RoboHelp CHM - Disabling menu option in Navigation Pane

Forum|Forum|17 years ago
May 22, 2008
2 replies
2622 views

Dear Forum,

I am using RoboHelp X5.

I am in the process of disabling print options/text selection in a CHM file. On the topics side I got some useful javascripts through this forum (thanks Pete Lees) to disable text selection and disable print screen button option.

However, when you use mouse right click in the Navigation Pane - Content Tab (where the TOC is available) it shows following menu options: Open All, Close All and Print. Is it possible to disable this menu option or at least the Print option? If so how to achieve it. Please give your ideas.

With thanks and regards,
Krishna

HTML

This topic has been closed for replies.

A

Anonymous

This all sounds to me like using duct tape to protect the front entrance to your home, while the front door (with locks) is missing.

Neither CHM nor WebHelp are secure by any means.

If any of your users has only the slightest desire to print your documentation, they will very quickly find a way to do so, using nothing more than Google.

If anything, CHM is more "secure" than WebHelp, because at least its content is "scrambled" inside a single compiled file. In contrast, in WebHelp, its content is free to read by anyone (especially if your file names are obvious).

It just seems like you are spending a lot of time trying to figure out security features, which can be circumvented by novices (albeit those who invest a few minutes with Google, or browsing your files).

If anything, I would stick to CHM.

For CHM, perhaps do not worry so much about disabling the Print menu functionality. Instead, you could disable the print functionality itself. I recall a CSS "media" tag, which you can set to "empty" for "printing". Let me know if you need me to dig this up for you.

P

Pete_Lees

Participating Frequently

Hi again,

I'm pretty certain that this context menu is built into the HTML Help ActiveX control, which is used to implement the Contents pane in the help viewer, and it can't be disabled.

Pete

P

P KrishnaAuthor

Inspiring

Hi Pete,

I was biting my nails and pinning hopes on what the forum is going give me as a solution to this curious issue and seeing your mail I have to accept the fact that there can be no alternative to this!!!! Cant' we touch that Activex Control part at all? There must be some sort file to activate this right? Can't we get into it and modify the contents? Please enlighten!

How about not using the left pane (contents/search) at all and give TOC on our own. Will it be a nice idea to pursue?

With thanks and regards,
Krishna

P

P KrishnaAuthor

Inspiring

Hi,

> Cant' we touch that Activex Control part at all? There must be some sort
> file to activate this right? Can't we get into it and modify the contents?

No, I don't believe so. The requirement to turn off the context menu in the TOC was not anticipated in Microsoft's design of HTML Help, so there is no published way to do so. This is not to say that it is impossible, as a programmer may be able to figure out how to disable the functionality, but I have not seen this documented anywhere.

> How about not using the left pane (contents/search) at all and give TOC
> on our own

Rick Stone describes a way to do this in his Tips and Tricks file, which you can download from this page:

http://www.robowizard.com/RoboWizard/NewProject.htm#Downloads/Tips_and_Tricks.htm

See the topic called "Compiled HTML Help using a skin?".

Pete

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the details given but I can't understand what Rick is trying to tell and further the example link in that page is not working too.

Meanwhile I am thinking: The output CHM file is made of three parts - Navigation pane, Tool bar pane and Topics pane. Everytime a CHM file is created, the topics are embedded to the Navigation Pane and Tool bar pane, so these two panes are predefined somewhere within RoboHelp and there should be a file that defines its properties. Where where where?!!

I am still searching them Pete. So the hide and seek continues with these panes. Only experts like you will be able to unravel it I think.

With thanks and regards,
Krishna

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