117052 - Help browser shouldn't have a contents pane

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(SeaMonkey :: Help Documentation, defect)

Description

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

The contents pane in Mozilla's help browser is always present, even when I'm 
reading the help on a particular topic. This makes the help more annoying than 
useful, as the help window is so large that it covers whatever I'm trying to 
get help on.

Instead, the contents pane should not exist. The table of contents should 
appear in the page itself, and indeed it does already, so this would not 
require any change to the help pages.

Getting rid of the contents pane would have the following benefits:
*   the help browser would become small enough to be at all useful;
*   the help contents could be navigated more quickly, since it is easier to
    click a whole link than to click a triangle next to a category;
*   the current synchronization problem, where the table of contents and the
    help itself don't have the same sections, would no longer exist;
*   bug 114055 would be fixed for free.

Problem occurs with:
*   build 2001122508, Mac OS 9.1

Problem does not occur with:
*   AppleWorks, iTunes, the QuickTime Player, ICQ, or any other software using
    the native Help Viewer on Mac OS;
*   Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, or any other
    software using the Microsoft Help help viewer on Mac OS;
*   Corel Draw, Corel Photo-Paint, or any other software using the QuickHelp
    help browser.

Comment 1

[timeless]

microsoft help on windows 2000 instead allows the contents pane to be hidden. 
QNX Photon Help also has this behavior.

photon's help contents behavior matches ie sidebar's (complete w/ close 
widget).  

Comment 2

[Ian Oeschger (gone)]

You can collapse the contents pane and resize the window. Since both of these
states are persisted, you can have the help window you describe here w/o making
any changes to the code. Marking WONTFIX. 

Comment 3

[Brant Gurganus]

v