Hyperlinks to XLS, DOC, and PDF files that are included in a .chm file work intermittently.

Question

SUMMARY
Hyperlinks to XLS, DOC, and PDF files that are included in a
.chm file (and the Baggage Files) only work intermittently. The
only solution appears to be deleting the Temporary Internet Files.
PROBLEM
1. I place the XLS, DOC, or PDF file in the Windows
sub-directory that corresponds to the RoboHelp project sub-folder
where the topic in which I’ll place the hyperlink exists.
2. I open the help project in RoboHelp HTML.
3. I right-click on the project’s Baggage Files
sub-folder that corresponds to the Windows sub-directory in which I
placed the XLS, DOC, or PDF file (in step 1).
4. I import the XLS, DOC, or PDF file.
5. I open the topic in which I’m going to place the
hyperlink in the WYSIWYG editor.
6. I “drag and drop” the Baggage File into the
topic (in the WYSIWYG editor) to create a link to it.
7. I save the changes and then generate HTML (.chm) help.
8. I open the .chm file and click the hyperlink. The XLS,
DOC, or PDF file may or may not open.
9. When the hyperlink works correctly, for DOC and XLS files,
a “File Download – Security Warning” dialog box
appears asking, “Do you want to open or save this
file?”. The buttons that are available are
“Open”, “Save”, and “Cancel”.
These buttons work then as one would expect. (When the hyperlink
works correctly for a PDF file, it simply opens the PDF file in a
new window; there’s no prompt to save, open, or cancel.)
10. When a hyperlink does NOT work, for DOC, XLS, and PDF
files, no dialog box or other visual message is displayed. Instead,
the sound that is associated with the “Exclamation”
program event is played (the “Windows XP
Exclamation.wav” file is the WinXP default).
Other Notes:
- The hyperlinks ALWAYS work when I view a topic using the
“View Selected Item” function (Ctrl+W) in the RoboHelp
HTML project.
- Once a hyperlink stops working, it will not start working
again until I delete all the Temporary Internet Files.
- A hyperlink will stop working even if Internet Explorer
(iexplore.exe) is closed the entire time.
WORKAROUND
Through trial and error, I have discovered that if a
hyperlink stops working, I can get it to work again using the
following steps:
1. Leave the .chm file open.
2. Open Internet Explorer.
3. Click Tools>Internet Options….
4. From the “Internet Options” dialog box, select
the “General” tab.
5. Under the “Temporary Internet Files” section,
click the “Delete Files…” button.
6. From the “Delete Files” dialog box, select
“Delete all offline content” and then click
“OK”. The files are deleted and the “Delete
Files” dialog box closes.
7. Click “OK” to close the “Internet
Options” dialog box.
8. Without closing Internet Explorer and without re-starting
the .chm file, all the hyperlinks that didn’t work before
will now work.
GENERAL SYSTEM INFORMATION
- Windows XP Pro, SP2
- Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180
- RoboHelp X5, 5.0.2 Build 801
- HTML (.chm) help project files exist on my local machine
- HTML (.chm) help file is run from my local machine
- Project is under RoboSource version control
TEMPORARY INTERNET SETTINGS
- “Check for newer versions of stored pages” is
set to “Automatically”
- “Current location” for the Temporary Internet
files folder is set to “C:\Documents and Settings\My
Username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\”
- “Amount of disk space to use” is set to
“594” MB
“View Files…”
- An XLS or DOC file will be listed here if I click its
hyperlink and then click either “Open” or
“Save” from the “File Download – Security
Warning” dialog box.
- A file will appear here even if I click “Save”
and then click “Cancel” from the subsequent “Save
As” dialog box.
- If I click “Cancel” from the “File
Download – Security Warning” dialog box, the file does
not appear in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
- When a file does appear in the Temporary Internet Files
folder, its Internet Address is displayed similar to the following:
“ms-its:C:\PrimaryProjectFolder\ProjectName.chm::/SubFolderName/FileName.xls”
“View Objects…”
Here’s a list of all the program files that appear:
- “Microsoft Office Template and Media Control”
(Last Accessed 12/13/06) (Version 12,0,6024,0)
- “Shockwave ActiveX Control” (Last Accessed
12/14/06) (Version 10,1,4,20)
- “Shockwave Flash Object” (Last Accessed
12/18/06) (Version 9,0,28,0)
- “Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool”
(Last Accessed 12/14/06) (Version 1,5,722,0)
- “WUWebControl Class” (Last Accessed 12/13/06)
(Version 5,8,0,2469)
Today is 12/18/06 so the only program file that is listed as
having been “Last Accessed” today is the
“Shockwave Flash Object”.
REQUEST FOR HELP
I really want to include certain PDF, DOC, and XLS files in
their native format in a .chm file. However, I need a better
solution to my problem than the one I discovered. What I really
want is to avoid the entire problem altogether.
Have anyone seen this before or have any suggestions?

Answer 1

You wont be able to do that. The embedded objects would appear as images only.