WebHelp Plus Search not functioning

[HelpTrog]

I have been trying to take advantage of the WebHelp Plus search functionality, without success. Before I ask IT for more help with server issues and administrative rights, I would like to at least make WebHelp Plus work locally.

I am working with Flare V4 and Windows XP. Web Help (not Plus) works fine. I followed the Enabling Output steps carefully, followed the Target option steps carefully, generated the MC Preview folder, ran the Service configuration file, added test files to the AutoSearch folder, and viewed the results from the MC Preview default.htm.

The project looks the way it should. Links from the TOC to non-XHTML files work. But the search function will not find any of those files.

Thanks for any tips on what to fix.

[SusanL]

I have a similar problem, but nothing is showing in the Search results at all. The TOC displays normally. This happens when I try to view the Webhelp Plus from Flare after publishing. When I look at the Output folder for the WebHelp Plus project under My Documents, there is a Default.htm file (although I told Flare to use a different file for the startup file) that seems to be the startup file and if I open it, it shows me the Webhelp Plus correctly including the search. Windows XP is the operating system.

It must be something I set up incorrectly, but I can't identify it. Any help would be appreciated.

[LTinker68]

I haven't used WebHelp Plus at all, but if you're trying it locally, then you'd need to publish it to IIS on your local machine with the settings necessary to support WebHelp Plus. Neither of you mentioned if you had set up IIS on your local machine. Did you do that?

[HelpTrog]

Yes. I followed the Enabling Output steps carefully. IIS is enabled. However, as I read the instructions, it is not necessary to publish in order to view the local build (MC Preview). Everything looks fine in MC Preview, but the search function does not find the non-XHTML files I need it to.

[LTinker68]

Since I've never used WebHelp Plus I've never read the instructions, although I'm surprised you don't have to publish or have it build the output to a location inside the IIS location on the computer. But hopefully someone else has tried using WebHelp Plus on a local machine and can help you.

[RamonS]

Does that work when you publish it to a (test) IIS setup? Maybe it needs some function of the IIS "server" to get the search for non-HTML files to work. Did it ever work before when using the preview?

[HelpTrog]

No. I have not been able to make it work locally or on a server. There are really two sets of issues. I was trying to keep the local problems separate and not confuse the issues.

Whichever way I try to use WebHelp Plus, administrator rights/user access control issues come into play. I do not have those privileges, so I've needed to ask for lots of help from IT.

[RamonS]

Ask IT to give you access to a virtual machine image using VMWare Server or if you are a Microsoft-only shop Virtual PC. Both desktop virtualization products are free to use. That way you can have a test system with admin rights without screwing things up (and if you do, just restore the backup of the VM and start over).

[SusanL]

I do have IIS installed. I think the issue for me is the learning curve...

[RamonS]

Try Apache, way easier to administer than IIS.

[SusanL]

Try Apache, way easier to administer than IIS.

Love to, but those decisions are not made by me...

WebHelpPlus on my local machine does not run Search correctly when run from http://localhost/MCPreview/Default.htm, but it does run the Search correctly if I open My Documents\My Projects\SOP Test\Output\Output\MyWebHelpPlus\Default.htm. Any clues as to what might be set up wrong?

[RamonS]

True, MadCap made that decision for us by mandating that we use a Microsoft only product.

[Richard Ferrell]

You will need to be sure that the ASP.Net is installed on your Local and Network machines, and the indexing service is enabled on both, If you are still having problems you would want to open a support ticket.

[RamonS]

And make sure that .NET is installed after (!!!) IIS was installed. If you do it the other way around IIS doesn't notice that (ASP).NET is present (as I mentioned often enough, IIS is a bit stupid). So what you could do anyway is make sure that IIS is ASP.NET aware by running C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis.exe -i. Furthermore, you need to enable ASP.NET on IIS as follows Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, in there select the local computer and choose Web Service Extensions. Then allow ASP.NET to be used. By default, it is disabled, because it is obvious that you don't want to use it despite installing it.
Honestly, the XAMPP stack is way easier to work with and does the same stuff at a fraction of the cost! Too bad MadCap doesn't let us use it.

