Child topics not appearing when clicked in parent project

[Guest]

Hello,

I have generated a Webhelp parent project containing two child projects in RoboHelp 9. The tables of contents appear for all projects correctly, but when I click some of the topics, they will not display, rather I get that message that my webpage cannot be found. Most of the topics work fine when clicked.

If it helps, it seems that the topics that won't display are ones that are new or have recent edits.

I've tried regenerating my projects and re-creating the TOCs, but I am not sure what else I can try. When I generate the child projects on their own, all topics work fine, it is only when merged as a child project in the main project that the topics won't show.

Thanks,

Maddy

[RoboColum_n_]

Hi Maddy and welcome to the RH forums.

Can you start by telling us what type of output you are creating. It sounds like it is WebHelp but we need to be sure.

[Guest]

Yes, I am creating WebHelp.

[RoboColum_n_]

Can you start by checking the location of your generated output for the topic files. Do you see the topic files you changed there? If so, check that the TOC is pointing to the correct topics inside your project.

Also can you confirm whether there are topics that were already in one of the merged child projects (i.e. they were not changed) that when you click on them in the TOC do open the correct topic?

[Guest]

It looks like I was wrong, it isn't just new topics, it is a mix of old and new topics that aren't appearing.

When I look into the folders of the generated merged topics, it looks like these topic files are not generating.

For example:

I generate parent project GP and its topics work fine.

I generate parent project LR and its topics work fine.

I generate project GP as a child project merged in parent project LR, several of child project GP's topic files have not generated.

I tried to move the missing files from the main GP generated folders into LR's child version of GP where they should appear, but I get this message: "Cannot move file abcd: The filename, directory name, or volume syntax is incorrect".

The topics that did generate properly, both new and old, do appear to open to the correct pages when clicked in the TOC.

[Peter Grainge]

Agh! You are trying to create a merge within a merge. Merged help is a single parent family!

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Do you mean because I tried to copy files from one project into another 'manually'? That's fine, I just tried it out of desperation to get those files to appear in the child project. 

But I am still left with the issue of certain child topics not appearing when I generate GP as a child project in LR. I don't know what it is about them that they are fine generated on their own, but not within another project.

[RoboColum_n_]

Peter is asking whether you are merging a project in a project that is itself merged as part of another project. Merging only works with teo levels. For example Project A is a parent into which Projects B - D are merged. You can not have Project A into which is merged Projects B and C and Project D merged into Project C.

[Guest]

Oh no no, this is strictly a case of merging one project into another.

[RoboColum_n_]

OK but in your precious response you mention generating project GP as both a parent AND a child. Can you check your previous post and outline exactly what you are doing. Also you say you tried to move the topics that weren't appearing but found you got an error. Where were you moving them from and to. It would be really helpful if you could post an image or two of what you are seeing and doing to help us along.

[Guest]

We generate project GP as a stand-alone project hosted elsewhere, as well as generate it again from RoboHelp a second time as a merged project within LR. I guess 'parent' for the stand-alone generation of GP was a poor choice of words. I mentioned that just because its files all generate properly when it is generated as a stand alone project.

I tried moving the files from the stand-alone GP project into the mergedProjects/GP folders in parent project LR where the files are missing, just to see if it could be done, but it would not allow me.

I'll see what I can do about putting up some images when I get to work, though I am limited because it is an internal government manual.

[RoboColum_n_]

I am wondering if this is an access issue. The fact that you can't even copy / paste files into the publish location would seemto explain why the files are not put there when you publish. Get someone to check the access you have and try again.