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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_s earched_in_robohelp_projects.html

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Debbie (or others that might still be listening),

Having been in this thread in 2009, all the comments have peaked my curiosity.

I am hoping to save myself a great deal of testing time by asking for clarification.

I understand the CBT basics. I understand that when Debbie applied the CBT to the topic, the topic did not show in the search results.

Is the topic still accessible in the .chm output as noted next?

My goal is to create a topic. Use the topic as a destination for a cross-reference (hyperlink) making the topic readable. But I want to exclude the topic from the search results. This would mean that the topic could only be accessed by using the hyperlink.

Will Debbie’s approach work, i.e., using a CBT?

It seems all this would be solved if Adobe would just listen and make the Exclude from Search option work for .chm files.

Thanks in advance for saving me testing time.

Hi there

Just a note to also say that I erred in not picking up immediately that Debbie is using RoboHelp 7. She replied to an old thread where the Exclude from Search option was being dicussed. I overlooked that her version didn't sport the Exclude from Search and mistakenly concluded that she was confusing this option with a Conditional Build Tag.

Please, for anyone reading this, consider submitting a Wish Form to ask Adobe to consider building the feature into the next version. As I've said in other threads, it *CAN* be done. I've done it. I know it can work. We just need to convince Adobe that folks are still building CHM format so it is worth the time adding it in.

Cheers... Rick

Hi Rick,

LOL.

Thanks for sending the link to the work around.

I have used (do use) the work around. I am the same Cal that you helped by providing the work around in 2009.