Strange selection when using Ctrl+Click on a link

[Greg Smith]

Very often, when writing Help and I Ctrl+click a link to navigate to a new page when the link refers to an anchor, the page appears, but with some seemingly random block of text selected. I have also seen this, sometimes, when the link does not hold an anchor. This has happened for me for years across several versions of H&M, but only today was I triggered enough to tell you (I always assumed that this was so obvious that you would fix it).

What I expect to happen when I use a link with an anchor is for the selection on the page to be at the start of the anchor.

Best wishes, and keep up the good work,
Greg Smith

[Tim Green]

Hi Greg,

This is probably a case of an issue with not enough feedback. I don't use this feature at all myself (it's probably years since I CTRL-Clicked on anything in Help+Manual while writing), and my guess is that our developers probably don't either. I'm passing it on for checking -- thanks for mentioning it.

[Tim Green]

Update: This will be changed in the next major version. Thanks for noticing and reporting it.

[BertholdL]

A similar issue occurs when working with multiple TOC entries for one topic as described here:
https://www.helpandmanual.com/help/hm_w ... tiref.html

I use anchors to jump to the sub-topics. In H&M clicking on a topic entry with anchor brings me to the start of the topic page, no matter where the anchor is placed.

H&M 9.7.1 build 6901

[Tim Green]

I use anchors to jump to the sub-topics. In H&M clicking on a topic entry with anchor brings me to the start of the topic page, no matter where the anchor is placed.

The CTRL-Click for anchors isn't implemented in the TOC. Also, using this structure to create multiple fake topics within a topic is generally not recommended. It's really much better to have every topic be its own file. That will always provide a more logical and manageable structure.

H&M 9.7.1 build 6901

The current version is 9.7.2 Build 6920

[BertholdL]

Dear Tim,

You write:

The CTRL-Click for anchors isn't implemented in the TOC.

Doesn't this change with the promised change in the next major version as well? Does not the TOC behave like other links?

Regards
Berthold

[Tim Green]

Doesn't this change with the promised change in the next major version as well? Does not the TOC behave like other links?

Possibly, I'm not sure but will pass this on as an additional request. However, since creating "fake" topics with anchors in this way is generally not recommended. It's cleaner and more functional for every TOC entry to be a separate file of its own.

[BertholdL]

Now the new major release has been announced. Is this change request contained in it?
Thanks!

[Tim Green]

Now the new major release has been announced. Is this change request contained in it?

Yes, for links in topics but not TOC links to anchors. And lots more, including ChatGPT and the DeepL Write grammar, style and spelling assistant.

[BertholdL]

Thank you for the good news!
Though not entirely ...

Possibly, I'm not sure but will pass this on as an additional request.

I assume the additional request is still pending for implementation.

As for the DeepL integration: To which extent does this work without a DeepL account? Sounds interesting in any case.

Best regards
Berthold

[Tim Green]

As for the DeepL integration: To which extent does this work without a DeepL account? Sounds interesting in any case.

DeepL Write assistant requires a paid DeepL subscription. That's a condition from DeepL that we have no influence on.

[Tim Green]

Greg, Berthold, an Update:

In the release version of Help+Manual X a click on TOC entries with a link to an anchor in Help+Manual itself will now scroll to the anchor in the topic as well. The use of TOC entries like this is generally not recommended, but for those that are there it will probably be useful.

[BertholdL]

Ah, this is great news!
There are cases where I still prefer to have TOC entries for anchors (big topics consisting of many tiny sub-chapters too little to become topics of their own).

Although there might be alternatives, for example a linklist at the top of the topic containing all anchors of the topic. This serves as an adavance organizer almost as well as a TOC entry. Any other suggestions?

[Tim Green]

Although there might be alternatives, for example a linklist at the top of the topic containing all anchors of the topic. This serves as an adavance organizer almost as well as a TOC entry. Any other suggestions?

The Premium Pack skins have this automated with the AutoTOC function. You just need to use a style name suffix for the heading styles you want to be included in the topic's mini TOC.

You can see it in action here in the Help+Manual WebHelp documentation ("Scroll" icon in the topic header):

https://www.helpandmanual.com/help/hm_w ... tyles.html

Note that this is actually a very old version of a Premium Pack skin. Our web manager just keeps using it.

[BertholdL]

That is a nice feature. The headline blinks twice when you klick on it in the Scroll menue. What is the name of the Premium Pack Skin? I hope the new version of it still has the same feature.