Context Sensitive Help in RH Classic 2019 for C++ developed app

[TatuMbili]

Hello and TIA to all,

We have an already developed internet-based application. I write the Help documentation in RH Classic 2019 and know nothing about C++/JS/other languages used. Our developers are looking to add a tip or help link to specific items in our window. I thought of context sensitive help in RH and have been researching it for about a week. I don't want to link these tips to our online WebHelp, they just want small popup windows with content in them. Am I right in concluding I should be creating a new project with each topic being the text for each popup, then go through the process to create the Map IDs and the .h file and publish it and finally, giving them the entire generated folder, the .h file and the Map IDs so that those files can be hosted with our application? If I'm not correct, please let me know what it is I'm supposed to give to the developers aside from the Map ID file and where this context-only published Help should then be placed.

I've relied heavily on Peter Grainge's info as well as https://www.helpessentials.com/2017/08/07/context-sensitivity-in-webhelp-and-flashhelp/ but for some reason can't wrap my head around this particular piece, especially as Mr. Grainge refers to the developer only needing the compiled CHM but I'm not using CHM, I'm using WebHelp :-(.

Again, thanks.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

If this is nothing but text that will pop up just like tooltips, it seems to me that you would be kind of "out of the picture" and the developers would simply code it themselves where they edit the application code.

[TatuMbili]

We'd like it to include the header and footer for the app as well, which I've put in a master page.

[Peter Grainge]

You say you have relied on my info. I have published quite a bit so which particular piece of information are you referring to?

[TatuMbili]

Pages for Calling CHMs and Calling Context Sensitive Help.

[Peter Grainge]

There are two topics on my site about calling help. The main topic is http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_help/calling_help.htm and that was a new topic recently. Check the Revisions at the bottom. The date you see should be 12 Aug 2019.

That has a link to an older topic where I do refer to the developer only needing the compiled CHM but that topic is exclusively about CHMs so it would say "refers to the developer only needing the compiled CHM".

Additionally you want popups that don't link to the webhelp so none of it is relevant to what you want. MapIDs and the other forms of calling help all open the help at a specific topic.

There used to be popup text but it was just that, text with no formatting or header/footer. As far as I recall it died years ago because it was a pain to implement and, rather more importantly, it wasn't liked.

If your developers insist on a text box not related to the help, they need to create a home brewed solution. I would be explaining that to them and selling the idea of using context sensitive calls to your webhelp. They will probably warm to the idea faced with the alternative. 🙂

[TatuMbili]

Hello Peter and thank you. I had clicked on the Calling CHMs link http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_webhelp/calling_chms.htm on the link you have above and got a 404 error.

Don't think I was clear. They just want a few small pages with some explanatory text about an item, like a Tip, rather than the full page I have in my Help. In addition, we want our logo in the header of the popup and a footer as well. I think I've figured out how to do that but it means that in setting up the CSH Test in the Toolbox, I can't specify a Window under Options or I get a full RH Help window including the Main and Nav Bar and I don't want that. It works the way I (and they) want it though and that's all that matters. 

Thanks for your help.

[Peter Grainge]

Try F5 refresh. There was an issue but I fixed it hours ago and the link in the main topic is working.