Calling a specific webhelp topic doesn't work on some pcs

Forum|Forum|15 years ago
April 27, 2011
2 replies
515 views

Users press F1 to get help on a specific page in our app. The calls are implemented as absolute paths using file:///path/main_help.htm#topic.htm. (This method is described in Peter Grainge's site: http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_webhelp/using_urls.htm.)

WebHelp

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C

carolhobzAuthor

Participating Frequently

It seems that part of my post didn't make it. Here is the rest:

On some PCs, the help displays the main help topic, instead of the topic specific to the page called from. It seems that everything starting with # gets stripped off. It doesn't seem to matter what OS or browser is used. So, help does open, but it doesn't open the topic that was called.

Peter Grainge

Community Expert

There has to be something common about the PCs where the call fails. Calling help cannot work in a random way.

Is the help already open when the second call fails?

The call suggests the help is installed locally rather than on a server. If the help is on a server, then the

file:///

prefix is wrong. That said I would have thought the result is it would fail for everyone.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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C

carolhobzAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thanks, Peter. Yes, the help is installed locally. I think you are saying that file:/// is correct for local help. Is that correct?

The engineers have ruled out operating system and browser type as possible differences among systems. Do you have any suggestions for other things they should check for?

thanks,

Carol

RoboColum_n_

Legend

The fact that you are using absolute paths and that it works on some PCs would indicate that you are using a mapped drive and that some PCs may have their mapped drives mapped differently.