[SusanL]

I am testing this locally using Windows XP, which may be the problem. Windows Server 2003 is not installed on my workstation, although IIS and the Windows Indexing Service is. I followed the steps in the Enabling WebHelp Plus Output help to test on the local machine.

I'm wondering whether there could be a component of IIS that is installed when Windows Server 2003 is installed that didn't get installed when IIS alone was installed? So my next step will be to talk to my IT department. I may need to install Windows Server 2003. In looking at Ramon's instructions (Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, in there select the local computer and choose Web Service Extensions), in Administrative tools it is called Internet Information Services, and when I select the local computer there is no choice for Web Service Extensions.

I did notice that when I open the Default.htm file from the WebHelp Plus Output folder (which enables the search to work), the title bar says WebHelp and not WebHelp Plus like it does when I start it using http://localhost/MCPreview/Default.htm.

[RamonS]

I copied the instructions from a Server 2003 system while I was trying to get around the "unknown error" in a SharePoint installation. Looking at an XP box that is indeed different. I'd try reinstalling ASP.NET using the aspnet_regiis tool and also make sure that you are really building WebHelp Plus output. Besides that I'd be as stumped as you are. You can push your luck and look at the Event Viewer to see if there are any application logs, but typically those entries are quite useless.

[SusanL]

I just checked the version of IIS on this machine -- it is 5.1. IIS 6.0 is the version that comes with Windows Server 2003, so I'll ask IT to install 6.0 on my workstation. I don't see the version of IIS specified in the requirements -- I think that it's assumed you'll use what comes with Windows Server 2003. But since I'm testing it locally without the server, I just asked for IIS to be installed. With luck, installing IIS 6.0 will fix the problem.

[SusanL]

OK... IT informs me that IIS 6 doesn't run on Windows XP. So we are setting up a test server so I can test it there. I printed out all the help related to WebHelp Plus, and have a technical person working with me now. If it still doesn't work after we set it up on the server, then I'll enter a support ticket. This certainly is a learning experience.

[HelpTrog]

Good observations, Susan. I also now see that the title bar for my local site reads Web Help and the one on the server reads Web Help Plus. Hmmm.

There certainly is nothing in the instructions that would indicate that you need Windows Server 2003 on your workstation. I don't expect many people would have it.

[SusanL]

I sat down with a technical person and in a nutshell we're finding that the Indexing Service must be restarted for the Search to work after building. I can't get Search to work when calling the Web site from within the Flare interface at all.

When the search doesn't work, the status on the Indexing Service for the Web catalog is "Indexing Paused (User Active), Started".

If I stop the indexing service, start it, and then paste http://localhost/MCPreview/Default.htm into an open IE browser, or if I right-click MCPreview under Internet Information Services in Computer Management and select Browse, the Search works. The title of the tab in IE shows correctly as WebHelp Plus.

Is the build pausing the Indexing Service? Since it's repeatable, looks like I'll be entering a bug ticket.

Edit: This was all done on my local workstation -- IT still needs to set up a test server for me.

[kashby]

I've been through hell and back building a hosted knowledge base with Flare v3/4 to get a few of these little gems. I hope something here will trigger an idea for you (if not, I'll keep digging through my notes).

Most of the search issues I've found can be addressed by doing something simple:
- deleting the AutoMergeCache folder (if memory serves, this symptom is evident when the option Indexing Service > Web > Query the Catalog worked but nothing else does)
- restarting IIS
- increasing how often IIS searches for new documents (until it goes through them, you'll never find them)

I also found a similar problem if I put another help system's WebHelp output (not WebHelp Plus) into my AutoMerge folder--for some reason, this restricted the index to showing only content from the WebHelp materials and ignored all of the third-party docs.

