HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

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ccinocco
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HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by ccinocco »

I've been using H&M since V4 and love it.

HOWEVER, in V7, I am being forced into lightbox overlay for graphic toggles used in my help program. This does not work for us. On some toggled graphics, the lightbox overlay doesn't show the graphic at 100% - so the use of a graphic is completely useless. We have literally hundreds of graphics in 12+ product help programs (many of which have several help files). I found the suggestion here http://helpman.it-authoring.com/viewtop ... box#p56602 on changing it back to the legacy setting, but it doesn't seem work. Now I am getting a Java Script error...so I removed the helpman_settings.js file from my project baggage and it works fine again - but I am back to the lightbox overlay graphics.

*I am NOT using a special skin.
*I am compiling to HTML help (chm)

Please help! I do not want to have to go back and reset all of my help graphics in every system written.

Thanks.
Cindy @ Trimble
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Tim Green
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Re: HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Cindy,

Before doing anything else, please make sure that you are using the current version of Help & Manual 7. Since this is a new release, updates are going to be released quite frequently in the first period. You can check your installed version with Help > About. The current version is 7.0.5 Build 3681. If you need to update you can download the latest installer from

http://www.helpandmanual.com/downloads.html?upd

Just install on top of your current version to update.

Did you use the tip posted in this topic?

http://helpman.it-authoring.com/viewtop ... 770#p56581

That should generally work. If it doesn't, please mail me a small demo project at support AT ec-software.com (replace the AT with @) and I'll check it for you.

In the long term, it would be better to use the new responsive images for this rather than inline toggles, which can disrupt your layout. Responsive images always stay within the browser window and adjust automatically to the size of the window. You just insert a normal image, set a zoom percentage for it and activate the checkbox for making it relative to the page width (it will be relative to the table cell width if it is in a table. If you set the width to 100% it will expand as far as possible. If you set anything less than 100% it will not expand beyond its own native width -- if you want full size just set the zoom to somewhere between 99.95 and 99.99 percent.

Alternatively you can also use one of the Premium Pack skins. These have an advanced version of the lightbox that initially keeps the image within the window dimensions, with a an overlay zoom button for expanding it to full size if you want.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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ccinocco
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Re: HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by ccinocco »

Thank you for your response.
  • I AM using the most current version. Loaded it a few days ago.
    I did try the suggestion in the tip. I mentioned in my question that I was getting a Java Script error - so I removed the helpman_settings.js from baggage.
    While I understand the reasoning for the change - I am the ONLY technical writer working on 12+ products. Changing every single screenshot within my 20+ help projects is just NOT doable.
    I don't agree with this being forced on us :(
    I may end up having to go back to H&M6 with my current projects - :frustration:
I will try to add the change again - and if I get a Java Script error again, I will strip down my file and send you a sample project.
Cindy @ Trimble
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ccinocco
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Re: HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by ccinocco »

So the answer is...and this is not covered in the tip!

1. Modified the helpman_settings.js as in the tip
2. Added the helpman_settings.js to baggage in my project
3. Saved project
4. Old toggled screenshots work as before (inline)
5. New screenshots added produce Java Script error.
6. Re-added the new screenshots and then re-created the toggle at 50% or whatever is necessary.

Upon re-adding the new screenshot and then recompiling, screenshots toggle inline. This is the step not covered in the tip.

Lightbox would work just fine if the size exceeded the help window frame - unfortunately, we can't expand the help window any further as it would cover up too much of our software window. Some of the screenshots we have in the application that are also in help have a lot of information on them - and allowing expansion only to the size of the help window --- well, people can't see the screen.

At some point, this may be redesigned - but with there being only one person working 12+ products, it will be a while before that happens. I have a new product coming up this winter in Webhelp - perhaps I will try it there.

Thank you again for your suggestion. (The tip should be updated also.)
Cindy @ Trimble
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Re: HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Cindy,

The bottom line is that this hack is a hack. It is really only for making OLD image toggles continue working in the old way until you can get around to updating them to use responsive images or lightbox toggles instead. I'll update the tip to cover what you have found, but I will also need to explain this very clearly. To be able to do this, I need to understand exactly what you did here:
6. Re-added the new screenshots and then re-created the toggle at 50% or whatever is necessary.
Could you explain exactly what you did here? There are a number of different things this might be describing and I need to be sure which it is.
2. Added the helpman_settings.js to baggage in my project
It's really important that you remember that you have done this. Otherwise, somewhere down the line, you are going to change something in your WebHelp settings and then you are going to be sad because the change won't work -- because it is being overwritten by the old settings output file. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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ccinocco
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Re: HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by ccinocco »

Tim,

Thanks for the response - and I realize it's a hack. Anytime you manually modify a settings file from the default, it's a hack. I am still not happy that the lightbox is being forced. It just doesn't work in some programs. Because of this, I will most likely be removing a lot of screenshots from my help systems. While we can hack it now, in the future, that may not be the case.

This is the first project I've worked on in H&M7. I added three new screenshots to illustrate a big new/modified feature. This is how I discovered the lightbox issue. My program has screens with LOTS of data/grids - so when the lightbox overlay comes up, the screenshots were not legible (due to the size limitation based on window size). I found the tip about the helpman_settings.js file.

FIRST TRY:
I changed the overlay setting to FALSE as suggested in the tip. (var hmImageLightbox = false;)
I saved the js file in one of my project folders (already in my project search path).
I added the js file to my project baggage.
I compiled the help file...and then clicked on the newly added graphics/toggle and got a Java Script error.
I checked previously added graphics (added prior to H&M7) and they worked perfectly.

NEXT STEPS TO FIX/FIGURE IT OUT:
I deleted the newly added graphic toggles,
I added the graphic again and reset the toggle.
I recompiled the project and all toggles work now (no script error).

SO it all works - but before you can add new toggles, the modified helpman_settings.js MUST be resident in the project with the "false" setting prior to adding new graphic toggles. That's the step missing in the tip.

Any more questions, let me know.
Cindy @ Trimble
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Tim Green
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Re: HTML Help - Forced lightbox overlay for toggled graphics

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Cindy,

Thanks for clarifying this. I'll update the tip right away. :)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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