HTML Help - won't open on non-VFP pc's

[joe1174]

I recently completed a help file for our application, and it works GREAT on the developer pc's, just not when distributed with the compiled exe to a box that doesn't have VFP installed. As a matter of fact, nothing at all appears to happen when you press F1 on a non-vfp box.

Our program is written in VFP7.0 SR1 . Here's a list of what we've done to try and make this work:

gcHelpFile = gcAppsPath + "EnHelp.chm"
SET HELP ON  && Yes, we know it not needed, but tried anyway 
SET HELP TO (gcHelpFile)

inside each form, a SET TOPIC TO "Something in Index" command is set up to enable the F1 to seek right into the applicable topic for that screen. I've read this doesn't work, but actually works excellent if you have an index item that matches it.

For Deployment we've tried:

HHUPD.EXE -- Didn't help on old OS's, and not allowed for new ones (i.e. XP)

Manually copying and registering the 4 required files:
(%windows%): hh.exe
(%system%) : hhctrl.ocx, itircl.dll, itss.dll

Even went so far as to try to deploy and register these 2 files thinking they may have something to do with VFP launching the help file and passing the parms needed for topic callouts:
(%system%) : foxhhelpps.dll
(%system%) : foxhhelp.exe

Finally, I should note that we don't use the main _Screen for our app, rather we run a top level form and have the directive "SCREEN=OFF" in the config.fpw file to prevent the screen from being called up. We've also tried leaving the screen on, that doesn't work either.

Any help would save the remaining hairs from getting ripped out of my head.....

Thanks-

-Joe E.

 

[Mike Gagnon]

This link might help

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;191223

Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.

 

[Neil Toulouse]

I had a similar problem but with VFP6. This may help:

thread184-438889

Neil

"I like work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours..."

 

[MadTown]

This thread may help. You're most likely missing the vfp 7 support files. In my case the original merge module for Didn't install the correct files.

Thread184-371355

 

[joe1174]

Thanks for all of your answers. I still am not having any luck though. I have double checked, and even double registered every support file and tried it on 4 different platforms, still none working (unless VFP is installed). I deploy to hundreds of clients, and installing VFP everywhere isn't an option....

I've tried on Nt4.0, Me, 2000 and XP. All only seem to work if VFP is installed, but not if deployed to. Even if I run hhupd.exe, and add the foxhhelp*.* and hha.* files and register appropriately.

Any other ideas?

Again, thanks for your input!

-Joe

 

[craigsboyd]

joe1174,

You need to include FoxHHelp7.exe and FoxHHelpPS7.dll in the install...

However, if you are manually copying them (no install) then you will need to run the following or equivalent to register them:

FoxHHelp7 /regserver

...this should solve your problem let me know.

Slighthaze = NULL

 

[joe1174]

Thanks! Finally! that worked! The "FOXHHELP7 /RegServer" did the trick.

I am curious, since we have our own installer package (not using installshield) and frankly our program loaders will actually be doing the copying and registering to each pc on the networks running our programs, this appears different than running regsrv32 {sys32path}\FOXHHELP7 . This appears more like we are running the program and passing it a param to register itself. I had previously copied in, and registered, those foxhh*.* files, but not called the main one this way. Is this the only way to get that accomplished?

And, again, Thanks to All who replied!

-Joe

 

[craigsboyd]

joe1174,

Glad I could help. It's the only way that I know of...doubt if there is another, though by sending that switch to the FOXHHELP7.exe it must be doing something when it starts up, if a person could reproduce whatever it is doing then I guess you could forego it, though I haven't a clue what all it is doing (a registry monitor might give you a clue). If your installer package can handle running an outside process then I would just run it after the file is installed sending it the parameter...if you don't have that functionality in your installer then add it with a ShellExecute API call or something.

Slighthaze = NULL