"Action Canceled" MS update 896358 blocks CHMs
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- Tim Green
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"Action Canceled" MS update 896358 blocks CHMs
A recent Microsoft security update blocks access to all CHM files located on network drives. This affects all HTML Help CHM files, not just those created with Help & Manual. See this posting in the H&M3 forum for full details and a fix:
http://helpman.it-authoring.com/viewtopic.php?t=2870
New CHM Network Registration Tool:
EC Software has now released a neat little free tool that solves this problem. HHReg requires no installation and can be used to register both individual CHM files and entire folders on network drives so that the specific files or all CHMs in the specified folder(s) can be opened normally across network drives.
HHReg also supports command line execution so you can use it in batch and silent mode to automate the registration process. For more details see this page:
http://www.ec-software.com/products_hhreg.html
http://helpman.it-authoring.com/viewtopic.php?t=2870
New CHM Network Registration Tool:
EC Software has now released a neat little free tool that solves this problem. HHReg requires no installation and can be used to register both individual CHM files and entire folders on network drives so that the specific files or all CHMs in the specified folder(s) can be opened normally across network drives.
HHReg also supports command line execution so you can use it in batch and silent mode to automate the registration process. For more details see this page:
http://www.ec-software.com/products_hhreg.html
Last edited by Tim Green on Thu Apr 13, 2006 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Microsoft "features"
Tim---
We have a help manual project on a LAN server, which has just started getting the "cannot display file" error again. We fixed it before and it was working fine. I went and opened up the registry and the values for the zones as specfied in the original posting are still at 1 (based on the previous fix, as far as i know). The chm file opens fine on the local machine.
I checked and the 896358 was in fact installed earlier this week. However, running the fix didn't seem to get it this time, as witness the values in the zone.
Am I missing something here, or is there a new microsoft feature to help us all out again, by disabling commonly used files and features?
We have a help manual project on a LAN server, which has just started getting the "cannot display file" error again. We fixed it before and it was working fine. I went and opened up the registry and the values for the zones as specfied in the original posting are still at 1 (based on the previous fix, as far as i know). The chm file opens fine on the local machine.
I checked and the 896358 was in fact installed earlier this week. However, running the fix didn't seem to get it this time, as witness the values in the zone.
Am I missing something here, or is there a new microsoft feature to help us all out again, by disabling commonly used files and features?
- Dean Whitlock
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- Location: Thetford Center, Vermont USA
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We are developing now in Cold Fusion, which is displayed through HTML files. The programmer is able to run my .chm file through a standard anchor:
<a href="helpfile.chm">Click here</a>
however, when the chm opens, it acts as if it is being read over a network: the TOC is visible but all topics read as Action Canceled or Cannot be Displayed. This occurs even though the chm is on the same computer as the Cold Fusion file doing the calling. Any ideas why this might be, and how to get around it?
Subsidiary question: what syntax in the anchor would allow opening at a specific topic?
<a href="helpfile.chm">Click here</a>
however, when the chm opens, it acts as if it is being read over a network: the TOC is visible but all topics read as Action Canceled or Cannot be Displayed. This occurs even though the chm is on the same computer as the Cold Fusion file doing the calling. Any ideas why this might be, and how to get around it?
Subsidiary question: what syntax in the anchor would allow opening at a specific topic?
- Tim Green
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Dean,
See the reference to opening CHMs from the command line in the help, here:
http://www.helpandmanual.com/help/index ... hmhtml.htm
See the reference to opening CHMs from the command line in the help, here:
http://www.helpandmanual.com/help/index ... hmhtml.htm
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.
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)
Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
- Dean Whitlock
- Posts: 577
- Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:59 pm
- Location: Thetford Center, Vermont USA
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Tim,
On my own computer, I was able to get the chm file to open from a web page, using plain html in a simple html file in the same folder as the chm file. Don't know what it was about the programmer's computer that made it act like it was over a network.
With <a href="myhelp.chm">, IE asks if I want to open the file, and when I click Yes, it opens the help and displays the first topic as expected.
However, if I use the syntax for a command line call to indicate a different topic:
a href="HH myhelp.chm::/topic_name.htm", I get a Page Cannot be Displayed message. If I remove the HH, I get the same message. Next I replace the ::/ with #, and I get the same message.
Finally, I replace the # with a ?, and the chm opens, but at the default (first) topic, not at topic_name. I have tried Topic_name (the way it is in the project) and topic_name (no init cap, the way it shows in the help for a command line call), but neither will cause the topic to display instead of the default topic. Maybe the best solution is just to use browser-based help.
On my own computer, I was able to get the chm file to open from a web page, using plain html in a simple html file in the same folder as the chm file. Don't know what it was about the programmer's computer that made it act like it was over a network.
With <a href="myhelp.chm">, IE asks if I want to open the file, and when I click Yes, it opens the help and displays the first topic as expected.
However, if I use the syntax for a command line call to indicate a different topic:
a href="HH myhelp.chm::/topic_name.htm", I get a Page Cannot be Displayed message. If I remove the HH, I get the same message. Next I replace the ::/ with #, and I get the same message.
Finally, I replace the # with a ?, and the chm opens, but at the default (first) topic, not at topic_name. I have tried Topic_name (the way it is in the project) and topic_name (no init cap, the way it shows in the help for a command line call), but neither will cause the topic to display instead of the default topic. Maybe the best solution is just to use browser-based help.
- Tim Green
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Dean,
To be quite honest, calling CHMs from links and the command line isn't one of my areas of expertise because I've never had call to do it all that much. I keep meaning to bone up on it but I haven't gotten around to it yet... and at the moment I'm sitting in my hotel room in Amsterdam getting ready for the WinWriters UA conference so my resources are limited....
