QUESTION:

When I select Help in ECOTECT, it displays what looks like a Help window, but it displays only an error message saying 'Action Cancelled' and none of the index links seem to work. Have you seen this before ?

ANSWER:

When displaying its help, ECOTECT makes calls direct to the MS Windows HTMLHelp system to read and display the CHM files in the ECOTECT installation folder. The HTMLHelp system is actually just Internet Explorer (IE) running an ActiveX DLL to provide the side index and associated help functionality.

The problem you describe can sometimes occur when the ECOTECT CHM files are located in a shared folder remote to the actual machine ECOTECT is running on. For security reasons, IE will only run ActiveX content from a trusted source or when installed locally on your computer. As the CHM sources are located on a remote server, IE doesn't load them so the help file pages are not displayed.

Cause:

This is a result of a 'fix' in Microsoft Security Update 896358 and Security Update 890175. See the Microsoft knowledge base article 896358 for more detailed information. Microsoft knowledge base articles 892675 and 896905 are also relevant.

Recommended Solution:

The recommended solution is to simply tell the HTMLHelp system which remote folders you are willing to trust by adding a 'UrlAllowList' item to the HTMLHelp 'HHRestrictions' key.

As an example, assume that ECOTECT is installed in a remote folder mounted as G:\Ecotect\ and that the teaching packages are in G:\Ecotect\Help (you will need to modify these locations to suit your particular installation). The required registry entry is then:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\HHRestrictions]
UrlAllowList=file://G:\Ecotect\Ecotect.chm;G:\Ecotect\Help;

A link to a Registry file is provided in the Attachments table at the bottom of this post. You can download this file and use a text editor to change the folder location to match your particular installation details. Then simply include it in the shared ECOTECT install folder and get your users to double-click it in Windows Exporer on any of the machines that have help file problems.

Insecure Solution:

Though not recommended, it is also possible to set your system to allow the remote execution of any remote ActiveX content. This is provided for information purposes only or temporary use in extreme situations as it could open your machine up to attack from remote viruses, etc. To apply this, add the following registry entries:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\HHRestrictions]
"EnableFrameNavigationInSafeMode"=dword:00000001
"MaxAllowedZone"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\HTMLHelp\1.x\ItssRestrictions]
"MaxAllowedZone"=dword:00000001

RELEVANT PROJECT/RELEASE:

• Autodesk ECOTECT