Auto Expand Dropdown Text

This original method is based on script produced by Tommy Simmons, amended by Rick Stone and tweaked by me to work with expanding text.

The method was devised some years ago and it now seems to be broken, probably because of browser changes. In IE7 the first time it goes to the target topic it does not expand the dropdown, second and subsequent times it works. In Firefox 3 it is completely broken.

Why leave it here? Hopefully one day someone will identify the cause! The demo was created in RoboHelp X5 and I have not tested with any later version.

Based on script produced by Christina Maier. Please note that this method works in RH Version X3 but not X5.

You will need to test in other versions and I would appreciate being advised of your results.

Update 01 Dec 2007: I am told this method does work with RoboHelp X5.0.2 so it looks like the patch may have fixed the problem. I haven't tested that myself.

Update 24 May 2008: I am told this method is still good in Adobe RoboHelp 7.

Update 18 Jun 2009: My own tests show this method is NOT working in Adobe RoboHelp 7. Maybe a patch broke it. However I have tested with RoboHelp 8 and it works in both IE7 and FF 3.0.11.

More complicated to set up but does not report false broken links.

If you have a lot of links to automatically opening dropdowns, you may prefer this method so that true broken links do not get buried.

Easier to set up.

Falsely reports broken links but you can "mark" these links so that any true broken links can be identified.

The method of "Marking" of false broken links was devised by Mike Kalmbach to whom thanks for sending me this script.