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Exclude Topics from Search

New Here ,
Jul 14, 2009 Jul 14, 2009

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Hello,

I am looking for a way to exclude published topics, pop-ups, etc., from Search after publishing in WebHelp.  We are using RH7 HTML.  I searched the forum but I couldn't find a thread on this.  I would appreciate any information anyone could provide about my question.  Thanks,

TW

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Community Expert ,
Jul 15, 2009 Jul 15, 2009

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You want to exclude published topics and popups. What's left?

RoboHelp 8 has an option in Topic Properties to exclude that topic and Rick Stone has a method that does the job for earlier versions. It is the same as described here (I think).

http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2008/04/excluding_content_from_being_searched_in_robohelp_projects.h...


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

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New Here ,
Oct 30, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

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Can someone help me determine what I am missing? I have searched the forum, but I have not found any helpful information regarding this specific issue.

I am using RH8.

I selected the Topic Properties > Exclude from Search option. The topic is excluded from searches in WebHelp. The topic is NOT excluded from searches in HTML Help (.chm files). What am I missing?

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LEGEND ,
Oct 30, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

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Hi Cal

You aren't missing a thing. Please report this as a bug. I did. Afterward, Adobe contacted me and advised that this was a limitation for .CHM output. I disagree. There is a way to coax files to be excluded from search in a .CHM. So in my opinion, if I can make it work by kludging things outside of RoboHelp, they should tweak RoboHelp so it works within the product, no?

Unfortunately it doesn't help at the moment, but it may for the future if Adobe hears from enough of us. That happens via the Bug Report. (link is in my sig).

Here is how you exclude from search in a .CHM. You sneak behind RoboHelp's back and rename the topic you wish to exclude from having a .htm extension to having a .xhtm extension. Of course this will break any links. Don't sweat that. We will fix it.

This will also show the topic as missing in action. So you delete the topic (but not the references) and you add the new .xhtm version to your list of Baggage Files. Once you do that, you simply amend any links to now look for .xhtm and not just .htm.

Recompile and you should be golden.

Cheers... Rick

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New Here ,
Oct 30, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

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Rick,

Thanks for responding.

I have reported the bug as you suggested.

I followed the steps to rename the file, add the file to the baggage files, and direct the links to the .xhtm file. I have missed something as now the links present the following error. The error is presented in both WebHelp and HTML Help.

I seem to recall there is an option to set links to open .xhtm and .htm files, but I don’t recall where it is. Is there such an option? Please remind me where to find it.

The XML page cannot be displayed

Cannot view XML input using style sheet. Please correct the error and then click the Refresh button, or try again later.


System error: -2146697204. Error processing resource 'http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd'.

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LEGEND ,
Oct 30, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

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Hi Cal

Well Carp! I guess RoboHelp 8 changes this a bit.

Okay, I found that all I needed to do is to edit the Baggage File and remove the first line.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

Once I did this, the link opened the topic as desired and didn't present the error.

Cheers... Rick

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New Here ,
Oct 30, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

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Rick,

I removed the line from the Baggage File, and all is well.

I did find two other items that might be of interest.

I have a screen capture in the file. I had to add the screen capture as a Baggage File also; otherwise, it did not show in the topic.

The topic has a master page. The master page has a logo in the header. The logo does not appear when I use the link. Apparently the link to the master page is removed. For my purposes, this is not a huge deal. I am only dealing with one topic.

Thanks again for your help.

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LEGEND ,
Oct 30, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

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Hi Cal

Good info!

Indeed if you aren't using the image elsewhere, certainly RoboHelp won't be aware of it and you will need to add it. That makes total sense. The Master Page bit surprises me a tad. After all, it's just code in the topic. Then again, that's why you are doing what you are. To remove it from search. So I guess in a sense it does have some logic to it.

Cheers... Rick

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Participant ,
Jan 18, 2010 Jan 18, 2010

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Hello,

I tested this method in RH7, and it had a drawback that made it unusable for us: Those XHTM topics didn't work as popups when help was run on Windows Server 2003. (Probably applies to Windows Server 2008, as well.) Haven't tested it recently, but one can assume that doing the same thing will still give the same result. If anyone tests this, please post back, thanks!

If I remember correctly, another difficulty with this method is that XHTM topics do not show up in the Topic List, nor do you get a hit if you try Find Topic.

Additionally, if your help is being translated, you have to keep these XHTM files in mind, otherwise it is easy to miss them when you send all HTM files to translators. It's details like this that can mess up a project, because different team members don't know or remember to look for XHTM files before they create a new topic (which ends up being a duplicate), translations are missed, etc.

Not to deter you from using the workaround, which can be nice to have if it works on the operating systems your CHM is being run on.... just a heads up.

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 16, 2010 Sep 16, 2010

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If I understand this correctly, the CHM format does not support "Exclude from Search". There is a workaround which is:

(1) outside RH, rename the `secret' topic from *.htm to *.xhtm

(2) include the renamed file as baggage

(3) hand-repair all links which pointed to the renamed file

In other words, a lot of work and error-prone, but possible for exceptional situations. And Eileen's caveats (popups, translation) apply.

Is this description correct?

--- Derek

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LEGEND ,
Sep 16, 2010 Sep 16, 2010

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Hi Derek

Yes, you are understanding that.

