Something about Web Help

[VictorL]

Hi!

Using web-help as a very flexible and convinient format I found something being interested to know:

1. Why does a compilied web-help have an inactive TOC's items? All items aren't moved (by mouse clicking on them) as showing as hiding? Used as skins as non-skined modes to compiled but the results on both situations are same (inactive items).

2. The programers are know to want knowing a little more then other persons and they'd like to ask about calling web-help from an applications. I tried to wipe all things away but need your advice... is the same method to call web-help as chm or not? More is it possible to use as a-keyword the string beginning with symbol #?

3. Maybe some tricks and advices from the users and developers to work with web-help?

Thanks a lot!

[Tim Green]

1. Why does a compilied web-help have an inactive TOC's items? All items aren't moved (by mouse clicking on them) as showing as hiding? Used as skins as non-skined modes to compiled but the results on both situations are same (inactive items).

This will only happen when open the WebHelp locally without a web server, usually in Google Chrome. As soon as the WebHelp is accessed correctly on a web server you will not have this problem.

2. The programers are know to want knowing a little more then other persons and they'd like to ask about calling web-help from an applications. I tried to wipe all things away but need your advice... is the same method to call web-help as chm or not? More is it possible to use as a-keyword the string beginning with symbol #?

See this topic in the help for full instructions on the WebHelp syntax for context-sensitive help. If you have the Premium Pack also see the topics in the WebHelp Skins section of the Premium Pack help on the URL switches you can use to display and execute Keyword Index and Full-Text Search operations with URLs.

[VictorL]

Works under IE only... but locally

Not for Safari, Mozilla, Netscape...

but thanks for answer.

[Tim Green]

Not for Safari, Mozilla, Netscape...

WebHelp works fine in all current browsers. Mozilla and Netscape are no longer current browsers, and Safari is only current on the Mac/OS 10. The Windows version of Safari was discontinued by Apple at least two years ago and is no longer valid and should no longer be used. On Windows the only serious browsers worth considering are Internet Explorer (version 11, all valid versions of Windows can now install it), Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera. All other browsers should be regarded as irrelevant, because they are not serious.

[VictorL]

...Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera...

Chrome doesn't support an active TOC;
Firefox is only old version to be installed... Will be searching
Opera is as Chome too...

I see it's for a server usage but how to test correctly on the local PC?

[VictorL]

Hi!

Our programmer read your enclosed help section but as I see the questions remained

Shortly I describe the task we need to solve.

1. There's a site saying www.helpmanual_thebest.co.uk (this main page is welcome.html).

2. From this main page the user jumps to page as www.helpmanual_thebest.co.uk/tools (this page is tools.html).

3. Being on page www.helpmanual_thebest.co.uk/tools the user presses key F1 and the Web HTML page (made under H&M) opens (Web HTML page is HM_help.html).

What to do the H&M writer making Web HTML help and programmer to open help page (see step 3).

As I see someone needs to write index.html?HM_help.html... but where ... the writer in A-Keyword field of proper topic or the programmer in its own envinroment to develop?

[Tim Green]

Chrome doesn't support an active TOC;
Opera is as Chome too...

This is not true. That only applies if you are not using a web server. And if you are not using a web server you are not using WebHelp correctly. It needs a web server.

Firefox is only old version to be installed... Will be searching

Firefox now updates itself automatically, just like Chrome.

I see it's for a server usage but how to test correctly on the local PC?

When you select "Display when publishing is complete" in the Publish dialog Help & Manual will display the WebHelp using its own integrated web server, in your default browser. To test in another browser just copy the 127.0.0.0... URL from the Address: bar of your default browser to the Address: bar of the browser you want to test in and press ENTER. Then it will also use Help & Manual's server.

[VictorL]

Thanks, Tim!

But how must the programmer make linking between web-page and help-page the user called to read about a current web-page?

[Tim Green]

But how must the programmer make linking between web-page and help-page the user called to read about a current web-page?

Those instructions above are only for testing your WebHelp locally directly after publishing. When the WebHelp is deployed for the user it is on a web server. Then you link to the topics using normal URLs. See here for instructions.

[VictorL]

Tim, thanks a lot!

Those instructions above are only for testing your WebHelp locally directly after publishing. When the WebHelp is deployed for the user it is on a web server. Then you link to the topics using normal URLs. See here for instructions.

I'm just happy you found a minute to answer to this a non-simply question... but the programmer asked a concrete question... I will begin again... and detailed...

To call the CHM from an application... we must:

1. To type A-keyword in topic to be called from an application.

2. To compile the CHM.

3. The programmer must write/add a some method in application code to call CHM by the A-keyword above.

4. Compiled application and CHM too done.

5. User pressed F1 being in window which described in an above topic.

6. A topic with window description arose on the PC's screen.

7. That's all

I'd like you to write as 1-7 above for Web HTML too... the programmer needs your straight directions about it
The help section as Linking... doesn't explain all above for the beginners...
Sorry for time's wasting again

[Tim Green]

Victor,

To link to WebHelp the programmer needs to do exactly the same operation that he would normally do to link to any Internet URL from his program, using the syntax described in the help topic. It is his job to know how to do that in his programming language.