Rh2022 - on startup of Microsoft HTML help, get "can't reach this page Make sure the web ..." error

[Irene378560618xyx]

I converted classic projects from RH9 to Rh2022, output to run under Windows 10.

When help is started via a call to HtmlHelp that looks like the one below, I get the error as shown in the attached picture "Help not working.png":

hwndHelp = HtmlHelp (hwndParent,  szclHomePath + szclURL + _T(">Main"), HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC, NULL);

where

szclHomePath is c:\cromos 3.0\toolset\Help\C2000Help.chm::/redirect.xhtm#

szclURL is          C2000Help.chm::/C2000_Help_introduction.htm

From a command line, everything is fine if I use this command:

hh.exe ms-its:c:\cromos 3.0\toolset\help\C2000Help.chm::/C2000_help_introduction.htm#Retrieve

From this, I deduce that the problem is something to do with redirect.xhtm.

When I compare the generated chm file from RH9 with the generated file from RH2022, I see that redirect.xhtm is not in the RH2022 file (using BeyondCompare).

The contents of the redirect file are shown in the attached picture  "contents of redirect file.png".

Does anyone have any idea please of how to get the call to htmlhelp work in the way it did in RH9 ?

[Peter Grainge]

The CHM is installed on the user's PC, correct? It's a long time since I worked on CHMs but you just pointing to the CHM should open it to the default topic. Why the redirect?

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

Correct Peter. The chm files (multiple projects) are on the users PC.

The fact is that there are many other places in our system where a user clicks on something and is expecting to see the appropriate help but at the moment gets the error described.

So, in the call to htmlhelp, the only difference in each case is that the name of the .htm file is differenct. 

[Peter Grainge]

It must be something about your call as no one else has reported this problem.

The redirect is to open different topics each time? I don't have an answer so I suggest for this one you need to go to Adobe Support. See https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/enterprise-support.other.html#robohelp for your Adobe Support options. The email link tcssup@adobe.com is recommended as it reaches a team dedicated to Technical Communication Suite products including RoboHelp.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

Thank you Peter. Yes, different files depending on what the user clicks on in our system.

I agree with you that it is something to do with the call.

Actually, I tried Adobe support on the email you suggest but so far I am struggling to get them to understand what the problem is! 

[Peter Grainge]

You say different files. Do you mean different topics in one CHM or different CHMs? If the latter I repeat why the redirect? A call to the filename.chm should be sufficient.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

Well Peter it's like this...,

The name of the htm file inthe call to htmlhelp will be given like this:

C2000Monitorfilepaths.chm::/Monitoring_file_paths.htm

So, yes, we are redirecting to a different chm from the main 'Help' chm in the hundreds and hundred of places the user can click to bring up help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

I have seen a post online that suggests using the test facility in the HTML Help workshop. This is at least something to try.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I think there also is something called MJ's Diagnotic Tools that you can use as well, but you'll have to hunt around for a link to download it.

[Peter Grainge]

There's a link to that at the end of this topic on my site. 

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

I could put in the parameters for call to htmlhelp but the result was the same error about ieframe....

[Peter Grainge]

Just a whole bunch of CHMs or a proper merged CHM setup?

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

Now that is a VERY good question that i don't know how to answer. How can I tell ?

There is a bunch of chm's generated by the projects and I have set the output from these to be the input folder for the final project which is built- C2000Help.

[Peter Grainge]

See the Merged Help topics on my site.

https://www.grainge.org/RoboHelp/Merged_Help/Merged_Help.htm

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

Thanks,will look at that.

[Irene378560618xyx]

Seeing as there is no "mergedProjects" folder, I take it this means that I have a bunch of chm's rather than a 'proper' merged CHM setup.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Yup - which sounds really awkward to deal with - but your calls from the application should be really straightforward if you only try to hit each one separately - no need for any redirect or anything in that situation. 

[Irene378560618xyx]

That is interesting. I'll dig a bit deeper into what happens if I take out the 'redirect' in the parameter to htmlhelp. Got a feeling things won't look right, but we shall see.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I'm still wondering what you're trying to achieve with the redirect - the app launches a separate chm to a specific topic - then what? Are you trying to let them browse around the other chms in the "package" you provide?

[Irene378560618xyx]

Yes, once the specific help is displayed the user can then look around the rest of the help.

[Irene378560618xyx]

I have set the 2nd parameter in the call to HtmlHelp to be the fllowing - missing out the redirect bit:

C:\cromos 3.0\toolset\help\C2000help.chm::/C2000_Help_introduction.htm>Main

rather than 

c:\cromos 3.0\toolset\Help\C2000Help.chm::/redirect.xhtm#C2000Help.chm::/C2000_Help_introduction.htm>Main

I can call up help from one place and then call up help from another place and the 2nd one opens up in another window rather than appearing in the help opened from the first place.

It seems that the redirect is needed unless there is another way of doing this. I must say that I am really no expert in Robohelp, so I struggle with may of the things that are new to me in robohelp.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Ah, so you're using the redirect to place all the launched chms in the same iframe. Not sure who came up with that idea, but you'd probably be better going the merged help route.

[Irene378560618xyx]

This help was devised many years ago by a technical author. Unfortunately, I have inherited it! 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

But doesn't mean that you can't change it to work better! 😂

[Irene378560618xyx]

I might be able to change for the better but I have about 38 projects, so my concern will be how long the changes would take plus time to check that everything is still working.