Can I 'unhinge' search widget from webhelp frameset?

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vancouver-tech-writer
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Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 7:25 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Can I 'unhinge' search widget from webhelp frameset?

Unread post by vancouver-tech-writer »

Am I the only person still using H&M 5? Heh. :o

I am generating webhelp and publishing it to our secure client website, which is running DotNetNuke 5 (also years old, it's like my tools froze in time around 2009).
In order to search help, you need to be viewing the webhelp frameset/index.html that H&M generates. Can I unhinge the search widget from the webhelp frameset?
Could I place a search widget for help on my website homepage that would function the same way as in the Search tab in the help frameset? It would have to open search results in a separate page.

This would be really cool. I appreciate your counsel.

Steve
Steve
Technical Writer
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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vancouver-tech-writer
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 7:25 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: Can I 'unhinge' search widget from webhelp frameset?

Unread post by vancouver-tech-writer »

Hmm, looks like I may have solved my own problem... all I did was embed the ftsearch.html page that H&M generates into an iFrame... it works perfectly fine and clicking on search results opens the help topic (and help system) in another browser tab. I can live with that!

It would be nice if it worked like the website search box, but in practice I think that would take a bit of work. However, if you care to comment... :)
Steve
Technical Writer
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Tim Green
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Re: Can I 'unhinge' search widget from webhelp frameset?

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Steve,

The way you are doing it now is probably better for your needs than trying to duplicate the search box "widget". The widget works within the entire layout because you then get the search page directly with all the results. If you cloned it on its own onto a completely different page you would lose the context between the search entry and the search results that you get when you use the whole page. Doing it is also a little complicated and involves a reasonable amount of custom programming... 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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