inserting links to external projects

[henkjans]

hello,
I'm facing the next problem/question.
Using a link I want to start another project.
I find out how to do it for starting a topic in another project. I use the hyperlink

mk:@MSITStore:C:\Help Projects\GSE-HELP-31\Output\h_schut\MyHtmlHelp\Manual.chm::/welcome.htm

but is it possible to call a entire project instead of only a topic?

[i-tietz]

What you do with the given link is open a .chm file and go to a sepcific file in that .chm file. Are you trying to open the .chm on its start page? Or what exactly do you mean with "project"?

[henkjans]

Thanx Inge for your quick reply.
Normally I start Manual.chm as a help (complete) for our machines. Dutch for example.
Now I want to use a (let's call it a) portal to start Dutch or a different choosen language Manual.chm.
So I start the html "Portal.chm" and depending the clicked link it will start the right Manual.chm.
I think to do it this way is better otherwise, combining all languages into 1 help file results in a very big help file. And so very hard to handle.

I hope my English is good enough to explaned it well.

[i-tietz]

I don't really know what you're trying to do ...
Where is that "universal" link supposed to appear? In an application? On a website? In a .chm file? ...?

If that link is not in a .chm file, Flare is the wrong technology:
- In an application the developers can easily retrieve the information what language version the user is working with, means: The application programmers can assemble the path and call a germanmanual.chm or a /german/manual.chm.
- On a website there are A LOT OF ways to do the same with server-side-programming (ask your web administrator).

[henkjans]

Hello Inge,
Maybe next example makes it clear what I try to do.

I build next language projects to html help files:
Manual-NL.flprj -> Manual-NL.chm
Manual-GB.flprj -> Manual-GB.chm
Manual-DE.flprj -> Manual-DE.chm
etc.

I build one global project to html help file:
Portal.flprj -> Portal.chm
(within this help file hyperlinks starts)
NL -> Manual-NL.chm
GB -> Manual-GB.chm
DE -> Manual-DE.chm
etc.

I do not use webbased help, so it must be done with html only.
When I use the methode like I wrote at the start of this thread I only start a topic and not the full help file. In this way I miss (of course) the complete TOC of the help file.

Simply swapping from global to language help file is what I need.

I hope this may declare my problem/question.

[i-tietz]

ah!
You can use a shortcut link for that:

shortcut_control_to_other_chm.png

hh.exe is the viewer for HTMLHelp.

[henkjans]

Thanx,
I'm so much further now.
Such a shortcut is not possible in combination with a image (trough image map)?

[i-tietz]

Yes, that's possible:
1. add classes to the styleesheet, e.g.:

Code: Select all

MadCap|shortcut.english {
	mc-image: url('../images/english_help.gif');
	mc-label: ' '; }

2. insert the image into the topic
3. place a shortcut onto it (select it and then Insert | help control | shortcut control )
4. assign the appropriate class to the shortcut.

[henkjans]

Hello,
This is what I did:

In the project open Styles.css
Right-click MadCap|Shortcut and select Add Class
I named it English
From the new class properties I select:
mc_image and browse and select the image
mc_label and enter: ‘ ‘:)

In the topic I select the image and trough Insert>Help-control>shortcut control
I enter the same as you wrote before:
hh.exe and manual.chm

during building I get next error:
“Shortcut controls do not work in the output type”

what do I wrong?

[i-tietz]

I get this, if the Output Type in the target is Webhelp instead of HTML Help:

error_msg_shortcut_in_webhelp.png

Does yours look the same?

[henkjans]

Your right,
I took the projects home and trying it on my privat laptop. Because the users name is differend then at my office the target sets itself to webhelp.
I put it back to html and .............
it works.
thanx.

you have now a friend for ever.

[henkjans]

Hello,

everything is working fine.

Only, how can I get rid of the text "My Shortcut" which is automatically place in front of the image?

Second, instead of starting the complete manual.chm, using the methode above, can I start a specific topic in the manual.chm?

thanx in advance

[rekiwi]

*standing on shoulders of others and blowing dust from old thread*

To answer Henk's query about the changing the default "My shortcut" label, you need to use a text editor. The shortcut's label is contained in the MadCap:shortcut element, but Flare's XML Editor hides the label. Here's an example:

<MadCap:shortcut path="hh.exe" parameters="MainHelp_CHM.chm::/A_Introduction Topics/Welcome.htm" message="" wparam="" lparam="" class="ControlMoreInfo">My shortcut</MadCap:shortcut>

Change "My shortcut" to the text you need and you should be good. In Henk's case, the label text needs to be deleted for every shortcut.

It would be nice if we could change the default "My shortcut" label in the shortcut style, but this gets the job done in the meantime.