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Copying/importing tables into Robohelp

Community Beginner ,
Dec 21, 2008 Dec 21, 2008

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Hi all,

I can't find any method at all to easily import/copy tables into RH 7 HTML.

I have a client that lost the RH sources for a CHM.

So I used a tool called KeyTools to "rip" the CHM into its component files, including all the CHMs.
Then I imported the retrieved project into RH (and also recovered the TOC, using a different trick, whose details I won't go into).
However, just by chance, I was flicking through the RH project topics and I noticed a number of empty tables.
On comparing with the originals, I saw that the tables had been trashed and replaced with mere ghosts of what once were. On further investigation, I found that the culprit was not KeyTools, but the RH *import* function. I have also since double checked that. So now I have a whole lot of tables and I have no easy method of getting them back into the RH project; not import, not copy HTML, and certainly not a straight copy using design mode. All I can do is to rebuild the tables.

Any ideas here?

Tia

- avi

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Community Expert ,
Dec 21, 2008 Dec 21, 2008

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I don't follow the reference to "importing". See the Reverse Engineering article on my site. You should be able to get a project that opens in RH using the HHP file, complete with TOC, good tables and so on.

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 22, 2008 Dec 22, 2008

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have narrowed down the definition of the problem.

The original author created a large number of irregular tables, i.e., with
different rows having different numbers of cells. In the simplest case, the
author decided to "merge" cells of the top row and use that row as the
"title paragraph", but there are many more complex table designs. Now all
these tables in the HTM files (extracted from the CHM by using KeyTools) are
perfectly rendered by MS Visual Express Web Developer, but when I try
importing the HTM file into RoboHelp, or by copy+pasting the table's HTML
code into the RH HTML view, the table's structure and data gets trashed. In
the simplest case, as above, where the author decided to "merge" cells of
the top row and use that row as the "title paragraph", then the solution is
simple, I use an HTML editor to remove that row from the table, leaving the
rest of the table as a perfectly regular table, which RH then renders ok and
I get back the structure and all the data. However, there are some cases
where the table design is complex includes lots of merged cells, and that
remains a problem.


Conclusion:

Before writing my conclusion as an assumption (assuming the author used
RH...) I decided to actually try out the round trip myself. Using RH I made
a new topic, "New Topic", and in it I created a simple irregular table
(merged the top row of cells, as above). Then I generated the CHM, then
decompiled it using KeyTools and RH Help Studio (both tests), and checked
the New_Topic.htm file with a good HTML editor and I see it is as I created
it. Then I imported it into RoboHelp, and lo and behold, it trashed the
table.


Moral:

If you are worried about ever losing your sources, do not create irregular
tables with RH.

Isn't it written somewhere in some holy book (different type of "sources")
something like "don't do unto others that which you yourself cannot cope
with"?.

- avi

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Community Expert ,
Dec 22, 2008 Dec 22, 2008

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Did you try what I suggested?

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 22, 2008 Dec 22, 2008

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>> Did you try what I suggested?
Yes. That's what I have been using in order to perform the retrieval of the HTMs and the RoboHelp project. Thanks particularly for the section "Index and TOC Lost" - that helped a lot.

Some other party has now confirmed that Robohelp cannot import ("has an issue with") nested and irregular tables.

Well, it was more satisfying to work it out myself. However, I forfeit on the satisfaction and wish I could get the hours back. Anyway, it's my client's fault for losing their sources...

Tnx

- avi

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Community Expert ,
Dec 22, 2008 Dec 22, 2008

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Yes I saw Paula's response. The only issue I was aware of was merged cells in the final column in RH6. However I don't have to work with complex tables so that is probably what Paula has seen more of.

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 22, 2008 Dec 22, 2008

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Now I have plenty of hours of table rebuilding to do...

Peace ...

- avi

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