RoboHelp 2019 WebHelp: how to set CSH topic to include the show/hide TOC slider

[JaneMarieGibbs]

When using RoboHelp 2019 to generate WebHelp, is it possible to include the show/hide TOC slider in CSH topics that launch via a UI help button?

I have just converted a large RoboHelp 2017 Classic (webHelp) project to RoboHelp 2019.

The first thing I notice: the upgrade did not carry over the Show/Hide TOC button. There was one in each topic.

At first, this seems perfectly fine -- because the new WebHelp output provides a nifty show/hide TOC slider widget in each topic. And, when a user requests Help from the app's Help menu, the starting HTM topic file opens and displays the TOC along with the default topic (as per project settings).

However, once in the web app product, context-sensitive Help topics (that users display by selecting the Help button in the UI) do not include the nifty show/hide TOC slider widget. There is no way for that user to browse through the Help from that CSH topic. The user is confined to that one single topic and to any possible See Also links.

My question: How does one set up RH 2019 to display the show/hide (collapse/expand) TOC widget with each CSH topic? Is it something that needs to be specified in the code for the Help call?  If it is not possible, is there a way to provide a link to the TOC within the Help topic as a possible workaround?

Thank you kindly for your help with this issue

Cheers,
Jane

[Peter Grainge]

Can you please add some screenshots to help further with this?

Is the real requirement to open topics with the ability for the user to then display the TOC etc or would you be OK with the help opening with the TOC already displayed. The latter can be done with the correct call to the help.

My own view is the latter is better as it shows the user there is more and that it can be accessed without them having to start finding how.

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@petergrainge

[JaneMarieGibbs]

Hello again, Peter!

Ideally, we wanted the topic to open with the TOC closed but available for opening, as it was in RoboHelp 2017 (we had a Show/Hide button in the top right corner of the CSH topics..

However, since that feature seems not to be available, the latter option is best so that the user can see all the help topics that are availabe.. – so yes, having the correct call to the help is most appreciated.

Thank you so very much

Jane

[Peter Grainge]

... and the images that I asked for above?

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[JaneMarieGibbs]

Hello..

Here are two screen shots, one is a RoboHelp 2017 WebHelp topic that shows the Show/Hide toggle. the topic is from a CHS help button in the UI. The second is a RoboHelp 2019 WebHelp topic that shows no access to the TOC. This topic is also from a CHS help button in the UI.

I am sorry I cannot easily provide examples as the 2019 help is not yet merged into the Product.

the developer sent me this from his test system. If it is not sufficient, please let me know and I will see if he can send me a different topic.

[Peter Grainge]

From the first screenshot I can see that you were generating the help in 2017 without a skin. That is the only way to get the Show/Hide buttons in that style.

I just generated a small project in 2019 Classic without a skin and the help opened with the same buttons and works in the same way.

If called in the same way in 2019 Classic as it was in 2017, it should work the same way. To the best of my knowledge, nothing was changed in Classic.

In 2019 with the new UI however, which is what you are using, it is different as the option to generate WebHelp without a skin is not there. What you should see instead using one of the new skins is a Click here to see this page in full context message in the header with the ability to change that string in the LNG file. However, that is not appearing in 2019 and I think that is a bug. I will liaise with Adobe to see what I can find out.

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

There might be a workaround pending the required fix.

Create a master page and in the header enter some text such as "Click here to see more help". Then select that text and put in a link.

If the help is on a web server, use the Webpage option when creating the link and put in the path to the start page of the help. Its location followed usually by index.htm.

If the help is local, use the Local Files option and enter file:///C:/the path to your help/index.htm

Either of them will open the full help but the Show text will still be visible and with no Hide option. Sorry but that's the best I can come up pending Adobe fixing this.

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[JaneMarieGibbs]

Thank you Peter. I will try the first workaround re the server, and get back to you. It might not be until Monday however.
(As an fyi, we like using a skin in RoboHelp 2019 and have customized one for this release, using Azure_blue as the base. )

Your help is most appreciated.  Thanks!!!

[JaneMarieGibbs]

Hello Peter. Thank you again for your help.

Note that we are using a skin, and in spite of switching Show TOC to ON in the webhelp skin (layout), Help topics that are mapped to a Help button in the application do not display with the show/hide toggle widget.

For a workaround: We are able to add a link that opens the "index" page which displays a "Welcome to the Product" type of topic. This topic does include the TOC. The link syntax is:  <a href="am.htm#t=am_welcome_to_allocation.htm">Table of Contents</a>
It seems the syntax in bold works to display the TOC.

However, we have decided not to implement the workaround (as there are far too many topics in two projects) and will instead wait for a fix. I do believe this is a valid defect: that windows-level (i.e. context-sensitive help) does not contain the TOC show/hide widget that lets a user expand and collapse the table of contents.  Hopefully, this will be available in a future RH update. Please advise if you think I should enter an official defect.

Again, many thanks.

Jane

[Peter Grainge]

I have already reported this problem and it is on Adobe's fix list.

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[JaneMarieGibbs]

Thank you so very much for your help!

Jane

[TechWriter1025]

@JaneMarieGibbs how did you set up web help using CSH? Right now we have CSH that results in very large packets, which prompted us to split our project (we went from .CHM to HTML5). The packets will be smaller, but still large (we're about to begin testing the packets). Ideally, we'd love a web-based Help that is still context sensitive. 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

@nicoleg34284383 - CSH calls in HTML5 work differently than in WebHelp - see Peter's website for details.