Error Page on Invalid Topic ID

[Carsten Pedersen]

Hi,

Is it possible to specify special error pages on invalid topic IDs?

Imagine that you online HTML5 help has changed between software versions, and one of you context
sensitive links refer to a topic, that has been removed. Now the help will default to the defined start
page. This is typically also the welcome page of the help system.

Is it possible to redirect to an error page when a topic ID is not found in the help?

-cpede

[Msquared]

It is a nice idea, but so far as I know, you can't specify a specific error page, unless you make the default page the error page. That may mean you get the error when you don't want it.

But do you not get a build error saying that the topic is referenced in the alias file but is missing?

[Carsten Pedersen]

Glad you think that it is a nice feature for a future version of MadCap Flare HTML Help.

The problem is, that we make Online Web Help, which uses context sensitive links from our software.
If a developer type in a wrong topics id in the software, the help of cause does not recognize it. Or,
if we delete a topic from the help, which an older version of our software refers to, then we have the
same situation.

-cpede

[NorthEast]

If you delete a topic from the help, then presumably you can just re-link the identifier to a page of your choice - i.e. a suitable alternative topic, or an error page.

Flare will warn you if you delete a topic that's linked to the alias file.

[Carsten Pedersen]

Yes, you are right. The second case can be handled by redirecting the links.
It is just all the unforeseen cases, where the topic cannot be found, where it would be nice to have a default "unknown topic" page.

-cpede

[Msquared]

Although, just thinking this through a bit further, how would getting an error page instead of the default page help your readers?

Instead of going to a page that is at least in the right help system, they'll get an error, which won't help them find the help they are looking for.

It will certainly help your testers, assuming your help is tested before release, and assuming that one of the tests is to check that every application page displays the correct CSH, and that this test is done each time the software is released. If just the help for the new application pages are tested, then existing pages that reference non-existent help won't be picked up even then.

If not, the first person to find the message will be the end user.

Not saying this is definitely not what you want, just that it may not be.

[Carsten Pedersen]

Well, what we want to write on such a page, is to inform the user that this is an error, and what the user should do in this situation, when the help is not found. This could be to contact someone via mail or phone etc.

Basically the same as HTTP 400 errors, here the pages could apologize and write information about what to do.

I agree that in the end you don't gain much, but at least you are polite

-cpede

[NorthEast]

I think it's useful to have a page for old CSH links, in case someone has bookmarked an old topic from their browser (with #cshid=xxx in the bookmark), or you have out-of-date support articles or third-party links pointing an old cshid. Then at least you can say the page has been removed, and offer suggestions.

It'd be nice if Flare could also redirect to a page for an invalid cshid; I'd find that useful for internal testing purposes (as in theory, the user shouldn't see this if you cater for old cshids).