that the help opens on some machines proves the method is right and we use it. The stumbling block seems to be the hash mark and the only problem we had there was if the help was already open. That is covered on my site and I think it involved the developers using an alternative character for each call.

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@petergrainge