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