Link to topic within WebHelp

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Andreas Rekdal
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Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:04 pm

Link to topic within WebHelp

Unread post by Andreas Rekdal »

Is it possible to link to a specific topic within a WebHelp manual from an unrelated html file, while also bringing in the frames and navigation? I can't seem to figure it out.

I am using a slightly modified version of one of the basic themes.
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Tim Green
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Re: Link to topic within WebHelp

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Andreas,

Yes, you can make calls directly to topics and anchors (jump targets) in topics in HM Webhelp from your program with normal URLs. You just need to use the correct syntax. See this topic in the help for details:

http://helpandmanual.com/help/index.htm ... rcalls.htm

It used to be the case that links to the topic on its own would automatically reload the main user interface page with the selected topic. However, in the WebHelp skins provided with Help & Manual and the standard templates we have now turned off the automatic redirect to the main page that used to be executed when a user visited just the topic page. This new behavior has become necessary to ensure that your WebHelp pages continue to be indexed properly by Google.

When search engines like Google link to topics in WebHelp, they always link to just the topic page, i.e. to "topic.htm" and not to "index.html?topic.htm". Unfortunately, Googlebot now incorrectly interprets these redirects as "duplicate content" and does not index the pages that do this. As a result, users found that their WebHelp was no longer indexed by Google.

To deal with this, we have turned off the automatic redirect for topics by default. Now, a link to a topic file will only open the topic file. The standard skins included with Help & Manual and the Premium Pack skins all automatically display a "Click to Display Table of Contents" link at the top of the topic when this happens. The user can then click on this manually to redisplay the topic with the full user interface.

IMPORTANT: Any external links to your WebHelp and links to WebHelp from your applications should now *always* use the full "index.html?topic.htm" syntax to ensure that they open with the full user interface. This was actually always important, because the user's browser history does not work properly when you use the redirect links.

If having your WebHelp indexed by Google is important to you, you should not re-activate the automatic redirects. If you don't care whether Google indexes your site (for example if it is only used by users who know where it is), you can reactivate the redirects and return to the old behavior: Open your project (if you are not using a skin) or the .hmskin skin file (if you are using a skin) in Help & Manual. Then in the Project Explorer on the left go to Configuration > Publishing Options > WebHelp > Navigation. Locate the option "When a topic is loaded outside the navigation frame, force it to reload the navigation frame" and turn it ON.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Andreas Rekdal
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:04 pm

Re: Link to topic within WebHelp

Unread post by Andreas Rekdal »

My users won't access the manual through the internet anyway, so search engine optimalization makes no difference. (Long story short, they don't have internet access, and hardly have access to anything but internet explorer for viewing files. The manual is distributed along with the installation, but due to safety protocols they can't use CHM files.)

I decided to opt for reactivating the old behavior. Thanks for your swift and thorough response! :D
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Tim Green
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Re: Link to topic within WebHelp

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Andreas,

You're welcome! Do remember to use the full index.html?topic.htm syntax in all the links you create yourself, because otherwise the browser history may not work as expected. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
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