WebHelp Opening Blank on 2 machines

[ThiNg]

Hi All,

I have been using Flare for over a year now, and consider myself to be reasonably adept at understanding it's 'idiosyncrasies', but I have come across an issue that has me stumped. We are composing the help completely in Flare (no import from word or framemaker). I have created a webhelp output and we have placed the files in a shared network drive. All users have full access to the network share (this is the internal testing). When our application launches, I can press 'F1' at any point and the current formID is passed to Flare. The online help opens and the topic comes up for the form I am looking at in the application (perfect).

However, I have 2 computers in the office where the page opens to a blank browser site. The users press 'F1' and Interenet Explorer opens, but the page is blank. I have tried the following things to troubleshoot the problem. Note: All machines in our company are Windows XP with the same service packs and updates (IT assures me) and the same browsers.

1. Verified that all Internet Explorer options for the security settings on the 2 machines match the 14 machines that work (even tried resetting everything to the browser defaults).

2. Verified the users are able to read and write to the network share and edit filenames (tested with a text file).

3. Had the user install Firefox 2.0 and set it as the default browser and still had the same blank page open.

I would like some suggestions on what to try next, or even speak to anyone who may have experienced this issue as well. Mark of the Web is enabled and the users do not get any security warnings or activex messages.

[KevinDAmery]

If it's only happening on two machines, I think it's definitely something in either the systems themselves or in how they access the shared material. Maybe they're both on a specific subnet that has different firewall / router settings? Or something in the system security settings for those two?

[ThiNg]

I'm openly examining this issue from all angles so I have no opinion as to whether it is a Flare issue or a security setting.

My problem is that we are going to roll the online help out to 5000+ users in a months time and I can't get it working here. If the percentages hold up (I know it's not accurate ), I could generate 550 support calls

I have checked as many items in the security as I can think of and IT assures me that I am crazy and Flare is the problem...Without being rude, I would like some more specific suggestions of settings to check. I can't figure out where to look next?

Sorry, I should add that the machines are on the same domain, same physical network connection. There are no firewalls on either machine (windows one is disabled).

[LTinker68]

When our application launches, I can press 'F1' at any point and the current formID is passed to Flare. The online help opens and the topic comes up for the form I am looking at in the application (perfect).

However, I have 2 computers in the office where the page opens to a blank browser site. The users press 'F1' and Interenet Explorer opens, but the page is blank.

Could it be something in how your company's software was installed? If it's opening the entire help interface, then it sounds like it's calling the default_CSH.htm file (or whatever you called it) correctly, but it's not picking up the alias/map ID you had set. Could your application have been installed incompletely on those computers? Maybe it's not an updated version and it's missing the code to call the correct page.

[ThiNg]

Thanks for the reply, I like that suggestion and I'll have IT reinstall the application. To prove it to them, my manager installe it on a separate laptop and was able to get it working fine. I just need to find the 'magic switch' and flip it so I can get on with organising my snippets

[ThiNg]

Ok,

I decided to do an end run around IT (no wonder they hate me ). I created an HTML document with three links using the following code:

Code: Select all

<a href="T:\networkshare\OnlineHelp\OnlineHelp_CSH.htm#210099101" target="_blank">Open Topic 1</a>

I sent the HTML file to one of the users and had him save it to his desktop. When they launch the HTML file in IE and click the links, the webhelp opens with the correct topic. If they do the 'F1' from the program it opens to a blank page. i am 100% sure they are using the correct and complete install of the application - so I need suggestions on what kind of security might prevent the link from opening from the application.

Could this be affected by .NET framework and security? It's a .NET application.

Why would it work on other similar machines?

I think we can rule out that Flare is the issue - but I still need to find a solution so hopefully someone who understands the 'call' process a little better can offer some insight?

[LTinker68]

Does the browser indicate that there were errors on the page? IE might show it as a simple "Done but with errors on page" in the status bar.

Also, once the help is launched, if you right-click on right pane where the topic is supposed to be and (in Firefox at least) click This Frame > View Frame Info, does it show anything odd for the file name, path, etc.?

[ThiNg]

LTinker68,

I went to the user's machine and pressed F1 on a specific screen in the application. Internet Explorer opens to a blank page. The URL reads as follows:

T:\networkshare\OnlineHelp\OnlineHelp_CSH.htm

If I right-click and choose properties (IE doesn't have a frame info), I get the following:

f:///T:/networkshare\OnlineHelp\OnlineHelp_CSH.htm

The page status does not show any errors.

If I try the same steps on my machine (one of the ones that works) I get the following results when the help application opens correctly:

URL:

file:///T:/networkshare/OnlineHelp/OnlineHelp_Left.htm#StartTopic=01 System Menu/Configuration/Code Maintenance/2100_101.htm|SkinName=HTML Help Window

Properties:

file:///T:/networkshare/OnlineHelp/Content/01%20System%20Menu/Configuration/Code%20Maintenance/2100_101.htm

The page status does not show any errors.

It's like the javascript never runs on the first machine and the webhelp just stops. But, if they do it from the HTML page I created it runs fine.

[KevinDAmery]

Based on that, I'd double check that javascript hasn't been blocked on those two systems. (I know IT told you they were the same... but I'd physically go in and check that just in case someone is, ahh, mistaken....)