I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait until Alex or another programming expert gets ont this one, sorry about that.
To be quite honest, calling CHMs from links and the command line isn't one of my areas of expertise because I've never had call to do it all that much. I keep meaning to bone up on it but I haven't gotten around to it yet... and at the moment I'm sitting in my hotel room in Amsterdam getting ready for the WinWriters UA conference so my resources are limited....
I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait until Alex or another programming expert gets ont this one, sorry about that.
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.
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)
Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
Winhelp Macros
I just tested a Winhelp macro script to circumvent the restrictions on opening HTML Help files on a network.
It also installs Keyhelp, so that HTML Help files can open external files on a network using the Keyhelp Shortcut command, e.g. .ppt, .pdf.
Created a 1 page Winhelp project with links to run Winhelp macros. Then used the Winhelp file to launch my HTML Help.
1 link prompts user to install registry fix and click Yes to update. ExecFile('myfile.reg')
1 link prompts to install Keyhelp. ExecFile('KeyHelpSetup.exe')
1 link opens my Master HTML Help. ExecFile('Myhelp.chm')
I also tested a sneaky version (not created with H&M) that attaches a similar script to my main Winhelp window that autoruns on opening, installs the registry fix, tests if C:\windows\system32\keyhelp.ocx exists, and if not installs it. Then opens my Master HTML file, and closes the Winhelp window.
I doubt I'll be allowed to use the sneaky version
Hope this helps someone.
Dave
It also installs Keyhelp, so that HTML Help files can open external files on a network using the Keyhelp Shortcut command, e.g. .ppt, .pdf.
Created a 1 page Winhelp project with links to run Winhelp macros. Then used the Winhelp file to launch my HTML Help.
1 link prompts user to install registry fix and click Yes to update. ExecFile('myfile.reg')
1 link prompts to install Keyhelp. ExecFile('KeyHelpSetup.exe')
1 link opens my Master HTML Help. ExecFile('Myhelp.chm')
I also tested a sneaky version (not created with H&M) that attaches a similar script to my main Winhelp window that autoruns on opening, installs the registry fix, tests if C:\windows\system32\keyhelp.ocx exists, and if not installs it. Then opens my Master HTML file, and closes the Winhelp window.
I doubt I'll be allowed to use the sneaky version
Hope this helps someone.
Dave
- Tim Green
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Dave,
That sounds like a nice solution -- inoffically, I love hacks like that.
If you have the time it would be great if you could post a how-to in the Tips & Tricks forum.
That sounds like a nice solution -- inoffically, I love hacks like that.
If you have the time it would be great if you could post a how-to in the Tips & Tricks forum.
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.
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)
Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
URLAllowed not working
I'm trying out the restricted directory workaround without much success, using this kind of syntax from Microsoft's example.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\ItssRestrictions]
"UrlAllowList"="\\productmanuals\helpfiles;file://\\productmanuals\helpfiles;http://www.wingtiptoys.com/help/"
In a production environment, my CHM files would be installed on several Netware servers and some Citrix. The Netware application servers all have different names like \\DHVS-APPS01\ etc. but all users have drive P mapped to their location's apps server, so a consistent path to the help files on any server would be P:\OurHelp\helpfile.chm.
I've tried substituting both driveletter based paths and UNC pathnames into the type of syntax in the above example, but neither seem to work.
Any advice would be appreciated from someone who has succeeded with this method.
Thanks
Dave
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\ItssRestrictions]
"UrlAllowList"="\\productmanuals\helpfiles;file://\\productmanuals\helpfiles;http://www.wingtiptoys.com/help/"
In a production environment, my CHM files would be installed on several Netware servers and some Citrix. The Netware application servers all have different names like \\DHVS-APPS01\ etc. but all users have drive P mapped to their location's apps server, so a consistent path to the help files on any server would be P:\OurHelp\helpfile.chm.
I've tried substituting both driveletter based paths and UNC pathnames into the type of syntax in the above example, but neither seem to work.
Any advice would be appreciated from someone who has succeeded with this method.
Thanks
Dave
URLAllowed not working
I found an example of the syntax using non-UNC network paths on another forum. The answer is:-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\ItssRestrictions]
"UrlAllowList"="u:\\productmanuals\\helpfiles;file://u:\\productmanuals\\helpfiles"
The double backslashes are converted to single when using a .reg file, without them the line is ignored and no registry value inserted.
This works for me, but you may also need to set the HHRestrictions registry key MaxAllowedZone to 1 otherwise topic hyperlinks in secondary windows don't work.
Dave
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\ItssRestrictions]
"UrlAllowList"="u:\\productmanuals\\helpfiles;file://u:\\productmanuals\\helpfiles"
The double backslashes are converted to single when using a .reg file, without them the line is ignored and no registry value inserted.
This works for me, but you may also need to set the HHRestrictions registry key MaxAllowedZone to 1 otherwise topic hyperlinks in secondary windows don't work.
Dave
Last edited by Davem on Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Correction
You can also use the URLAllowList method for the HHRestrictions key
Dave
Dave
URLAllow not working
Message deleted, previous post corrected.
Dave
Dave
Last edited by Davem on Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Tim Green
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Hi Dave,
You can always edit or delete your own posts on the forum. Just log in and display the post, then click on the Edit or Delete icons in the top right corner of the post (may be in a different position depending on which skin style you are using).Tim I discovered a glitch in my previous post below.
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.
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)
Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.