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I am having some weird "hide navigation component" function suddenly show up in the top-right side of some of the pages I worked on. I did not put it there, and when I looked into the pages that have this, I cannot tell if there's anything different (any extra html tags) from pages that don't have this. Does anyone know how to get rid of this? This is creating problems for 508-compliancy. Thank you.
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That really is a screen shot.
It looks like the topic has been opened with a direct URL so that only the topic is shown without the TOC etc.
If you open the help via index.htm and select a topic, you should not see the Hide message.
If this happens when developers call the help, it is their call that needs to be fixed. There is some help on my site about calling help with links to other information.
See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.
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Hi Peter. Actually...if I select the topic from within the index, the "hide nav" thing-y still shows up
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I am not sure we are at one. When I said open the help from index.htm I meant for you to go to your local copy of the help and double click that file. The way you describe it I am wondering if you have looked at the problem after your help has been opened from the software.
See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.
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Hi Peter. This is what I had done: After noticing the issue, I went to the local copy of the help, I navigated to different topics, then went back to the topics where the "hide nav" thing shows up. When I open the help file from the index it is still there.
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Hi there
Perhaps a different perspective may help?
From the initial image, it would appear that this topic is being presented from within either the WebHelp frameset or with the full Responsive HTML 5 "skin" showing. I say this because I see the "Search" above the page area.
So, for starters, what is your actual output type? Responsive HTML 5? WebHelp? Something else?
There appears to be some confusion about the "index" word. As Peter indicated, when you generate an output, typically there is a single file named "index.htm" that opens the generated help system.
Once the help system is opened and loads up, there is a feature known as an "index" that may be opened where your end user types keywords and topics linked to those keywords appear.
So when you say "Index", which of these scenarios are you describing?
Perhaps the answers to those questions will better help identify the issues you are seeing.
Cheers... Rick
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Hi Rick. Thanks for assisting. The output is WebHelp. As for the "index," I am referring to this scenario: Once the help system is opened and loads up, there is a feature known as an "index" that may be opened where your end user types keywords and topics linked to those keywords appear.
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Okay, next question.
Does this happen for any topic opened via the Index? Or only specific topics?
And when those topics open, does the Index perform a disappearing act and force you to click the Index button in the main toolbar to see it again?
Cheers... Rick
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Hi Rick.
This seems to happen only on topics I performed work on through Robohelp. Topics I have never touched don't seem to have this issue. When the topics on which this pops up open, the Index does not disappear automatically, only when I click the "hide nav" thing-y.
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When you look at these topics in RoboHelp, do you see red squares in the editor?
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Sorry, what red squares in what editor?
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When you have RoboHelp open and you are changing the words and suchlike in these topics, that is the RoboHelp editor. Sometimes you will see little red squares mingled with your text as well as at the top and the bottom of the topic.
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Ok, tomorrow at work, I'll look for these red squares. What do these red squares signify?
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Here's the deal. When WebHelp is generated, all kinds of different references to JavaScript are added to each of the topics that end up in the WebHelp. Those output files are substantially different than the source files they came from.
One of the more common things we have seen over the years is that authors will manage to overwrite one or more of their source files with output files. And when that happens, the source code is no longer "clean". And when that happens, you normally see the little red squares in your topics as you edit. The little red squares indicate scripts embedded in the code. The presence of this code can cause lots of odd behavior.
So there you have it. I suppose we will learn more about this mystery tomorrow!
Cheers... Rick
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Rick, thanks for the explanation. I'll check for these squares tomorrow. Will they be in within the RoboHelp editor pages, or in the HTML?
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So, it's been a few days. Did you manage to sort it?
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Not yet as of this time. The one thing I determined was that the issue is not in Robohelp HTML code itself, but, maybe, in the deployed output help file. One of the developers I work with has agreed to look at a file and try to diagnose the issue, and he's still doing it.