CHM Loads Wrong Topic

[rmdavidson]

I'm having issues with people trying to go to Help in the CHM file from our software and the wrong topic loads. There's a keyword in the search field when it loads so they could just click search to find relevant topics, but it isn't really obvious you have to do that. I have 2 or 3 different alias and header files in this project as at one point I had to create a new header file (I forget why), but they all have the same date/time on them in the properties so I have no idea which is new and which is old. Will it hurt anything to delete the alias and header files and recreate them? From what I've read in Flare Help (v 7.2) it sounds like that may fix it so that the correct topic loads?

Thanks,

Robin

[wclass]

It shouldn't hurt the project to remove and recreate the alias files - but it will cost you some time.

[Madcap Guru]

You could copy the files out of the projectbalonand then create new ones,

[rmdavidson]

I don't know how they are doing the identifiers they are using to load the topics now...Flare has several methods listed in the help. That's what gets me.

[RamonS]

Because they all apply. You can make CSH calls by map ID or alias. I think there is even a way to make these calls using the internally referenced file name, but that is more trouble than it is worth. There is a 1:1 relation ship between topic and alias and then between alias and map ID, at least that how it should be, although a one to many would work as well. Having multiple aliases per topic or multiple map IDs for one alias just doesn't make much sense.
Something along these lines got screwed up and things started pointing to the incorrect topics. Recreating the alias file and assigning (new?) map IDs will fix the problem, but I recommend getting or creating a list of calls and expected topics, otherwise you create a new alias / map ID file and on top of that have to change the app code as well.

Do you have a copy of the files from the last time it still worked? May be easier to add anything that is missing rather than redo everything.

[rmdavidson]

I'm not sure where to get a list of calls or expected topics...A developer sent me something about how they get the file, but it makes no sense to me. I'll have to bug him more or ask someone else I suppose? I don't know when it last worked since that was a previous writer and I've just had the same person saying it doesn't work anymore.

[NorthEast]

You can't make CSH calls to HTML Help using the identifier (only for WebHelp/DotNetHelp); it is also unlikely the CSH call is being made to the topic filename, since that method doesn't require a header or alias file.

So your CSH calls are most likely made using the number value. This is the number listed in Flare's alias file and the header file, and is sometimes referred to as the 'map ID'.

Details are in Flare's help here:
http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... lopers.htm

I'd show that topic to the developer and see if they can confirm that's how the CSH calls are made.


If you want to check the CSH calls being made by your application, you can do that using a free Microsoft application called HTML Help Workshop.
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/de ... x?id=21138
To view the CSH calls, use View > HTML Help Messages.

[rmdavidson]

One of the developers says it is supposed to be based off of keywords. So should using one topic per keyword work then as a lot of keywords have more than one topic using that keyword?

Robin