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help browser vs intro browser [message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 10:34

Eclipse User

Hi,
What's the difference between RCP Help
system and RCP Intro system?

If I follow an external link in my Help
system the entire control changes to a
simple browser control with no back button.

If I follow an external link in my Intro
system I still have the button bar to
let me forward and back.

Thanks,
Jeff Higgins

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460910 is a reply to message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 12:27

Eclipse User

After some playing around I discover:

If I disable my network connection and
activate an external link in my help
main page I get an error page from my
system browser. Same if I put a link to
a nonexistant page in my help main page.

Same goes if I do the above in my main
Intro page.

So, both the Help and Intro systems are
using my default system browser to display
(at least)external links.

I thought these systems used some internal
to eclipse browser?

I guess my next question is:
How can I make Help system display external
links in the Help view instead of opening
a new window with no coontrols?

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460943 is a reply to message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 13:11

Eclipse User

Another question arises:

If I construct my help action in my
ActionBarAdvisor with

helpAction = ActionFactory.DYNAMIC_HELP.create(window);

insead of

helpAction = ActionFactory.HELP_CONTENTS.create(window);

my Help contents are displayed in a nice view with all
the controls, and external links are displayed in the
content pane, I even have a button to show in external window.

Now, If I am in this help view at my help content main page,
and press show in external window a window is opened that
displays my TOC and my main help page.

If I now follow a link external to my help contents, the page
is displayed in content pane, but if I now press show in
external window an instance of my default system browser
is opened?????

How do I control this behavior?
Can I allow my user to set a preference regards
whether he wants to open the dynamic help in
the perspective or as an external window? How?

Thanks,
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460958 is a reply to message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 18:27

Eclipse User

Even more flaky behavior:

1. In the Eclipse IDE open Dynamic Help.
2. Goto All Topics.
3. Expand Workbench User Guide and
4. Navigate to Legal
5. Click the link - Terms and conditions regarding the use of this guide.
6. Click the link - http://www.eclipse.org
7. Now press the Show in External Window button.
This brings up yet another view - this one you cannot dock anywhere.
8. Now back to the Dynamic Help view and the Eclipse.org website
9. following any link internal to the eclipse.org domain displays pages
inside the existing Dynamic Help view.
10. following any link external to the eclipse.org domain and an
instance of my default system browser is opened.

I don't understand these behaviors, can someone help enlighten me?

Confused,
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460960 is a reply to message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 19:04

Eclipse User

Behavior that I would like my RCP app to exhibit.

1. In users preferences: choose
a.Open help as View
b.Open help in external window.
2. Either way, all pages (internal or external)
are displayed without opening a separate browser
window.
3. Most important, never open a page in a separate
window with no back button.

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460966 is a reply to message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 20:52

Eclipse User

Another discovery:

Open Help Content or Dynamic Help
in either my RCP app or the Eclipse IDE

Bookmarks work for internal pages, but
not for external pages.

What classes implement Help Content and Dynamic Help views?

Thanks,
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460968 is a reply to message #460904]

Tue, 02 January 2007 21:08

Eclipse User

I have the oXygen XML Editor for Eclipse plugin
installed.

If I go to Help Contents in the IDE, click on
oXygen User Manual for Eclipse, it displays a
page. In the first paragraph of the page there
is a link to http://www.apache.org. If I follow
that link, the Help Contents window is replaced
with a window displaying the followed link but
with no browser controls. I cannot go back.
T get back to the Help Content I have to close
this window and reopen Help Contents.

This is unacceptable behavior - a disgrace.

How can I work around this behavior in my RCP application?

Thanks,
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #460990 is a reply to message #460904]

Wed, 03 January 2007 06:59

Eclipse User

OK,
I've narrowed the problem down
to links which contain a target attribute,and have
found a way to reproduce the undesirable behavior.

To reproduce:
1. Create a new plug-in project using
the "plug-in with sample help content" template.
2. Replace the body text in the generated html files
with the following markup:
<p><a href="http://www.apache.org">Link with no target attribute</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.apache.org" target="_top">Link with target
attribute</a></p>
3. Save, export, and place the resulting plugin in Eclipse plugin folder.
4. In Help Contents follow the link to the above "Link with target
attribute".
The Help Contents pane is replaced with a browser control with no
controls.

I still don't understand the behavior, but I still think it is undesirable.
Maybe it is platform dependant, I'm using WinXP and JDK 1.5.06 Eclipse 3.2.1
Ten minutes of stepping through code in Browser and Website classes was
enough
to convince me that I don't want to there.

I'm attaching a the helptest.jar in case anyone
is interested in trying the behavior.

Thanks,
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>
>

Attachment: helptest_1.0.0.jar
(Size: 5.79KB, Downloaded 154 times)

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #461009 is a reply to message #460904]

Wed, 03 January 2007 10:20

Eclipse User

Now, I am told the fix.

Right click in the browser window and
select Back from the context menu!!

Still think it's a defect but...

Thanks,
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Hi,
> What's the difference between RCP Help
> system and RCP Intro system?
>
> If I follow an external link in my Help
> system the entire control changes to a
> simple browser control with no back button.
>
> If I follow an external link in my Intro
> system I still have the button bar to
> let me forward and back.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>

Re: help browser vs intro browser [message #461019 is a reply to message #461009]

Wed, 03 January 2007 12:27

Eclipse User

Further inquiry forces me to
withdraw my contention of a defect.

http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/types.html#type-frame-target

Hope this may have provided some
small entertainment

Cheers
Jeff Higgins

"Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:enghkk$bou$1@utils.eclipse.org...
> Now, I am told the fix.
>
> Right click in the browser window and
> select Back from the context menu!!
>
> Still think it's a defect but...
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Higgins
>
>
> "Jeff Higgins" <oohiggins@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:endu25$j27$1@utils.eclipse.org...
>> Hi,
>> What's the difference between RCP Help
>> system and RCP Intro system?
>>
>> If I follow an external link in my Help
>> system the entire control changes to a
>> simple browser control with no back button.
>>
>> If I follow an external link in my Intro
>> system I still have the button bar to
>> let me forward and back.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Jeff Higgins
>>
>
>

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