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T
tspaul
Inspiring
October 6, 2009
Question

Twisty problem in Firefox

  • October 6, 2009
  • 1 reply
  • 3758 views

This issue is related to one I posted in July here (http://forums.adobe.com/message/2098638#2098638), but since the solution that worked then isn't working now (clearing the cache), I think something else is going on here.

We have recently converted from RoboHelp X5 to RoboHelp 8. We have been using the manual method on http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/twisty/twisty.htm to create twisties in RoboHelp X5. In some cases, we would like to continue using this method rather than applying twisty graphics to the style so that not all drop-down text is using the twisty graphics.

However, when we use this method to create twisties and generate the WebHelp output from RoboHelp 8, the twisties do not work in Firefox on Windows. (I have not tested Mac yet.) When I open the error console, I see a message like this:

Error: dropdown1 is not defined
Source File: file:///C:/Terri%20STAR%20Math%20Help%20Files/SM/ehlpdhtm.js
Line: 2978

Note that it appears to be looking for a definition in the ehlpdhtm.js file. I have verified the following:

-The twisty.js is listed as s source in the header of the topic.

-All code that we added manually matches what we saw on the grainge site cited above.

-Where there are multiple twisties in the topic, I make sure the dropdown numbers are different in both places.

-The twisty.js file is being included in the generated WebHelp folder.

The twisty graphics change, but the drop-down text does not appear.

Any ideas? Peter, if you're available, I'd really like your input.

Tammy

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Peter GraingeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 6, 2009

I am dealing with problems of my own right now. Please set up a new project and see how it works there, then post back.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

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T
tspaulAuthor
Inspiring
October 7, 2009

I have tried this in a brand new clean project created in RoboHelp 8, and the twisty still does not work in Firefox 3.0x or Firefox 3.5x on either Windows or Mac. The graphic changes when the link is clicked, but the drop-down text does not appear. Once again I made sure that the open twisty graphic was in the Baggage folder along with twisty.js, and both are included in generated WebHelp folder.

I can only conclude that this method of creating Twisties will not work in Firefox if created in RoboHelp 8. The error that I see in the Firefox Error Console is still the one I mentioned in my original post yesterday.

I compared the TextPopup functions in the old (X5) and new (RH8) ehlpdhtm.js files (noting that the functions had different names), and I see that the coding has changed in the RH8 function. Perhaps something in the new TextPopup function makes the twisty.js coding incompatible with it.

It looks to me like I will need to recommend to my writers that if they want to use Twisty graphics, they will need to apply them to the Drop-down Text style in RoboHelp. (Some of them were reluctant to do that because they didn't want all cases of drop-down text to use twisty graphics.)

Tammy

A
Anonymous
February 18, 2010

When you say "that one, which one are you referring to? Your version can only work in RH8 as it relies on the TwistyImage function in RH8, or that was my understanding. Your version is working fine in the browsers I have tested.

Where I had fun and games was that when I tested Friday night, "my" old version still worked in RH8. On Saturday it was dead as you found. Nothing would get it working again although bizarrely at one point it failed on two dropdowns in a topic but worked on a third. Unfortunately I didn't save the code there and could not get it to happen again.

Where I am now is that your twisty method is good for RH8 and an old script from Jesse Brossard is working fine to produce show / hide functionality from RH8 with dropdowns that do not have twisties. The missing bit is a script that will enable Show All / Hide All that works with your twisty method. Then for RH8 we would have all the permutations covered. I tried combining the two but in the test topic the individual dropdowns work fine until the Show / Hide script is run, then they work but the twisties stop twisting! Grrr!

For earlier versions of RH, the old methods can be used except none work in Firefox.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Follow me @petergrainge


Yes Peter,

I can confirm that with RH 8 you can use the "original" Twisty method with the single-button ShowHide script works fine under IE, Firefox, and Google Chrome.

Unfortunately the only twisty method that currently works in AIR is TS Paul's method, for which there is no corresponding working ShowHide implementation.

I don't know if this is going off-topic, does anyone know if there's a way of getting twisties to work with a single button Showhide script so that it works correctly in Adobe AIR format?

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