WebHelp CSH is not working

[JAHartman]

Hello,

I have converted a WebHelp project from RoboHelp x5 to Flare v6, applied a new stylesheet, and compiled the project. A build was made and the Help was tested but none of the CSH links are working. Pressing Help on a specific dialog box should open the topic for the dialog, typical CSH but instead the Help window opens displaying just the default topic selected as the opening topic in the WebHelp target. I have confirmed that the links match the previous version and are working in the previous version.

Thanks,

[wclass]

How are the calls being made from the application? If they are still using RH supplied calls you will have to get the developers to update that.

[JHartman]

The calls are being made using the simple URL method, where the file name is used instead of a MAP ID. I tried adding _CSH to the main topic name, recompiling, then opening the Help from the product and manually changing the link but it didn't seem to work. The Help opens but only to the default opening topic selected in the target.

Here is an example of the current call in the browser address bar:

<computer name>/<virtual directory>/WebHelp/TSPHelp.htm#Dialogs/dlg_login.htm

I changed the main topic name, recompiled, then tried the Help using this URL:

<computer name>/<virtual directory>/WebHelp/TSPHelp_CSH.htm#Dialogs/dlg_login.htm

I also tried a link like this, since I wasn't sure if the folder name was needed:

<computer name>/<virtual directory>/WebHelp/TSPHelp_CSH.htm#dlg_login.htm

[RamonS]

Theoretically, this should work. I"d try assigning an alias and a map ID to a few topics and try that.

[LTinker68]

Is the Dialogs folder one level down from the Content folder in the output, or is the Dialogs folder inside another folder?

[NorthEast]

<computer name>/<virtual directory>/WebHelp/TSPHelp_CSH.htm#Dialogs/dlg_login.htm

This one is the correct format - you need to use the CSH.htm file, and you need the path to the topic inside the Content folder.

Are you definitely making the calls to the TSPHelp_CSH.htm file?

If you were making the call to TSPHelp.htm, then the # reference is ignored and the help would open with the default topic- which is what you're getting.

However, if you are making the call to TSPHelp_CSH.htm, then I can't reproduce your results.
If I enter a # reference which is incorrect, e.g. wrong path or topic name, then the WebHelp opens with a 'page cannot be displayed' message in the topic frame. I can't get the help to open at the default topic by using an incorrect filename in the CSH call.

[JHartman]

Thanks to all of you for your help on this issue...

Yes, the Dialogs folder does reside under the Content folder.

I think you may have just found the problem, Dave. The actual code in the program has not yet been changed. So when I click Help on a dialog, the program makes the wrong call to the TSPHelp.htm file, and the Help window opens displaying a "page cannot be displayed" error. Since the code has not been changed, this is the expected result.

I made the fix of renaming the file to TSPHelp_CSH.htm then recompiling the project. After that, I replaced the output currently in the program with the new output, opened the program, clicked Help on a dialog box and got the incorrect result described above. I then changed the address bar to use the correct call format (with the TSPHelp_CSH.htm file name). The Help window opens displaying the startup topic and not the CSH topic as it should.

What I did not realize is that after the incorrect call is made, it is ignoring everything after the # sign. It sounds like me manually changing the address is not going to work for a test. So it seems like the fix I made is correct and that once I get a build with the fix in the code, this should all work again...am I understanding this correctly?

[LTinker68]

It's not just a matter of renaming the file. When you build WebHelp output, Flare automatically creates three files. If your output is called "default", then you'll get default.htm (for opening the help normally), default_CSH.htm (for opening the help via CSH), and default_Left.htm (not called directly but used by the default_CSH.htm file). All three of those files need to be uploaded to the web server or saved to the user's computer (wherever they're running the help). There is a difference in the code of all three pages, which is why just renaming the file didn't work, although I haven't looked at the files enough to see if there is code or script that you can copy from one to the other and have it work.

The easiest thing would be to have your application's code changed to point to the new file, otherwise whatever changes you make to get it to work now, you'll have to remember to do every time you build the output.

[NorthEast]

I'm not actually sure I follow what you tested in your last post. When you say you renamed the file, do you mean you renamed the link to the file (correct); or do you mean you renamed the actual file - in which case that wouldn't work.

Anyway, all you need to do is modify your application to call the TSPHelp_CSH.htm file (instead of TSPHelp.htm).

In the meantime, you should be able to test CSH links yourself by entering the URL in a browser, or by making a simple html page that contains a few test links.


If you're checking the address displayed in the browser, note that the original URL will change after Flare opens your help. This makes it a bit trickier to check the original call that your application made.

For example, if your original call was:
.../TSPHelp_CSH.htm#Dialogs/dlg_login.htm

The modified address will be something like this:
.../TSPHelp.htm#CSHID=Dialogs%2Fdlg_login.htm|StartTopic=Content%2FDialogs%2Fdlg_login.htm

[JHartman]

Ah ok...I renamed the actual file in the Output File field for the target. It sounds like I need to change that back to just TSPHelp.htm then have the Developer change the code to call TSPHelp_CSH.htm. The change should be in the code only if I am now understanding this correctly. As Linda mentions, the file already exists in the output...I do see it there now and in the previous version.