Context Sensitive WebHelp

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

Moderators: Alexander Halser, Tim Green

Post Reply
ramya nair
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:55 am

Context Sensitive WebHelp

Unread post by ramya nair »

My output type is in WebHelp format. The Help link is already integrated to the product application and it is working fine. Now I have to create context sensitive help. As an author, what are the steps I have to follow and what files will the Developer require from me for context based Help.

Things I have done:
  • All the topics have topic IDs in the format as - Registering-subjects-to-XXX. Should I remove the Hyphen??
  • Generate topic ID list from Report tool. Short Report > Sort by Topic IDs. Is there a way to exclude topic id from the list for which I don't want to have context help.
  • Is the next step is to hand over the topic ID list file to the Programmer and they will handle it or I missed any step.
Also, is it possible to have Help link in dialog boxes. For example, while creating a record, a dialog box opens in the application, then the Help link on the application header is not accessible.

Thanks,
Ramya
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: Context Sensitive WebHelp

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Ramya,

If you're using WebHelp your help must be deployed on a web server. Then your context links to your topics are regular URLs, which your programmers must write like links to any normal web page. The HTML filename is the topic ID in all lower case letters, plus .htm or .html, depending on what you have set in Configuration > Publishing Options > WebHelp > HTML Export Options. So if your topic has the ID Registering-subjects-to-XXX, the HTML file will be registering-subjects-to-XXX.htm (dashes are preserved).

The actual URL you need to use depends on the skin you are using. With all standard skins it will be:

<path>/index.html?registering-subjects-to-XXX.htm

With the V3 and V4 skins in the Premium Pack it is just:

<path>/registering-subjects-to-XXX.html

where <path> is the domain and address of your WebHelp on the server, including the http:// or https:// prefix.
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.
ramya nair
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:55 am

Re: Context Sensitive WebHelp

Unread post by ramya nair »

Hello Tim,

I have generated the topic ID list from Report tool. The file opened in a browser. How do I share with it with a Developer?
Isn't there a way to save the file in notepad?

TiA,

Ramya
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: Context Sensitive WebHelp

Unread post by Tim Green »

ramya nair wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 7:17 am I have generated the topic ID list from Report tool. The file opened in a browser. How do I share with it with a Developer?
Isn't there a way to save the file in notepad?
The HTML file generated by the Report tool is self-contained. Just save it in your browser as an HTML file (right-click and Save As...) and distribute that. It can then be opened in a browser by double-clicking on it.
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.
Post Reply