How to invoke WebHelp as popup?

MC Hammer · Post by **MC Hammer** » Tue May 20, 2014 1:10 am

Hello everyone,
I am relatively new to WebHelp, having been producing HTML Help for a good numbers of years now.
I have been testing my output in IE, Firefox and Chrome and have a query re: the size and position of the output window.
In the Size tab of the skin, is it good practice to enable the Use Browser Default Size or do people prefer to select a custom size for the window, by using the option in the Size section underneath?

I would like to specify a custom size but the help states the following:
The size settings in the skin will not work in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers unless the output is invoked as a popup.
Where are the settings to do this and is this up to me or the developer to do this?
Thanks in advance.

atomdocs · Post by **atomdocs** » Tue May 20, 2014 1:27 am

Hi Marie-Claire, I think popup here means invoked with context sensitive help (CSH). You can specify the size in Flare, but you'll need to set up CSH with your developer.

Post by **NorthEast** » Tue May 20, 2014 2:25 am

To answer the first question, I'd say best practice is to use the browser default size, as you are far more likely to annoy people by changing/resetting their browser size.

As for how to open the help with the browser size, I'd be interested to know what "invoked as a popup" means, and see an example.
I looked into this a few years ago, and seem to remember it works for CSH calls only, but didn't work with tabbed browsers. An alternative would be to use something like javascript window.open with a specified height/width, as this should display it in a new window rather than a new tab.

MC Hammer · Post by **MC Hammer** » Tue May 20, 2014 2:38 am

Thank you both for your prompt and valuable replies.
I do not quite understand what invoking the help as a popup exactly means but from what you both seem to think, this may be linked to CSH. I will try and investigate (developers haven't assigned resource IDs yet so this will have to be put on hold for now...).

atomdocs · Post by **atomdocs** » Tue May 20, 2014 2:57 am

You can set up an alias and header file (these are the CSH components) in your Flare project and then do a test on your own system with Dave's javascript tip, although you can still specify the dimensions in your Flare project, along with show/hide status bars etc. I did this last year to demo a help system simulating CSH. I'll try to find the details. I agree with Dave about letting the user define the browser size and position, but there are exceptions (one of my clients develops a medical imaging system, and so the size of the help window needs to be strictly controlled, so as not to obscure the medical image - but these cases are probably exceptional).

I am pretty sure that "invoked as a popup" means a CSH call, it's just not very clear.

atomdocs · Post by **atomdocs** » Tue May 20, 2014 3:21 am

Marie-Claire, this is what I did to simulate CSH:

1. Set up an alias file and a header file (I think this can be done semi-automatically).

2. Set up the intended browser size, position, and config (e.g. show/hide menus, toolbar, location bar, status bar, switch resize on or off). This is done in the skin properties.

3. Create an .htm file as follows:

Code: Select all

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="[project]/Output/[skin]/csh.js"></script>
    </head>
	<body>
	<input type="button" value="Online Help" onclick="MadCap.OpenHelp([topicID] );" />
	</body>
    </html>

You need to provide the path to csh.js - this file is created automatically when you build. Then just add the ID of the topic that you want to open.

4. Open your .htm file and click the button.

Note: this is a very, very basic demo of a CSH call, and really only lets you observe whether your help system opens with the correct size/position/display settings. But I think it illustrates "invoked as a popup".

MC Hammer · Post by **MC Hammer** » Fri May 23, 2014 5:30 am

Hi Tom
Thank you for such a comprehensive input. I will give this a go whenever I can.

Post by **NorthEast** » Fri May 23, 2014 6:11 am

Would it not be a lot easier to just use the built-in CSH test?

Select Build > Test CSH API Calls.

The CSH tests available depend on the output type of your current primary target.
I think for WebHelp it simulates a javascript CSH call, but for HTML5 you can choose either the javascript or URL methods.

atomdocs · Post by **atomdocs** » Fri May 23, 2014 7:19 am

Would it not be a lot easier to just use the built-in CSH test?

Yes. You could have said that earlier, Dave!

But thanks

fchan · Post by **fchan** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 4:27 pm

I have no luck in specifying the size and position of the window containing the HTML5 help topic. I used CSH to invoke the help, but each time the help is launched, the window would be displayed in one place for a split second, and then "jump" to the ultimate position. This jumping is irritating. I have tried various sizes and positions in the HTML5 skin but the window behaves just the same. I called MadCap tech support but they couldn't figure it out. This happens with IE and Chrome.

So I'm forced to use "Use Browser Default Size" in the skin to specify the window size. This setting doesn't cause the window to jump from one place to another on the first launch. However, with Chrome, it still displays the window with the default skin (from MadCap) very very briefly before my custom skin is displayed. (i.e., the window would "blink" before it settles). It's still better than seeing the window jump from one place to another.

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