Participant

Question

Blank Browser Window displaying along with Help Topic

Forum|Forum|17 years ago
February 27, 2009
13 replies
8926 views

Hi. I have recently started using RoboHelp 8 and using the WebHelp Single Source Layout option, generated help to be deployed in an Oracle Application. I found that when a help topic is called from the Application, a blank browser window opens along with it. The project I used was created in an older version of RoboHelp (4x) and imported into RoboHelp 8. In order to rule out the possibility of errors during the conversion of 4x help files into 8, I created a new project in RoboHelp 8 and encountered the same problem when these help files were deployed to the Oracle Application. Does anyone know why this blank browser window displays along with the help file? Is there some way of getting around the problem?

HTML

This topic has been closed for replies.

A

av_gchale

Known Participant

First of all, I apologize for replying to a post that has not seen any recent activity. The WebHelp for one of the applications I support is experiencing the same problem described in this post. I only recently learned of the problem (I'm new to the company) and was asked to research it. I am currently running RoboHelp version 8.0.2.208.

In reading the replies to this post, it was unclear whether this problem has been fixed in a later version of RoboHelp. Does anyone know whether the problem has been fixed?

On a side note, I implemented the fix Derek Price suggested to see if it would provide an immediate, if temporary, resolution. Derek's fix did resolve the problem for our application's main help topics, but it did not resolve the problem for our application's field-level help topics. What is the difference between the application's main help topics and field-level help topics?

A main help topic is opened by clicking a Help button located at the top of the application. A main topic includes the left navigation pane (for displaying the TOC, index, and search tool).

A field-level help topic is opened by clicking a question mark next to a field on an application form. A field-level help topic does not include the left navigation pane or the top menu that appears in a main help topic.

I appreciate the feedback.

Sincerely,

George

Jeff_Coatsworth

Community Expert

First I would make sure that you're current on RH8 updates (I don't know what the latest 8 level is these days). Next, it sounds like there were issues when people played with the launcher code that RH provides. I would be tempted to make sure that you're running the "factory" version of this csh api caller. Have you regenerated your help since this issue was brought to your attention? It may already be fixed & you just don't know it yet.

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av_gchale

Known Participant

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your reply. I believe we are current on our RH8 updates, but I will check. I am more suspicious of the of the csh api caller. I am trying to arrange time with a developer to determine how our application calls our help topics, as I wonder if we calling it using some off-the-wall method. I regenerate our help several times a month (we have different environments for production and testing). I tested the fix Derek Price had recommended, but his fix worked only for the application's main topics. His fix did not work for the application's field-level help topics.

Thanks!

George

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kimcramer42

Known Participant

With Adobe's help, I fixed the problem with the blank second window. It turns out that a developer had commented out some code in the RoboHelp_CSH.js file AND we were not using the most current version of the file. The developers replaced the file they were using with the one sent by Adobe. After generating and delivering the Help with the next build, the problem was gone. Yay!

Kim

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kimcramer42

Known Participant

I finally had the chance to test my WebHelp generated from RH9 and the blank window still displays when Help is called from our application. Looks like this bug was not fixed in RH9. This will not make my mgmt happy. I'm going to report it (again) as a bug and hope it gets fixed this time.

Kim

Willam van Weelden

Inspiring

Hi,

I haven't seen this thread before, but you can turn of this behaviour by modifying the CSH call from your application. When you add the parameter newwnd=false to the URL, for instance: http://www.example.com/startpage.htm#<id=1>>newwnd=false.

See http://www.wvanweelden.eu/robohelp/webhelp/csh for a more thorough overview. (Look for the default method.)

I just tested a bit on RoboHelp 8 today and it seems that this parameter does not work correctly if you use windows. There are two workarounds I can think of. I added those to the article this afternoon.

Greet,

Willam

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Anonymous

Did we find any solution this problem as it doesn't seem to be fixed with RoboHelp9 as well.

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Kathleen_PintoAuthor

Participant

Not that I know of. Still looking for a solution.

D

Derek_Price1

Participating Frequently

*Please note that what Derek posted below is a proposed solution to the issue.

