Changing the background color of the See Also window

[todd.richardson]

Hi,

Is there a style in the default Flare stylesheet that allows you to control the color of the window that contains See Also (Concept) links? The default gray color clashes with our skin.

Thanks.

[todd.richardson]

Anyone have a workaround for this?

[LTinker68]

Don't ask me why, but it's under helpControlMenu in the stylesheet. Change the background color for that tag.

[todd.richardson]

That did it.
Thanks!

[LTinker68]

You're welcome.

I think I remember why it's under that tag name. That helpControlMenu tag might be shared by some of the other help controls. If I'm right (I don't have Flare open to test it), then changing the background color for concept links ("see also") will change it for related topics or whatever the other ones are called. Since your issue was that it didn't go with your overall color scheme, then it's probably not a problem. But if you want a different background color for each type of help control, then you'll have to create custom classes under the helpControlMenu and apply the appropriate custom class when you insert the control.

[MC Hammer]

I have a question related to this window. I do not remember messing about with the ConceptLink style, except for the image and in one of my projects (all my outputs are HTML Help), I get a grey-background sort of popup window with the topics linked by a particular concept (probably the same kind of window Todd refers to) and in another one, using a very similar CSS, I get a Topics Found dialog that is completely different and that I do not seem to be able to control the appearance of. Any idea why I get a different window/ dialog?

Thanks,

[LTinker68]

Are you using the same type of help control for both?

[MC Hammer]

Hi Lisa
I believe I am. In both cases, I am using a Concept Link (A-link) control. The only difference is that I changed the mc-label attribute.
In one case, I get a Topics Found dialog whilst in the other I get a window of the type described in this thread (see attachment with both in the same image, that I am going to try and enclose).

Concept_Link_diff.gif

[Pete Lees]

Hi, Marie-Claire,

If these are two different help files, the language settings in each file may be responsible for the issue. When the language of a help file does not precisely match that of the computer on which you're viewing the file, the targets of a Related Topics or ALink control are always displayed in a Topics Found dialog box — even if you've configured the control to display the targets in a pop-up menu. This is by design, as explained at the end of this page:

http://helpware.net/htmlhelp/hh_info.htm

Pete

[MC Hammer]

Hi Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeete (sorry, got carried away)
You are absolutely right! I changed the language in the Project settings (was English UK, now is English) and do not have the Topics Found dialog displayed anymore.
However, me setting the background colour to a colour other than the default grey in helpControlMenu (CSS) is not working. Well, nevermind, I will keep the grey colour

Thank you!

[MC Hammer]

Hi Pete
Sorry, another silly question.
Does that mean that all our users that have language settings set to anything other than English will have a Topics Found dialog box displayed whenever they are viewing A-links?

[MC Hammer]

Don't ask me why, but it's under helpControlMenu in the stylesheet. Change the background color for that tag.

It does not work for me. I changed the background colour of HelpControlMenu in my stylesheet, checked the changes were actually in my CSS by opening it in a different editor, cleaned my output and built my target (HTML Help). Not a major issue but has anyone come across this issue before?

[LTinker68]

... and built my target (HTML Help).

I wonder if it's an HTML Help limitation. I hardly ever build HTML Help. If you build the same project as WebHelp, does the correct background color show up?

[Pete Lees]

Hi, again,

However, me setting the background colour to a colour other than the default grey in helpControlMenu (CSS) is not working.

I think that this CSS attribute must be designed for use with formats other than compiled HTML Help because, in its design of the HTML Help ActiveX control, Microsoft hasn't provided any means to change the background colour of a popup menu. For example, if you look at the available parameters for the ALink command, you'll see that there are no parameters with which you can control the appearance of the menu. So, this is something that is regulated by the HTML Help viewer and outside the author's control.

Does that mean that all our users that have language settings set to anything other than English will have a Topics Found dialog box displayed whenever they are viewing A-links?

I haven't tested this, but I believe that English may be a special case as far as this issue is concerned. The Helpware site seems to imply that all non-English versions of Windows have built-in support for the English character set. If this is true, there should be no need to default to the Topics Found dialog box as a way to prevent garbage characters from appearing in the popup menu.

Pete

[MC Hammer]

Hello Lisa and Pete
You are both right in your assumptions, it looks like it is an HTML Help limitation as the WebHelp equivalent has the colour I have specified in the CSS. The more I dig, the more I find limitations with the HTML format (is that a sign? ). I know it is a pretty old format, issue is that my Management wants me to keep using HTML Help because it is a compiled format that does not require an Internet connection...
Thank you both (Pete, thanks for your comments on the language settings and the way Concept Links are displayed).

[LTinker68]

it is a compiled format that does not require an Internet connection...

Have you shown him WebHelp or Dot Net Help. WebHelp isn't compiled and if its files are stored on the local machine then it doesn't require an Internet connection (just make sure MOTW is enabled). Dot Net Help is kind of compiled in that it's a standalone viewer but it uses multiple files like WebHelp, but its files can also be stored on the local computer. You'd just need to install the Dot Net Viewer when your application installs the help files on the local computer.

The only real advantage HTML Help had was that its output was a single file.