classic chm Help doesn't link to MSDN Library

• ieddy

  Thank you for your expert response. So if I understand this correctly, I began the Help project in Document! X and HelpStudio with Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 and 2003 on my box. Document! X created links for commonly inherited .NET members in the 2002 style to the MSDN library2002.

  < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

  I get a new, much faster PC, but with only Visual Studio.NET IDE 2003, yet the Help project I created still points to the MSDN library with 2002 style links. Is that correct

   

  So do I need Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 on my PC to verify that my Help files are linking properly to the MSDN library

   

  Innovasys’ Document! X and HelpStudio creates both classic Help 1 chm and Help 2 hxs files automatically, linking commonly inherited .NET members to the MSDN library – an enormous time saver.

   

  Does this mean that the compiled Help 2 files I create won’t work for users of Visual Studio.NET IDE 2003

   

  Do I need to create a new Help 2 project just for Visual Studio.NET IDE 2003 users

   

  How do I do that with both Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 and 2003 on my PC

   

  
  

• Rob Mauii

  What CHM file are you using
  
  

• Beel

  Did your old PC also have Visual Studio .Net 2002 The link you posted above is using "MS.NETFrameworkSDK", which was from the 2002 edition of VS. Content from VS 2003 (aka "Everett") had "MS.NETFrameworkSDKv1.1". VS 2005 (aka "Whidbey") will have something different also. The net result of these differences is that the URL to the topic changes from version to version of Visual Studio.
  
  Unfortunately, linking to Help 2.x content from HTML Help .chm files was never something we planned to explicitly support. The result of that is you are likely to get broken links between different versions of Visual Studio based on the way you were authoring your links. Linking in Help 2.x was primarily designed for use in content that exists in the same Help 2.x document collection.
  
  If you are able to create your content in Help 2.x format (understandably more difficult than creating a simple .chm) you could plug your content into the Visual Studio Combined Collection and use keywords for your links. Moving to this approach would give your content a bit more stability from version to version of Visual Studio as our keywords mostly do not change, while URLs do and will.
  
  Paul O'Rear
  Developer Division User Education
  
  

• adi151478

  Could you please give an example of how you are creating this link in your content i.e. the syntax you're using - are you using a link with ms-help:// etc.
  
  Thanks -
  
  Paul O'Rear
  Developer Division User Education
  
  

• dush1

  I want to make sure I understand your scenario.  Are you trying to author a chm and have it link to documents within the MSDN Library
  
  Thanks,
  Jeremy

  
  
  

• Deefer

  multiple ones, this used to work on my PC, seems to work on others, but does not work on my new PC, even after resinstalling VS.NET and MSDN Library...
  

• tessy

  >>I get a new, much faster PC, but with only Visual Studio.NET IDE 2003, yet the Help project I created still points to the MSDN library with 2002 style links. Is that correct
  
  That's my diagnosis. :)
  
  >>So do I need Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 on my PC to verify that my Help files are linking properly to the MSDN library
  
  If you have VS .NET 2002 installed on your new PC and links work again, then that validates that your help files are linking properly to the 2002 MSDN library, but those links will not work for the 2003 MSDN library or later.
  
  >>Does this mean that the compiled Help 2 files I create won’t work for users of Visual Studio.NET IDE 2003
  
  I believe that's correct. If the links that are created are using ms-help:// URLs rather than A index keywords, then the links will not work, unless the end user also has the original VS 2002 MSDN content installed on their machines as well.
  
  >>Do I need to create a new Help 2 project just for Visual Studio.NET IDE 2003 users
  >>How do I do that with both Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 and 2003 on my PC
  
  I recommend re-doing your original project using A keyword links - this should result in a help 2 project that could potentially be used for both VS .NET 2002 and 2003 users (and possibly 2005 as well).
  
  You should talk with the folk at Innovasys about how you might do that with your current project.
  
  Paul O'Rear
  Developer Division User Education
  
  
  
  

• Kirill Tropin

  yes, I create a chm or hxs and when I select a commonly inherited topic, like dispose or ToString, it should take me to a MSDN Library description, instead I get a page not found error, I believe that this has something to do with my registry....
  

• somebodyelse

  for example, "Site:"
  
  ms-help://MS.NETFrameworkSDK/cpref/html/frlrfSystemComponentModelComponentClassSiteTopic.htm
  
  this string results in a

  The page cannot be displayed

  error message.
  
  BTW, this worked on my previous PC, but not on my new box and I think it may have something to do with my registry, because when I open a Help file in VS, it runs through the update procedure, but I am not sure exactly how to change it...
  

• Dan Dittenhafer

  >>I have to make sure I understand this enough to explain it to my bosses: The type of links created by a classic Help 1 chm file depends on the edition of Visual Studio.NET IDE on the Technical Writer’s PC at the time
  
  The classic .chm compiler would generate .chm specific types of links. It would not have any built in support for linking to VS .NET content. Innovasys may have a feature in their product that allowed you to create links to VS .NET content - I can't comment on that as I'm not familiar enough with their products.
  
  >>Doesn’t the classic chm Help have its own complier
  

  < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
  Yes - hhc.exe. It is included with the HTML Help Workshop, which can be downloaded here:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp url=/library/en-us/htmlhelp/html/hwMicrosoftHTMLHelpDownloads.asp
  
  

  >>What if users don’t have any Visual Studio.NET IDE – then there are no links to the MSDN library, right
  
  If the user does not have any VS .NET product installed, then the links may still be in your .chm, but broken, as the MSDN library content would not be available.
  
  

  >>Sounds like I need three flavors of MS Virtual PC to test my Help 1 and 2 files: without, with Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 and with Studio 2003.

  
  That sounds like a good plan.
  
  I hope this helps!
  
  Paul O'Rear
  Developer Division User Education
  
  

• Gerlop

  I have to make sure I understand this enough to explain it to my bosses: The type of links created by a classic Help 1 chm file depends on the edition of Visual Studio.NET IDE on the Technical Writer’s PC at the time

  < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

  Doesn’t the classic chm Help have its own complier

   

  What if users don’t have any Visual Studio.NET IDE – then there are no links to the MSDN library, right

   

  Sounds like I need three flavors of MS Virtual PC to test my Help 1 and 2 files: without, with Visual Studio.NET IDE 2002 and with Studio 2003.

  
  
• classic chm Help doesn't link to MSDN Library