[ThiNg]

Kevin,

Thanks for another option to check. This is my testing. I verified that all Internet Explorer security settings were the same as a working machine. I then pointed the browser on the non-working machine to the company Intranet (sharepoint) and was able to browse and access all functionality (I have tonnes of javascript and functions on the pages I have designed). The machine has no errors and can see all javascript results - from the current time and date in the bottom left corner to the validation of form fields.

I will say this, IF I place the webhelp and publish it on an internel IIS server, the machines are able to access it and they can manually enter the URL with the formID and it opens. But, as soon as I try it from a local drive or network share (and launch from the application) they get the blank page. I definitely think it is a security issue - but I can't believe that we such a bizarre security setting or combination of settings that noone has ever had this happen.

I'd like to hope that when we roll-out, our issue IS so obscure that none of the clients experience it. My luck doesn't work like that

If you have any suggestions on how to test the javascript functionality more thoroughly then what I have tried, please let me know.

Thanks for the responses and suggestions - please keep them coming.

[KevinDAmery]

Well, I'm not a browser security expert, nor do I play one on TV, so you've about run me out of options. If I think of something, I'll let you know.

You are right to keep trying to isolate it, though. As I've said for years, the problem with software issues that "just go away" is they also "just come back."

[RamonS]

One way to make sure that the security settings are indeed the same on all systems is to reset them in IE. The problem with that is that you loose whatever was set before and you have to tweak the settings on each machine to be the same so that the scripts work. Since XPSP2 came out I always ran into problems when attempting to access browser based content locally or especially from a network share while accessing it from a real web server (such as Apache, not IIS) typically works. It always works when I use a browser that is not IE or does not use the IE rendering engine and pull content from a server. I know that this isn't of much help to you, but from my experience both IE and IIS are always a source for needless problems. If there is any slight chance not to use these applications you should take it.

[QBF]

Mark of the Web is enabled and the users do not get any security warnings or activex messages.

Have you tried these two machines with "Mark of the Web disabled?"

From Microsoft.com The Mark of the Web (MOTW) is a feature of Windows Internet Explorer that enhances security by enabling Internet Explorer to force Web pages to run in the security zone of the location the page was saved from—as long as that security zone is more restrictive than the Local Machine zone—instead of the Local Machine zone.

Might these two have a security settings set higher than the others you missed?

[ThiNg]

Quick response to RamonS and QBF.

I will definitely test your suggestions and get back to you.

To Ramon... I am not a fan of Microsoft at all, just a victim. My personal Mac Book Pro with Apache Server offers me no problems or issues at all and I am 150% positive it is still more secure than the IIS servers at work

But, the software company I work for designs .NET applications and 99.99% of our clients are on Win XP or ughVista and they are probably going to have these issues. We want to avoid making them setup and configure a webserver because they would most likely choose IIS (why?!???!?). I do my web development using PHP and CSS on Apache servers, but at work, I am also the SharePoint developer (IIS and ASP). SO, if I could change I would. Seriously.

[RamonS]

Ah, OK. PHP is just friggin' awesome and IMHO wipes the floor with any of this ASP.NET stuff.

[ThiNg]

Very True Ramon, the really mind-boggling thing is that PHP and APACHE are Free!!!!

[jblackwood]

I have an issue similar to this one that's popping up. We are just rolling out WebHelp for our Application Help replacing HTML Help. What basic Internet Options settings should I look at when users report problems viewing the Help. Just for background if it helps, the Help files reside on the client's application server. Some user workstations are fat client and some are thin client. ANy helpful hints and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[ThiNg]

I can tell you what we did?

1. Place the URL for the webhelp into TRUSTED Sites and INTRANET SITES
2. Drop the security to nothing (allow everything).
3. slowly add back individualy security items (especially ones that give IT the fits ) and keep testing to make sure it still works (try the search and opening specific topics from the application). Make copious amounts of notes and charts.
4. Once completed, add the webhelp application/site to the firewall.
5. Ta da, you now have a fully configured webhelp - now roll it out to multiple machines and pray you don't end up with 2 that don't work

The notes you made in Step 3 become the troubleshooting checklist for your support staff...Is Enable ActiveX controls for unverified sites set to enabled? etc. Your guys will know which settings make it break. I would give you my list, but the problem I am experiencing makes me wonder if it is even valid - better you start from scratch (I know it's tedious).

[jblackwood]

Thanks for the tips! I then assume that whatever we find during internal testing we would need to pass laong to clients when they install the version of the software that uses the WebHelp format. I know that there will be some scenarios that come up where the WebHelp doesn't work on some workstations. We'll just have to deal with those as they occur I guess.

[RamonS]

Very True Ramon, the really mind-boggling thing is that PHP and APACHE are Free!!!!

What is even more mind boggling is that still so many people insist on using IIS with MSSQL and ASP.NET on Windows Servers. They just seem to have to much money on their hands and love difficult deployments of their web applications.

[ThiNg]

Hi All,

Just thought I'd let you know that we finally found the solution to this issue. If you can call it a solution... The IT manager reset all of the browser settings to default and then removed all add-ins for the browser and that corrected the problem. I wish I could tell you which add-in these two browsers had, but they nuked them all at the same time so I don't know.

Good luck!!