FM 14.0.1.406 Help not working

[K.Daube]

I have just discovered - is it only on my system? - that F1 (Help > Help Topics…) does not do anything.

This is an installation from the TCS6-suite with a registration key lasting until november 2017 + the update.

Previously I had the last beta-version installed (which was the same as the published: 14.0.0.361 - just no ReadMe file available) + update.

I had not checked then, so I can not say, that there was no problem with Help.

My system is W7 x64

Can this problem be confirmed by others?

Klaus Daube

[Barb Binder]

F1 is working as expected for me Klaus. (FM 14.0.1.406, TCS6, Win 10)

~Barb

[K.Daube]

Hi Barb,

In contrast to my other very nasty problem (https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2346713) the Windows restore did not help for this problem. F1 still does nothing. Also Help > Help Topics still does nothing.

I also have FM 14.0.1.406, TCS6, but on Win7 x64

[Stefan-Gentz]

Works for me here as well as expected (14.0.1).

You do have Internet Explorer 11 installed?

Have you checked if your Firewall or AV are blocking FM?

[K.Daube]

Stefan,

I have installed ie 11.0.9600.18697

Firewall blocking FM?

Never had a problem from any other FM than FM-14 looking for the help files on the net.

There is quite a chain: Cable modem > Router > pc/laptop via ethernet and/or LAN > Windows Firewall / ESET Nod32 Antivirus

IE reports at each start: "Your current security settings put your computer at risk". I have Secutiy level for zone All: medium.

And there are these trusted sites: http://www.adobe.com and https://forums.adobe.com due to other problems. I will add http://help.adobe.com and look what happens (need propably to restart Windows).

Windows Firewall is set to notify if a new pgm is blocked (both realms), so I should get a message if FM is affected.

Update after Windows reboot:

• Additional trusted site has no positive effect (Help still not working).
• Switching off the network and then pressing F1 opens the chm help - as expected.
• Using any of the links in this CHM file (secion Appendix > Additional resoureces) does not create any problem.
• Opening help.adobe.com directly in IE does not create any problem.

[K.Daube]

I definetely have no luck with this!

Even after re-installing FM-14 and updating 1 and 2 without .NET 4.7 (due to the CTRL+0 problem - see https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2346713).

The .NET situationis now this:

.NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2  ver: 2.0.50727.5420
.NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 2  ver: 3.0.30729.5420
.NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1  ver: 3.5.30729.5420
.NET Framework 4.6.2  ver: 4.6.01590
I have alrady described th security stuff.

Does anyone know how the help command really works?

Obviosly it not a simple hypertext command. Commands like the following work as intended.

<Command DDD_site    <Label Open D+DD website>
  <Hypertext message URL http://daube.ch/docu/fmaker00.html>>
<Add DDD_site                          <Menu ETBmenu>>

If I don't get it working, I will simply replace the help command in the menu by an appropriate hypertext command.

[K.Daube]

More research on this subject…

No such problem in FM-13 - even after the Windows update debacle.

In both FM-13.0.5.547 and FM-14.0.xx there is a file $HOME\HelpCfg.ini which points to the online help file:

    <OnlineUrl>http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/vvvv/using/index.html</OnlineUrl>
with vvvv being 2015 or 2017.

The contents of this file is used in the display of Help > Help Topics… in the 5th icon (dorpdown Help Center).

But in FM-14 (aka 2017) this is not opened - maybe due to the product ID, wich in both files (FM-13, FM-14) is

    <ProductID>ADBEAAAA-1234-9876-EEEE-FAFAADBEEDBA</ProductID>

Is the product ID independent of the release?

Has it any influence in this situation?

Does FM-14 Help not use the file HelpCfg.ini ?

What is the execution path from Help > Help Topics… to the help file?

Something on this path obviously is broken in my FM-14 installation.

Klaus

[Stefan-Gentz]

Hi Klaus,

can you please try to test, if it also happens, when FM 2017 is installed in the directory where it should be installed?

That is, "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker 2017\".

I have just tested it and renamed the "Adobe FrameMaker 2017" folder to "Adobe FrameMaker 2017 - Test". Et voilà - now it doesn't work anymore.

[K.Daube]

Hi Stefan,

Although beeing now an expert in un-installing and installing FM-14 I have no luck with it concerning Help.

Application is installed in C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker 2017\FrameMaker.exe

It runs as expected, but help still does not work.

Running the $HOME\helpviewer.exe directly opens the help file as expected (that was also the case before in the  "H:\Adobe\FrameMaker.14en\Adobe FrameMaker 2017\FrameMaker.exe" installation).

Restart Windows (one never knows…) and ...

No change - Help not working in 14.0.0.361

BTW: even if it would work when installed on C: - this is not an option for me: all Adobe- and other apps are on H (since Windows 95).

Update 1:

Same thing, Help not working in 14.0.1.406

Update 2:

Same thing, Help not working in 14.0.2.425

Is there a registry key involved?

Klaus

Update:

Until we find something useful I will re-install in H: I hate to have everything on the same partition - it's tough enough that the user area can not be moved to another disk(partition).

[K.Daube]

I have done the following test in FM-14.0.2.425:

1. Rename Helpviewer.exe to !_Helpviewer.exe => Help > Help Topics creates error message "pgm not found".
2. Hence it clear that the command works correctly.
3. Double clicking on the renamed file: Helpviewer opens the relevant web-page and displays the User Guide for FM-14.
4. Hence the program works correctly (as already stated earlyer).
5. Copy Helpviewer.exe from the Fm-13 installation to the FM-14 installation and issuing Help > Help Topics: The correct user guide for FM-14 is displayed. This is due to the helpviewer.ini .

It's a mystery why the standard way does not work.

The file versions reported are 1 behind for both: HV-13: 12.0.4.452; HV-14: 13.0.0.257.

There must be differences between HV-13 and HV-14. The program files are 88'808 (HV-13) and 90'248 (HV-14) bytes long. But I have not found the difference, because I can not see the program code in ResHacker, just the resources which are identical.

Hence for the time being I stay with the copied version from FM-13 and watch the future.