Context-Sensitive Help Look and Feel

[mperaro]

Hi,

We have an HTML 5 output help system that some of the HTML files are linked to dialog boxes.

Is there a way to have those HTML files carry the company logo, etc.? I'd like them to have the look the skin provides if you were viewing the full index.html file.

[roboHAL]

Hello mperaro.

The answer to your question is "yes". You need to create an alias file and assign an ID to a particular topic. Then, to achieve what you are asking, ensure that you have assigned the correct skin to the particular ID, and then supply the header file to your developers. Ultimately, the syntactical "call" they would make from the dialog CSH point would look something like this:


Path to help files:\Filename of startup page.htm#cshid=####&skinName=the name of your skin with the logo goes here

where #### is the ID you've assigned in the alias/header file

Hope that helps or at a minimum points you in the right direction.

[dinnes]

I have created a skin for my CSHs. I have tested it by adding a CSH ID# to my URL to view the result. Everything in my skin works (logo removed, no toolbar buttons), except the Navigation Pane won't hide.
I checked the Hide Navigation Pane in my skin/Setup tab.
I assigned the skin to the CSH in the Alias file
I created a Masterpage and selected it on the Properties dialog of my CSH topic.(not sure if this was needed)
I created a CSH Style (html subclass CSHTopics with mc-master-page set to use the CSH Masterpage and I linked to it in the Properties dialog on my CSH topic. (not sure if this was needed)

I am not sure if I missing something? or if this is just a bug and the Navigation Pane in the csh skin override is not working?

I would appreciate any tips if you know something that I missed in my setup.

Thank you!

Dion

[roboHAL]

Hi Dion.

It reads as though you have done things correctly. The masterpage should not have anything to do with this. My suggestion would be "clean" the project (Madcap procedure) and see if that helps. If not, perhaps enter a Madcap support ticket and see what their techs can offer.

[NorthEast]

I'd check that Generate All Skins is selected in the target's Advanced tab.

Apart from that, it could be a bug, so I'd suggest contacting support.

I know that using multiple skins in HTML5 has never fully worked since its introduction, and I've tested it a few times in the last 5 years (e.g. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18360).

Yeah, you can select skins in HTML5 calls, but the problem is that all of the 'styling' settings in the skin are ignored in HTML5 calls.
This is the same if you use &skinName or set a skin in the alias file.

Anything you set on the General, Size and Setup tabs seems to be ok; such as tabs to display, TOC synchronisation, and the Navigation pane (width, position, hide/show).

But anything you set on the Styles and Toolbar tabs are ignored; i.e. skin colours, backgrounds, borders, images; toolbar buttons and images.

So I thought that showing/hiding the navigation pane was one of the things that did actually work. But frankly, it's a feature that I have zero confidence in - so if it's not working, then best to ask support and confirm whether it's a bug in the version of Flare you're using.

[dinnes]

Thank you both for your responses. I will contact support.