WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Please post all questions and comments regarding Help & Manual 7 here.

Moderators: Alexander Halser, Tim Green

Post Reply
Petra Metz
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:39 am

WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Petra Metz »

Hi,
I have a question.
I have created a WebHelp and when I open it locally with Firefox and Chrome, the topics are collapsable and expandable. But I placed it on a server for my colleagues to access it. And from here the help opens with all topics expanded and they cannot be collapsed. This is with Firefox and Chrome. From the server, when I open the help in Internet Explorer, it works fine.

Do you have an idea why this happens?

Thanks, Petra
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23155
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Petra,

That is actually the opposite of what you would normally expect. Modern browsers block a lot of things in complex pages like WebHelp when you open locally without a web server, for security reasons, but allow normal operation when they're on a server. If you press F12 to open the JavaScript console you will probably see a lot of errors.

My guess is that you're using an old or damaged skin that isn't compatible with the current Help+Manual HTML output. I would recommend just publishing with a fresh copy of a current skin taken from the \Templates\HTML Skins\ folder in the Help+Manual program directory. Use it first without any modifications at all, for testing. And before you do that make sure that you're using the latest build of Help+Manual 7, which is 7.5.2 Build 4717.
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.
Petra Metz
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:39 am

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Petra Metz »

Hi Tim,
thanks four your answer and help.

I am using a newer skin, at least I think so. And I have updated to the latest version.

I have altered the skin to fit our needs and I have added my own icons for the books and topics. I also made sure that the icons are added to the baggage file.

I have to admit, my first problem description is not quite accurate. When I publish the web help and it is opened in the browser right after publishing it, my topics are expandable and collapsable. But when I close the file and reopen it either local or from a server, the topics are all expanded and cannot be collapsed.

Another thing I have observed.
When I open the html file from the server in Internet Explorer it works. It doesn't work here with Firefox and Chrome.
When I open the hmtl file locally in Internet Explorer, the topics are again all expanded and not collapsable. The same for Firefox and Chrome.
So only on the server in Internet Explorer it works fine.
When I choose from the context menu the option Open with and select Edge, it works fine.

And I'm quite convinced that I managed to publish the web help before and the topics expanded and collapsed alright. Could this be a problem with some browser updates?

Any other idea what could cause this behaviour?

Thanks, Petra
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23155
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Petra,

That all sounds very much like scripting errors, most likely caused by mistakes made when you were customizing the skin. Press F12 while browsing to open the JavaScript console of the browser and make sure that the Console tab there is activated. You will most likely see errors. Then try an unedited skin and you should find that everything works correctly.

It's very easy to cause errors like this when customizing source code -- for example by removing or changing elements that scripts in the skin expect to be present so that they can manipulate them. The only way to customize a skin without such errors is to do so one step at a time and test carefully after each change. Then you know which change caused the error. :)
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.
Petra Metz
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:39 am

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Petra Metz »

Hi Tim,
of course you are right. There are errors shown in the console.

I published the help using a different skin and again, after reopening the web help, the navigation is expanded and cannot be collapsed.

I uploaded you a screenshot - Console_Error_Message.png. This are the messages I get after using a blank Help & Manual skin.

I uploaded another screenshot of the console error messages for my skin - Console_Error_Message_SIVIS.png

And I uploaded you a screenshot that my colleague took of his console error message of the same SIVIS file - Console_Error_Message_SIVIS_Developer.png

Do you have another tipp for me what I need to check or maybe correct?

Thank you very much for your time. Petra
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23155
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Petra,

The solution here is simple: You are opening the HTML files locally, not on a web server. They may be in the server's directory, but you are opening them as local files. That is shown by the file:/// protocol at the beginning of the URL. In this situation, these errors are normal, because you need to be accessing the WebHelp on a web server (thus the name "web"... 8) ).

You need to find the correct address of your web server and the WebHelp folder on the server and use that as the URL, with the http:// or https:// protocol at the beginning. For example, the address of the Help+Manual online WebHelp is helpandmanual.com/help/index.html, so to access it you use:

https://helpandmanual.com/help/index.html
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.
Christian Kessner
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:07 am

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Christian Kessner »

Hello Tim,

I just ran in the same (or very similar) situation. My errors are:

SecurityError: Permission denied to access property "hmNavigationFrame" on cross-origin object hmcontent.html:57
SecurityError: Permission denied to access property "hmNavigationFrame" on cross-origin object helpman_topicinit.js:19
SecurityError: Permission denied to access property "hmNavigationFrame" on cross-origin object hmcontent.html:46

We always had our web help locally since we deliver it with our software product. I just tested this on an older version of Firefox (namely 60) and it works there. Could it be that some setting has to be made in Firefox to allow this? Or maybe something different in the skin?
Christian Kessner
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:07 am

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Christian Kessner »

Hi Tim,

found a workaround for me: In about:config I had to set privacy.file_unique_origin to FALSE for the problem to go away.
Would be nice if we could do something on our side, though, so users won't have this problem.
User avatar
Martin Wynne
Posts: 2656
Joined: Mon May 12, 2003 3:21 pm
Location: West of the Severn, UK

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Christian Kessner wrote:We always had our web help locally since we deliver it with our software product.
Hi Christian,

Does it work when displayed from within H&M after publishing?

If so, you need to include with your software product the HM2GO mini web server utility which EC Software provide free for the purpose.

You can find it at: C:\Program Files (x86)\EC Software\HelpAndManual7\HM2GO.EXE

cheers,

Martin.
Christian Kessner
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:07 am

Re: WebHelp - Topics not collapsable in Firefox and Chrome

Unread post by Christian Kessner »

Yes, that works!
We will look into it, thank you.
Post Reply