Problems with What's This in RoboHELP HTML

[Karansingh]

Hi,

I am running a PowerBuilder programm which calls an .HLP file by
command line to show the What's This? text-onlt popuw window:
RUN("WINHLP32 -p -n " + String(al_tag) + " " + ls_helpFile)

I converted it to HTML.

When I have the following
RUN("HH.EXE -mapid " + String(al_tag) + " " + ls_helpFile)
it shows the text into a 'normal' helpwindow.

How can I get it into a popup window?

Karansingh Lala

[Pete Lees]

karansingh,

Post by Karansingh
I am running a PowerBuilder programm which calls an .HLP file by
RUN("WINHLP32 -p -n " + String(al_tag) + " " + ls_helpFile)
I converted it to HTML.
When I have the following
RUN("HH.EXE -mapid " + String(al_tag) + " " + ls_helpFile)
it shows the text into a 'normal' helpwindow.
How can I get it into a popup window?

HH.exe accepts a very small number of parameters, and unfortunately
these don't include the name of a window type; the selected topic
always opens in the default window. For more information on this, see:

http://helpware.net/FAR/far_faq.htm#HHEXEParams

I think you'd need to use an HTML Help API call if you want to display
the popup topic in a borderless, autosizing window. The sample file on
the eHelp site may give you some pointers on how to do this.

http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/robohelp/downloads/htmlhelp/

--
Pete (Microsoft Help MVP)

[Karansingh]

Thanx, but this does not solve my problem.
I have only the .hlp helpfiles.
With RoboHELP in tabpage Tools I chose the option Help-to-Source.
Then with Import I did .MPJ to HTML.
After that, Generate Primary Layout.
So I still have the MapID's generated from the old HLP files.
Because otherwise I have to do that work all over again and I do
not know what ID belongs to what piece of helptext.

So I have now the new generated .CHM file with the MapID's.
But now the part what does not work:
How can I get a text-only popup window by giving the CHM-file and the ID
as parameters?
Or what do I have to do to get this work?

Thanx,
Karansingh Lala

Post by Pete Lees
karansingh,

Post by Karansingh
I am running a PowerBuilder programm which calls an .HLP file by
RUN("WINHLP32 -p -n " + String(al_tag) + " " + ls_helpFile)
I converted it to HTML.
When I have the following
RUN("HH.EXE -mapid " + String(al_tag) + " " + ls_helpFile)
it shows the text into a 'normal' helpwindow.
How can I get it into a popup window?

HH.exe accepts a very small number of parameters, and unfortunately
these don't include the name of a window type; the selected topic
http://helpware.net/FAR/far_faq.htm#HHEXEParams
I think you'd need to use an HTML Help API call if you want to display
the popup topic in a borderless, autosizing window. The sample file on
the eHelp site may give you some pointers on how to do this.
http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/robohelp/downloads/htmlhelp/

[Pete Lees]

Karansingh,

Post by Karansingh
[...]
So I still have the MapID's generated from the old HLP files.
Because otherwise I have to do that work all over again and I do
not know what ID belongs to what piece of helptext.

I don't use RoboHelp, but I imagine that it provides reporting
facilities with which you can quickly obtain the help context integers
for each topic. Failing that, you can get these values by opening the
project (.hhp) file in Notepad and looking at the [MAP] and [ALIAS]
sections of the file. (RoboHelp probably stores the help context
integers and topic IDs in .h and .ali files that are referenced in the
[MAP] and [ALIAS] sections.) The following pages explain how these two
sections work:

http://www.mvps.org/htmlhelpcenter/htmlhelp/hhtutorials.html#mapping
http://helpware.net/htmlhelp/how_to_context.htm

And if the documentation that accompanies RoboHelp doesn't tell you
how to obtain the required values, someone in the RoboHelp forum may
be able to help you.

http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/forums/wbpx.dll/~robohelp

Post by Karansingh
...
How can I get a text-only popup window by giving the CHM-file and the ID
as parameters?

You cannot do this from the command line because hh.exe does not have
an equivalent of the -p switch that you used previously with
winhlp32.exe. For some information on how to use an HTML Help API call
to open a popup window, see:

http://helpware.net/htmlhelp/how_to_whatsthis.htm
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/htmlhelp/html/vsconcmdhhdisplaytextpopup.asp

and also the PowerBuilder sample on the eHelp site, mentioned in my
previous message.

--
Pete (Microsoft Help MVP)

[Karansingh]

Hi Pete,

I understand that I can show a text-only popup window in a HMTL
window. But I have to be in that help window first. I wanted to show
the text-only window directly from an application with a commandline
(like with he HLP helpfile with the -p parm). But that is not
possible.

Many thanks for your support.
Karansingh Lala

Post by Pete Lees
Karansingh,

Post by Karansingh
[...]
So I still have the MapID's generated from the old HLP files.
Because otherwise I have to do that work all over again and I do
not know what ID belongs to what piece of helptext.

I don't use RoboHelp, but I imagine that it provides reporting
facilities with which you can quickly obtain the help context integers
for each topic. Failing that, you can get these values by opening the
project (.hhp) file in Notepad and looking at the [MAP] and [ALIAS]
sections of the file. (RoboHelp probably stores the help context
integers and topic IDs in .h and .ali files that are referenced in the
[MAP] and [ALIAS] sections.) The following pages explain how these two
http://www.mvps.org/htmlhelpcenter/htmlhelp/hhtutorials.html#mapping
http://helpware.net/htmlhelp/how_to_context.htm
And if the documentation that accompanies RoboHelp doesn't tell you
how to obtain the required values, someone in the RoboHelp forum may
be able to help you.
http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/forums/wbpx.dll/~robohelp

Post by Karansingh
...
How can I get a text-only popup window by giving the CHM-file and the ID
as parameters?

You cannot do this from the command line because hh.exe does not have
an equivalent of the -p switch that you used previously with
winhlp32.exe. For some information on how to use an HTML Help API call
http://helpware.net/htmlhelp/how_to_whatsthis.htm
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/htmlhelp/html/vsconcmdhhdisplaytextpopup.asp
and also the PowerBuilder sample on the eHelp site, mentioned in my
previous message.