Problem applying conditional build tag to more than one folder

[AIR-Chayah]

I applied a conditional build tag to a folder in the HTML Files tree. Success.

Then I tried applying a tag to a different folder. I said yes to checking out the files, but nothing happened. I can't seem to apply a tag to more than one folder in the tree.

My project has five outputs. Four of the outputs are for licensable modules. We don't want the users of licensed modules to see Help topics for modules that they have not licensed. This means that we also need to make sure that only users of licensed modules get to see the Help topics for those modules.

Therefore, based on a reply about how to exclude topics from search results, I am trying to conditionalize the folders, in the Project Manager tree and set the output properties to exclude all topics except those that belong to the output.

For example, I have a Hazard module and a Hazard output. I want to use a build expression such as "NOT Main" so that I can exclude all Main topics from the Hazard output. But I can't do this when RoboHelp won't apply the Main tag to anything.

I know that this will be a good approach when it works. I set up the "Main" output to exclude Hazard topics and none of them showed up.

All help much appreciated.

Carol

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Sounds like you've got source control in play here - you want to make sure that you've first checked out the entire project to your c:\projects folder before trying to work on applying CBTs to any folders.

[AIR-Chayah]

Hi, Jeff.

I am working on my project in source control, and I got an error message when RH tried to check out files to apply the tags: "The files in the list below could not be checked out from version control [even though they were checked in!]. Exclusive access to these files is required to execute the selected action." To resolve this I have to check everything in and shut both RH and Visual Studio down.

That said, for the first folder I right-clicked the folder, clicked Apply Conditional Build Tag, selected or created the tag, checked out the files when prompted, and had no problems. It was the subsequent folders where this did not work.

However, in reading the Help, I noticed that the instructions tell you to select the folder, click Format, etc. And it worked.

Now I can check to see whether my build expressions work as desired.

Thanks!

Carol

[AIR-Chayah]

I've applied "Hazard" and similar tags to each of the Help folders associated with the licensable modules and Main to all the other Help folders. I've built an expression in each output to exclude all but the one appropriate module. And it works.

The company does have valid reasons for not including functionality that is licensed; in other companies we have included everything for the reason that you note.

Thanks for your help.

Carol

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

My spidey sense is tingling and telling me that maybe you are thinking of folders and conditional tagging incorrectly.

When tagging a folder, it's a *SINGLE SHOT* that says "apply this tag to all topics inside this folder."

Often, folks will misunderstand this and think they are somehow configuring a situation whereby anything they later place inside the folder is tagged. But that's not the case. If you later add content to the folder you will need to tag it.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[AIR-Chayah]

Hi –

This was very useful information … I hadn’t got as far along as assuming that tagging a folder would tag additions to the folder, and now I’m glad to know that I need to tag everything I add to a tagged folder.

Thank you so much.

Chayah

[Peter Grainge]

Carol

I misread how you are using the tags.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

In a project without source control I was able to apply tags to a parent folder and sub folders quite independently without any problem.

My own way of working would be to apply a tag called Hazard and exclude that from builds not requiring those topics.

There is an argument for supplying the help for all modules as they will not have the functionality but might want to buy it when they see what it does. Of course, there can be valid reasons against doing that but it is worth thinking about.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge