i'm on houdini 19.5.605 nc, win10 x64. i use chrome for the help (HOUDINI_EXTERNAL_HELP_BROWSER = 1)

for a while the local and the sidefx.com help uses a bit different url's,
so when pressing the "?" icon on a node it works locally:
http://127.0.0.1:48626/nodes/sop/box [127.0.0.1]

when using sidefx.com help it gives me a "404 Not Found" for:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/sop/box [www.sidefx.com]
it needs the ".html" ending to work:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/sop/box.html [www.sidefx.com]

my settings in prefs/misc are:
use external help server = 1
external help URL: https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/ [www.sidefx.com]

in earlier versions (maybe even in 19.5) i just un/ticked "use external help server" and it seemlessly changed from local to sidefx.com. i guess something changed either on the houdini or the sidefx side. can you help with the solution?


thank you

Hey Ladies & Gents,

does the local and the sidefx.com help both work for you? is it just me?
i prefer the sidefx.com manual because of sidefx labs and the possible updates, but i regularly need the local one for the example files.

I actually prefer sidefx.com as the local help tends to be slower than the remote help - quite the laugh, right? Besides, on my machine, the local help has a habit of triggering session crashes.

Slightly ot:
I've noticed that few companies have now integrated chatbots that are specifically fine-tuned for their services. Unlike the first generation of chatbots, which merely redirected users to specific pages of documentation or FAQs, these modern chatbots provide meaningful responses based on user inquiries.
Can you imagine how useful a well-integrated, fine-tuned chatbot could be for newcomers to Houdini? I'm pretty sure this could significantly increase Houdini's adoption among a larger user base

i totally agree you, i prefer sidefx.com but when clicking the question mark on box sop it gives me a 404.
404 Not Found:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/sop/box [www.sidefx.com]

and adding .html by hand works:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/sop/box.html [www.sidefx.com]

what how when and why? (i'll try it on another windows pc next week)

Ah, now I see what you mean.
Yes I experience the same issue of 404.

Might be worth to fill a bug report with the Support