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April 23, 2009
Question

Index entries w/multiple topics do not show in Chrome/ Safari

  • April 23, 2009
  • 3 replies
  • 2720 views

Hi everyone,

Going crazy trying to get WebHelp working in multiple browsers!!

Index entries with multiple topics do not display the pop-up with the topics listed when using Chrome or Safari.

I'm generating WebHelp using DHTML > Java > Pure HTML

I saw a post saying this was fixed in RoboHelp 7.0.2 but it was not. I am currently using RoboHelp 7.0.3 and Safari 4 Public Beta and Chrome 1.0.154.59 - both downloaded today.

Works fine in IE 6 and 7, and in FF3.0.5.

Anybody have a fix?

Thanks,

Jeanne

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

Inspiring
September 18, 2009

wondering if any one has a fix for this?

I'm now producing 2 versino of our help file. a flash and non-flash version, I was hoping to use the WebHelp as the non-flash version but the problems with Safari are throwing a huge spanner in the works.

The Pure HTML is 'ok' but the Index and Search features are useless......and the DHTML version works well for all other non-flash browsers, just Safari that doesnt like it.

There is basically no work around, no way to get help working on Safari that doesnt have flash. How can there be no support from RH for Mac/Safari users. Surely there is something to be done.....

heeeeeeelp.

thanks

Inspiring
April 6, 2010

Digging up another old thread...

I am generating helps on RH 7.0.2 and the Index entries with multiple topics do not work on Safari 4.0.2, on OS X 10.5.8.

In Pure HTML they are not working either, and Index and Search look too nasty to show anyone.

Any workarounds or anything?

(I also submitted a bug report about this)

April 24, 2009

Hi Peter -

Thanks for your quick reply. I have been using Robohelp since version 3 and I have benefitted greatly from the hints on your site. (I initiated that "Chrome - First Look" discussion).

Just to be clear, the behavior with Safari has been the same for a while as another user noticed the same problem (yellowdogdem 7/30/2008). I am using the latest Safari version on my windows system, but I see the same behavior on my mac with an older version of Safari.

I realize that Adobe is in a tough spot trying to keep up with the ever-changing world of browsers. I was hoping someone had a patch for this since its been a problem for a while.

I wish I had the time / disk space to see if version 8 will fix this and other problems I am seeing in Safari (not so concerned about Chrome at this point, but they do use the same engine, I believe). Does anyone know if there have been changes made to RoboHelp-WebHelp in Version 8 to handle Safari quirks better?

Jeanne

Captiv8r
Legend
April 24, 2009

Hi Jeanne

I'm guessing your report here probably means that WebHelp isn't properly degrading for the Safari users, right?

I might ask if you have tried the "Pure HTML" output. If so, does it work with Safari? My thoughts here are that if that works, Adobe or someone may need to tweak the code so that if Safari is sensed, WebHelp switches into Pure HTML mode of viewing. Assuming that works.

If the Pure HTML option does work, you might work past it using a temporary (and manual) workaround. Just have a link somewhere that is intended for Safari users. Possibly Chrome too. You generate WebHelp twice. Once as DHTML > Pure HTML and again as PureHTML only to a different folder. You then upload both versions to the server. The link for Safari/Chrome would open the Pure HTML version.

Cheers... Rick

April 24, 2009

Hi (Wizard) Rick,

Correct. It is not degrading - I am seeing the same index and search using Safari as I see in IE. It just doesn't function completely in Safari.

The Pure HTML version works on Safari.

So, are you saying that there is no way to get WebHelp using javascript or DHTML working on Safari? That the only option is to switch (either manually or automatically) to a degraded, HTML-only version?

If so, this is unfortunate, since the HTML-only output is not nearly as nice, especially the index, which lists the terms followed by numbers (1, 2, 3... etc.) The big list of generated search terms in the Search pane is not great either (and I hate to think of what this will look like for my Japanese output). I think our product team will be pretty unhappy with this.

This help is being launched from a web-based Flash application and needs to be cross-browser / cross-platform compatible. Should I be using FlashHelp instead? Would this give me a more uniformly-functional result in varied environments?

Thanks,

Jeanne

Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 24, 2009

Those browsers were fixed but Chrome is being developed so may have been broken by subsequent changes. You refer to the Safari beta, that wasn't around when the patches were released.

RoboHelp 8 has new code and should give better compliance. The trial is free so it might be worth trying that with a copy project on a non production machine. On upgrading the code gets changed so you cannot go back to RH7, hence suggesting a copy of the project.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

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