However, it occurs to me that the steps might be simplified. You might try simply renaming the topic to be hidden so its extension is XHTM. By renaming it from inside RoboHelp, it should take care of any links.

The Microsoft HTML Help compiler is what works the magick with search. As I understand it, the compiler doesn't index files that don't end in HTM or HTML. So it might just be sufficient to rename the file you wish not to appear and leave it at that. I haven't tested this to confirm.

Cheers... Rick

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 16, 2010 Sep 16, 2010

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Hi Rick,

Yes, I had also understood that "exclude from search" was never envisaged in the CHM file format. I don't necessarily blame Microsoft for that; AFAIK they never implemented the function "cause gold coins to pour from my PC" 😉 either, and "exclude from search" is not an industry-standard or anything like that.

Anyway I tried  it but couldn't get it working. The file suffix "xhtm" wouldn't work at all, suffix "xhtml" opened OK in Firefox, but not in Internet Confuser.

In addition RoboHelp 8 is too intelligent for us. If I try to rename a file using Topic Properties it silently converts my "xhtml" to "htm".So I renamed it in Windows Explorer, and included it in the baggage. This of course means that I cannot edit it in WYSIWYG.

I hand-edited the ToC to point to the xhtml file but in the CHM file the ToC link did nothing, and a test link I made from a regular HTML topic was also dead.

Score so far: Microsoft/Adobe - lots; Derek - nil.

Thanks anyway for thinking along,

--- Derek

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Explorer ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Can anyone confirm if this has been sorted out in Robohelp 9.  Can I exclude topics excluded by conditional builds, from appearing in the Search list?

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LEGEND ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Hi there

Not sure where the confusion is stemming from, but topics excluded using Conditional Tags have ALWAYS been excluded from search as they simply aren't present in the final result. Of course, this also makes the assumption that the conditional build expression is working properly. Sometimes folks get those munged.

So sure, it should work fine. Always has for me!

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Hi Rick

Did not work for .chm files. When excluded using conditional builds, the topics would not appear in the TOC, but would still be visible if searched.

There was a work around posted but not reasonable for every different build. This thread confirmed my findings and gave the workaround - http://forums.adobe.com/message/2107525

Was hoping there was a fix by now or that it was no longer an issue in robohelp 9.

Regards

Debbie

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Community Expert ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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I am thinking that the CBT has been applied to the TOC, not to the topic itself. It's a common misunderstanding.

Applying the tag to the TOC just stops it appearing in the TOC, not being in the build.

Right click the topic in the TOC and you will see two columns, one to show tags applied to the topic and one to show the tags applied to the TOC.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Explorer ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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The CBT is applied to the TOC and the topic.  This was previosuly identified as a bug for .chm Robohelp 8 html files in the thread : http://forums.adobe.com/message/2107525 

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LEGEND ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Hi Debbie

I'm not trying to argue here or stir ill will, but I honestly believe you are confusing two different things here. Personally, I've never ever known a bug to exist where topics excluded using conditions would ever appear in the compiled CHM. Again, assuming the conditions properly removed the topics, they simply aren't there and as a result cannot be found in a search. They also would be removed from the TOC. This is why I never go near applying CBTs to the TOC elements.

But this thread you have replied to is indicating something entirely different and I think this is where the confusion is stemming from. This thread is about the feature that was added to RoboHelp 8 (I believe - may have been 7) where the help author may now click a check box in Topic properties that says "Exclude from search" and folks (myself included) expected that to work in CHM format. But it only worked for WebHelp and possibly FlashHelp and AIR Help.

THIS feature still doesn't work for CHMs in ANY RoboHelp version. However, I believe Adobe can find a way to make it work in a future version. But in order for them to see it as important enough to add, they need to hear from enough folks that desire it. (hint hint - Wish form is in my sig)

Cheers... Rick

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LEGEND ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Hello again

Just a note to add that the "Exclude from Search" check box is not in any way affiliated with a Conditional Build Tag. It is a separate feature entirely.

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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What I have found is that if TOC and the topic has a CBT then it still shows up in the search. If you only put the CBT on the topic and not the TOC then it doesn’t show in the search. Weird but true, tested on multiple builds.

Thanks everyone for their input.

Cheers

Debbie

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Community Expert ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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That is a bug. Please follow this link.

http://www.Adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=38

Removing a topic from the build automatically excludes it from the TOC, RoboHelp always did that. There is no need to apply both tags as choosing just one will give whatever result you want. However, choosing both should still exclude the topic.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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LEGEND ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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Hi folks

I just tested this in version 7 and in version 9. In each version things behaved properly and the topic was excluded. This leads me to believe the problem is likely with the project.

Filing a bug report may make you feel better about things, but it won't have any effect because Adobe won't be issuing a patch for version 7 assuming they were to find a bug.

Cheers... Rick

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Community Expert ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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Good catch sir.

You should be in bed and I should have been more awake!


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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LEGEND ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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LOL, what's that about old age and treachery? (Heartburn woke me up)

I've had my seltzer water and will be toddling back to bed soon!

Rick

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Community Expert ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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For the curious - I saw someone with a T shirt that read

Youth and talent are no match for age and treachery.


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