However, your problem may even be a catalog issue--my system was having a cow until I reverted to the default "Web" catalog.


PS> You can test all of this on a local machine running XP, but if you are nesting other help systems and third-party docs it can be a little hairy.

[SusanL]

PS> You can test all of this a local machine running XP, but if you are nesting other help systems and third-party docs it can be a little hairy.

I have requested a test server -- just waiting for set up. I can imagine that testing locally with a large system would be even more than a little hairy. Thanks for passing on your knowledge; I'm the sole technical writer here and I've only been working with Flare for the last two weeks, so this is just what I've been looking for!

[SusanL]

The Web server has been set up for me to test on. I gave the instructions to set up the Web server from MadCap help to our IT staff and they set up the Web server accordingly.

When I published WebHelp Plus to the Web server, the TOC pane was empty, the Index pane remained stuck on load and did not come up, and the Search pane was not working. IT checked to make sure IIS and the indexing services were running and ASP.Net is allowed, and they were.

I changed the same target to be WebHelp, rather than WebHelp Plus, and everything worked perfectly when I rebuilt it and published it to the same Web server.

I'd like to use the increased functionality of WebHelp Plus, but I am very frustrated (I'm running Flare 4.1 and the Web server is Windows Server 2003, Standard edition). So I will be publishing to WebHelp instead.

The only thing they haven't done is reboot the server (this server is used for other testing so it has to be done at night), so I'll rebuild the Webhelp Plus tomorrow and duly report.

[HelpTrog]

Now your results are sounding very close to the ones I get. I have been contacted by a tech support person from MadCap and am waiting for permission from IT to allow MadCap remote access to our network. (I work at a hospital, so security is a big issue.) Thanks for the update.

[kashby]

What follows represents an afternoon of my life that I will never get back.

Last week I ran across a similar problem where the TOC was blank and the index wasn't working correctly. We spent several hours trying everything we could think of and came up with this. Just for a little background information, I'm allowing users to host a copy of this WebHelp plus system on their local machines so they can take it with them when the are at a customer site. For the most part, it works really well.

(I did have screen captures with this, but I don't have time right now to pull them in--sorry).

1. Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management.
NOTE: You may need to switch to classic view to see the Administrative Tools option.
a. Expand Local Computer > Services and Applications > Internet Information Services > Web Sites > Default Web Site.
b. Right-click MCPreview and select Delete.

2. Right-click Default Website > New > Virtual Directory. The Virtual Directory Creation Wizard Appears.
a. Click Next.
b. Enter MCPreview as the Virtual Directory Alias and then click Next.
c. Specify C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\MCPreview as the Content Directory and then click Next.
d. Accept the default Access Permissions and then click Next.
e. Click Finish to close the Virtual Directory Creation Wizard.

3. Right-click MCPreview and select Properties.

4. Click Remove to turn off MCPreview as an application.

5. Click OK to continue.

6. Expand MCPreview.
a. Right-click Service and select Properties.
b. Click Create to configure the service as an application.
c. Set the Execute Permissions to Scripts only.
d. Click OK.
e. Repeat steps a–d above to configure AutoSearch as an application.

7. Delete the contents of C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\MCPreview\AutoMergeCache to clear the AutoMergeCache.
NOTE: If you do not purge the cache, you may encounter a blank TOC and a populated index once you launch the system.

8. Run ConfigureISForWebHelpPlus.exe to configure the indexing services for WebHelp Plus (C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\MCPreview\Service\Console.ConfigureISForWebHelpPlus\ConfigureISForWebHelpPlus.exe).

9. Open a web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer) and enter the following to launch the system: http://localhost/mcpreview/default.htm


**Something else reported to me is that running C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis –i from the run dialog may not always work. The person that found this recommended that you navigate to the directory using a command prompt and run it from there. It may just be that .NET is not registered on your host correctly.