Local Help doesn't work...

[Krister Fruberg]

Hi all Cakewalk lovers

I've now done the move from Cakewalk by Bandlab to the new Cakewalk Sonar free Tier - and the new Sonar is working just great. Thank you BandLab!

However, I am using the Local Help functional (F1) a lot and even If I have checked the tic box "Always use Local Help" under "Preferences", the F1 key still open the web-versions of help dokumentation. What could be the reason? 

Additional info:

1) My installation was done from the installation file downloaded from the Cakewalk Sonar web page. 

2) After I checked the tic box "Always use Local Help", the system informed that I have the latest version of the local help file but still I only get the web-version when pressning F1. 

Any help to sort out this issue would be much appreciated as I find "Local Help" much faster than pdf- or web version when I need to learn new functions. 

Thanks // Krister 

 

[Canopus]

2 hours ago, Krister Fruberg said:

However, I am using the Local Help functional (F1) a lot and even If I have checked the tic box "Always use Local Help" under "Preferences", the F1 key still open the web-versions of help dokumentation. What could be the reason? 

Hej Krister. Tråkigt att du har problem. 

To start with, Local Help works for me in Sonar, so it's not a general problem. I know from my own experience that Sonar might think local help is installed, when in fact it isn't. In my case, I had downloaded the file, but not installed it (i.e. put it in the correct location). However, the download itself apparently triggered Sonar to believe it was in place.

So, do you have the file Sonar.chm in the Sonar root folder C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Sonar? As you have selected Always Use Local Help in Preferences, that really should be all that's needed. If you haven't got the help file in that location, go to Help > Check for Updates > Product Updates, to see if you have a Help download link waiting.

[Krister Fruberg]

1 hour ago, Canopus said:

Hej Krister. Tråkigt att du har problem. 

To start with, Local Help works for me in Sonar, so it's not a general problem. I know from my own experience that Sonar might think local help is installed, when in fact it isn't. In my case, I had downloaded the file, but not installed it (i.e. put it in the correct location). However, the download itself apparently triggered Sonar to believe it was in place.

So, do you have the file Sonar.chm in the Sonar root folder C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Sonar? As you have selected Always Use Local Help in Preferences, that really should be all that's needed. If you haven't got the help file in that location, go to Help > Check for Updates > Product Updates, to see if you have a Help download link waiting.

Thanks for reply. I have now checked for the file Sonar.chm in folder C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Sonar and this file is missing. And when I'm looking into Help > Check for Updates > Product Updates, this screen is empty and there is just a short message "No Items to Show". Is there another way I can get hold of this file Sonar.chm?

The strange thing is that when I'm activate the tic box Always use Local Help, I get a message You are up to date!.  Isn't that strange?  🫤

 

[msmcleod]

Does it show up as a separate download in the Cakewalk Product Center?

[Krister Fruberg]

2 hours ago, msmcleod said:

Does it show up as a separate download in the Cakewalk Product Center?

Hi Mark,

I'm afraid not. See attached screenshot. There are six different Add-ons listed but not the Local Help file. 

[Canopus]

17 minutes ago, Krister Fruberg said:

There are six different Add-ons listed but not the Local Help file. 

Check if you’ve got a file called SonarHelp_Documentation_1.0.0.21.exe in your Downloads or possibly Downloads\Cakewalk, folder. If so, just double-click it.

That’s how I solved the problem on my computer. The file had been downloaded, but never installed, and that's why it never turned up among the product update links.

[Krister Fruberg]

55 minutes ago, Canopus said:

Check if you’ve got a file called SonarHelp_Documentation_1.0.0.21.exe in your Downloads or possibly Downloads\Cakewalk, folder. If so, just double-click it.

That’s how I solved the problem on my computer. The file had been downloaded, but never installed, and that's why it never turned up among the product update links.

I've now checked booth these folder locations but there is no such file. Could it be that the Local Help is only available with the paid version of new Sonar?

[henkejs]

Same problem here. No installer, no reference in the Product Center. The only sonar.chm file anywhere on my system is one for Platinum from 2017. 

[Canopus]

As none of the proposed solutions above have managed to solve the problem, I'd suggest both of you contact Cakewalk support.

[John T]

I've also got this problem. 

[Krister Fruberg]

Thank's for all proposals. 👍 I will send in a service request to Cakewalk Support. I will post any progress here later on.

[Dan Van Schindel]

After reading this I realized my new Cakewalk Sonar did not have the local documentation. I went to Preferences and checked Always Use Local Help and hit apply. When I did some toast messages came up with things I could download to be up to date. One of them was the local Documentation thing. I downloaded and installed it. I closed Sonar and reopened it. I hit F1 and there was the local help documentation. I don't know if it matters but I have the paid version.   Dan

[Canopus]

19 minutes ago, Dan Van Schindel said:

After reading this I realized my new Cakewalk Sonar did not have the local documentation. I went to Preferences and checked Always Use Local Help and hit apply. When I did some toast messages came up with things I could download to be up to date. One of them was the local Documentation thing. I downloaded and installed it. I closed Sonar and reopened it. I hit F1 and there was the local help documentation. I don't know if it matters but I have the paid version.   Dan

I think that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work, as one of the staff once told me so. But given all the people above who doesn’t have got it to work, as well as my own experience, I suspect there’s some glitch in the code. Maybe if that push notification isn’t immediately attended to, and the supplied download link isn’t clicked while still visible, Sonar won’t give you a second chance to download? I have no idea, but I definitely think someone should look into it.