"helpCenter"

Installation Guide > Codebeamer Installation Guide > Codebeamer Configuration > Application Configuration > "helpCenter"

"helpCenter"

Configures the URL paths of the Help Links in Codebeamer.

Example

"helpCenter": {
  "server": "https://support.ptc.com",
  "product": "help/codebeamer",
  "folder": "codebeamer",
  "releasePrefix": "r"
},

Properties

Property Name	Description	Default Value
"server"	The server part in the URL of the help link.	"https://support.ptc.com"
"product"	The product part in the URL of the help link.	"help/codebeamer"
"folder"	The folder part in the URL of the help link.	"codebeamer"
"releasePrefix"	The release prefix part in the URL of the help link.	"r"

Additional Information

The "helpCenter" property generates help links in the following format:

• <"server">/<"product">/<"releasePrefix"><Codebeamer major version>/<language>/<"folder">/<help_center_page>

For example:

• https://support.ptc.com/help/codebeamer/r<Codebeamer major version>/en/codebeamer/codebeamer_welcome.html

The <language> part of the help links changes dynamically based on the language set by the user in Codebeamer.

Configuring the Custom Help Link URLs for the Help Center Hosting

This feature allows the administrators to modify the URLs of the Help Links when a copy of the Codebeamer Help Center is hosted on a server other than https://support.ptc.com.

To serve the help center files, you can use different technologies, such as Apache HTTP Server, Nginx, or Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services).

The following steps describe the basic configuration and hosting of a Help Center using Microsoft IIS:

1. Download and prepare the help center files on your system:

1. Download an offline copy of the Help Center relevant to your Codebeamer version from the PTC Software Download page.

2. Unzip the file to a temporary location on your server, such as C:\Users\<username>\Downloads\temp\.

3. Navigate to C:\Users\<username>\Downloads\temp\ and copy the folder with the ISO code of the language in which you want the Help Center to appear. For example, copy the en folder for English.

4. Create a new directory path on your server using the following format:

▪ C:\<custom_directory_name>\codebeamer_hc-r + <Codebeamer major version>\r + <Codebeamer major version>.

For example:

▪ C:\helpcenterpub\codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>\r<Codebeamer major version>\.

5. Navigate to the last <Codebeamer major version> directory and paste the language folder. For example, the final path must be C:\helpcenterpub\codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>\r<Codebeamer major version>\en\.

2. Serve the help center files:

1. To set up a live site using IIS, refer to the Microsoft tutorial at Create a Web Site and serve the files from the C:\helpcenterpub\ directory.

The following list illustrates an IIS website example with the key settings:

The following steps are provided only as a hint. You must update all values according to your server configuration.

▪ Physical path—Use the top-level directory from the preceding step. For example, C:\helpcenterpub\.

▪ Binding—Use the settings relevant to the server and domain where you host your own instance of the Help Center. Typical settings include:

▪ Type: https

▪ Port: 443

▪ Host name: The server domain that you own, for example www.<myhelpcenter>.com

The example of an IIS website with the key settings

If you want to set up a local help center website on IIS for testing and development purposes only, refer to the Setting Up a Local Help Center Website for Testing Purposes Using Microsoft IIS section.

3. Configure Codebeamer:

1. As a Codebeamer system administrator, go to System Admin > Application Configuration.

2. Add the following configuration:

    "helpCenter" : {
        "folder" : "codebeamer",
        "product" : "codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>",
        "releasePrefix" : "r",
        "server" : "https://www.myhelpcenter.com"
    }

If you used a different folder structure and host name, you must change the preceding application configuration to match your setup.

3. Click Save. This setup generates help links such as https://www.myhelpcenter.com/codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>/r<Codebeamer major version>/en/codebeamer/codebeamer_welcome.html.

Setting Up a Local Help Center Website for Testing Purposes Using Microsoft IIS

The following steps are only intended for setting up a local website using Microsoft IIS for development and testing purposes. Do not use these instructions to configure a live or a production site, because they may cause security vulnerabilities and system instability.

The steps to install and enable IIS may vary based on your Windows version. The following steps refer to Windows 11. You must have administrator rights on your Windows operating system.

The connection between Codebeamer and the local help center described in this section works only if you open the help links on the same computer where your localhost IIS website runs.

To set up a local help center website for development and testing purposes using IIS, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the local help center files:

1. Follow step 1 of the preceding Configuring the Custom Help Link URLs for the Help Center Hosting section, and ensure that you have a C:\helpcenterpub\codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>\r<Codebeamer major version>\en\ directory ready to connect to IIS.

2. Install and enable IIS:

1. On Windows, click Start > Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.

2. In the Windows Features window, select Internet Information Services. You can expand the IIS tree to select additional features. When ready, click OK.

3. Windows installs the necessary files. Once the installation is complete, you may need to restart your computer.

3. Add and configure a new website in IIS:

1. Click Start, type IIS, and click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

2. Expand your computer’s name in the Connections pane, right-click the Sites node and select Add Website. Provide the following values:

▪ Site name—Provide a name for your help center local website, for example, <My Local Help Center>.

▪ Physical path—Enter C:\helpcenterpub\

▪ Binding:

▪ Type: http

▪ IP address: All Unassigned

▪ Port: 80

▪ Host name: leave this field empty.

▪ Select Start Website immediately, and then click OK.

4. Configure Codebeamer:

1. As a Codebeamer system administrator, go to System Admin > Application Configuration.

2. Add the following configuration:

    "helpCenter" : {
        "folder" : "codebeamer",
        "product" : "codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>",
        "releasePrefix" : "r",
        "server" : "http://localhost"
    }

3. Click Save. This setup generates help links such as http://localhost/codebeamer_hc-r<Codebeamer major version>/r<Codebeamer major version>/en/codebeamer/codebeamer_welcome.html.

You can test the connection by hovering the pointer over or clicking the Help Center link located in the lower area of the Application Configuration page.