Problems searching toggled elements

[johnp]

I think that this is something intrinsic to MS HTML Help:

The .chm file that I am generating uses alot of togglers and toggled elements. I am building it with TOC, Index, and Search features. In the compiled help file, when you do a search for a keyword that is in the toggled element (the text that opens underneath the toggler hotspot), with search highlight turned ON, the appropriate topic is listed in the box on the left. However, the toggler that contains the keyword is not expanded, and the keyword is not highlighted at all. Essentially, if the user is searching for a keyword that is found in a toggled element, MS HTML Help only brings them as far as the topic, and they must manually sift through the entire topic to find what they are looking for.

If the keyword is found in the hotspot, there is no problem. It only happens when you search for a term that is in the toggled element underneath the hotspot.

I'm not sure if there is really any solution to this problem. I noticed that with Dotnet help and Webhelp, searching toggled elements works fine. I realize that this is microsoft's issue and not really madcap's, but if anyone has found a fix for this in HTML Help, I would like to hear it.

[KevinDAmery]

Not that I've encountered. I think you're right--this is just the way CHMs work, sadly....

[johnp]

I think I've found a little work-around. Flare lets you build HTML Help with a WebHelp-based toolbar displayed in each individual topic (In the Skin Editor, under HTML Help Setup, select the "Display toolbar in each topic" box). The WebHelp toolbar is separate from the HTML Toolbar. You can customize certain elements of this toolbar from the WebHelp Toolbar section of the skin editor. By default (if "enable custom layout" is not selected), the QuickSearch button is enabled and added to your .chm. Using this search feature, you can search all toggling text effectively.

[LTinker68]

Just wanted to point out that the Quick Search feature doesn't search the entire site -- it only searches within the current topic.

[johnp]

Lisa,
Good point. In my HTML Help file I have both QuickSearch and the regular Search tab, so searching can get a little bit clumsy. Its the only way I've found to effectively search toggled text though.