I think I am using RH8 from before the 8.0.1 patch, but the 8.0.1 patch is incomplete. I ended up removing all these lines from whcsh_home.htm, and passing the option string to the last call to window.open. This works with IE6, IE7, & IE8:

                    if(gbIE5)
                     {
//                        var curWnd = null;
//                        curWnd = window.open("about:blank",sNewName,strOpt);
//                        if(curWnd)
//                        {
//                            curWnd.document.location.href = "about:blank";
//                        }
                         goNewWnd=window.open(sURL,sNewName,strOpt);
                     }

Derek

Message was edited by: Captiv8r - Added a clarification note to the post.

Captiv8r

Legend

Welcome to our community, Derek

Please take a moment and read through the "Before you post" topic. I see you posted the same question three different times. Twice in another thread and once in this one. I've removed two of those leaving behind this one.

You may read the Before you post by clicking here.

Best of luck to you in finding a solution to the issue.

Cheers... Rick

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Participating Frequently

Hi Rick,

That isn't much of a welcome. I had posted a solution, not a question, which is why I thought it might be worthwhile to add it to all three threads where I found incomplete solutions to the problem or only questions. If you could go back and add at least a link to this thread from the threads where I posted the solution you deleted, you might help others with this same problem. There appear to be quite a few. I already spent some of my valuable time notating those threads and I don't have time to do it again.

Thanks!

Derek

K

Kathleen_PintoAuthor

Participant

Hi. I posted the questi

on about a blank window displaying along with the browser window. I appreciate all the helpful suggestions extended in trying to solve this issue, but my problem still exists. Has anyone encountered this problem with RoboHelp 8x and if so, is there a solution to this?

Peter Grainge

Community Expert

Kathleen

Are you saying you have left this for a year without resolving it? Problem now is the link to the topic with a solution is pointing to the old forums so I cannot read what was said there. I've tried searching but the forums are so slow today that I cannot track that post. I need to do that to see why my site doesn't seem to have the promised fix. Maybe Adobe created a Technote instead.

Do you have a working link to the other topic?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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K

Kathleen_PintoAuthor

Participant

Hi.

My company had purchased RoboHelp 8 about a year ago and had encountered

this problem but I seem to have drawn a blank on every attempt I have made

to solve it. Someone finally concluded that it was a bug in RH8. This bug

was said to have been fixed in an update, but as far as I can see, it still

exists. I have included some screenshots in the attached Word document that

explains the same problem. I do hope you can help me with it.

Thanks.

Kathleen

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Anonymous

The window.close statement is something that works up through RH7, so I threw it out as a possibility for working in RH8. However, because I can't find the if(curWnd) code in RH7 files, enough must have changed between those two versions that the window.close statement has different results in RH8. That's good for me to know about, so I appreciate your trying it.

The only thing I could suggest is to verify that the statement is in the right place in whcsh_home.htm.

The strangest thing for me is that I have this extra window problem in one CSH project but not in another. I have no idea what the difference is.

Peter Grainge

Community Expert

I cannot help you on the code but this site will allow you to upload images, then you can post the links here.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/

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K

Kathleen_PintoAuthor

Participant

Hi. I'm back again. Thank you for the suggestions. The file in question is whcsh_home.htm that was singled out as the file responsible for calling up a help file from an application.

Using the statement: window.setTimeout("self.close()", 5000); I found that both windows (the blank window as well as the help window) close simultaneously.

I had commented the following code as mentioned in Vivek's thread (displayed at the end of this message) but encountered a syntax error message.

I wish I could attach screenshots of the error messages encountered, in this reply. I'm looking forward to more suggestions towards a solution and appreciate all the help extended so far. Thanks.

Peter Grainge

Community Expert

Please see the other thread.

http://forums.adobe.com/message/1046329#1046329

Adobe has posted instructions and I will be uploading a file to my site over the weekend.

Message was edited by Peter Grainge 4th May 2010 to correct the link and add that the missing file can be found at Item 1 on http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/rh8/using_rh8.htm

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