RH10 and Windows 8 Bug with DHTML

Report · Dec 10, 2012

I reported the following bug today:

Concise problem statement:

All DHTML effects in WebHelp—with the sole exception of drop-down and expanding hotspots—fail to execute on CLEAN Windows 8 systems (upgraded Windows 8 systems from Windows 7 do not seem to be affected), regardless of default browser.

Steps to reproduce bug:

Set up any DHTML effect other than drop-down or expanding.
Save topic and click “View Selected Item”.
The following script error is thrown: “Unable to get property ‘alpha’ of undefined or null reference” — the error points to the ehlpdhtm.js file (in my case, line 4233, char 2).

Results: No DHTML in the WebHelp output execute, with the exception of drop-down and expanding text.

Expected results: DHTML displays as developed (and yes, "Update DHTML effects in topics" was run). It is important to note that all these effects display as expected when run from a Windows 7 machine.

I noticed this after being forced to format and reinstall my system drive, on which I'd previously done an in-place upgrade to Windows 8. There was no issue unitl I'd done a clean install of the OS, implying that something carried over from the Windows 7 setup to prevent the error.

I've tested this against IE10, Firefox, and Chrome with the same results: DHTML effects (such as Fly-in) don't work and, worse, whatever the effect is attached to does not display.

If anyone else is having this issue, it would be good to report it. If anyone has a possible fix or workaround, I'll be glad to be a test monkey.

Thanks!

Report · Nov 22, 2013

I'm having the exact same problem with Robohelp 9 on Windows 7. My error message says: The value of the property "TextPopupInit is null or undefined, not a Function object"

I click Yes to the question "Do you want to continue running scripts on this page" and the page previews fine. I open the page in a web browser, and it also works fine.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Lea

Report · Dec 01, 2013

Lea, I wouldn't hold my breath on this. As you can see, my original bug report was from a year ago and except for one dubious/mostly ineffective "update", Adobe has provided no solution to this or multiple other issues (including, over a year after it was released, Word 2013 compatibility).

Typically, Adobe wil issue an upgrade at value added that may address some issues and leave others in the dust. Sorry.