Not new; merged projects with separate TOC and indices

[sharon27lily]

As it turns out, I have three projects that will need to be created:

Folder (1) for Admin users:

Administration
User Management
Users (General Contents)


Folder (2) for Approver/PM users:

User Management
Users (General Contents)


Folder (3) for Regular users:

Users (General Contents)

I'm unsure whether, in RH6, I will be able to generate separate TOC and indices. Can someone tell me whether there's a best approach in order to enable this functionality?

Regards,

Sharon

[Peter Grainge]

If you are talking about one project with multiple TOCs etc, you need RH7 or RH8.

Can you explain more about your objective? I am not clear on what source project(s) and output(s) you are trying to achieve. Your heading and opening words sound a bit like this is following on from some other post.

[sharon27lily]

I originally posted on 1/22/09 about Using RoboHelp for Multiple/Merged Projects, when it appeared I'd have many more versions of the system.

I'm going to attempt to include the link here.

[Peter Grainge]

Maybe the number of projects envisaged was different but the other information you gave was relevant so it would have been better to update the original thread. Indeed, looking at just the information here, it would be all too easy to give the wrong response.

You could run one project and use CBTs. You would need different outputs and your developers would then have to control that. Leon has covered the options which remain valid whether there are three outputs or fifty.

Just one point on AIR help. The outputs can be local or web based, if web-based they are not entirely out of browser conflicts, at least, not last time I looked. Maybe the size of your organisation means that IT have dictated one browser which would negate that issue.

[sharon27lily]

Yes, you are right--I should have continued on the same thread.

I am leaning toward working with merged projects, basically because I can see each of the three projects becoming large--I'd estimate over 500-1,000 topics each. Also, there may end up being other roles added in the future.

Again, my concern remains focused on whether I can provide separate TOCs and indices, being that users should not be able to see the index for the administrators, etc.

Regards,

Sharon

[Peter Grainge]

You will need a parent project but if you follow my method of merging as described on my site, that has no content.

You would then have a child project with common content and one child per role.

You would generate the whole thing and it would be up to your developers to configure different solutions. They could install the whole merge and then control access to different children through permissions. That would, I guess, also involve IT administrators and could get messy and prone to error. Talk with your developers about that.

What might be better is that they create three folders for the help and direct users to the appropriate level via passwords.

FOLDER ONE - ADMIN USERS
Parent - No content
Child 1 (Common topics)
Child 2 (Admin)
Child 3 (Approvers)
Child 4 (Regular)

FOLDER TWO - APPROVERS
Parent - No content
Child 1 (Common topics)
Child 3 (Approvers)
Child 4 (Regular)

FOLDER THREE - USERS
Parent - No content
Child 1 (Common topics)
Child 4 (Regular)

As each user accesses the folder for them, the TOC and index will only contain their information.

[sharon27lily]

Thanks so much, Peter! I really appreciate your help.

Regards,

Sharon

[sharon27lily]

OK. Of course, nothing could be that easy, now can it? lol. I have managed to create the structure as Peter has defined it, and for the most part, things are looking good. I do, of course, still have a few questions I'd like to ask before I proceed:

1. When Peter suggests I put the [Parent (No Content)] into each of the three folders for the administrators to use on the server, what exactly does the Parent content entail?

2. I'd like to understand better the difference between the default topic and the start page, and how it works structurally. I started by generating each of the child folders with the start page (example: Intro.htm), but realized that using index.htm was important not only for the parent, but for each of the child projects that I set up. I just don't understand WHY it works that way.

3. I set up Books in the TOC and used the Merged Help under each book which, of course, when generated, display books within books. Can I just move the projects and delete the Books altogether? This may be obvious, but I want to make sure I'm not undoing something I'm unaware of undoing (if that makes any sense at all).

4. The server will be a Linux box; I have checked off the Use Lowercase checkbox when generating all. Is there anything else I should be doing to keep problems to a minimum?

5. Last but not least (if you've made it this far), I'd like to know if it is any easier for the administrator, or myself, in the long run, to be using RoboHelp 8. Because this looks like it will be an ongoing project for at least five years, I want to make sure I am working in the smartest way I can.

Thank you, to those who respond. I know I am asking for a lot of information, because this is my first merged project. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Sharon

[Peter Grainge]

1] Reread the article on my site. The parent has no content. It is a shell to make the merge work. You create the output which will have the parent output with subfolders for each child. Your developers mix and match those outputs for each user type as described in my earlier post.

2] Start page is what fires up the toolbar, the TOC pane and the default topic.

3] You don't set up books in the parent TOC, just the links to the child projects. Reread the article and look at the demo.

4] I cannot cover all bases on what might be in your project. If you set it as described, you should be OK. Let's cross the bridges when we come to them.

5] It's the best way I know.

[sharon27lily]

Thank you, Peter.

[Govadica]

Thank you for info peter. I really Appreciate.

TomTom

[sharon27lily]

I have set up three folders as indicated in Peter's message of 3/14, and have supplied these to my developer.

She is asking about the context path, in order to open each of the projects. I am not sure what to tell her.

I do believe that the paths to each project are being maintained through the parent folder, but don't know enough to be of assistance here. Can anyone help?

Regards,

Sharon

[sharon27lily]

I found the Calling WebHelp information on Peter Grainge's site, which answers all my questions on this issue.

Regards,

Sharon

[Peter Grainge · Accepted solution]

So please mark the thread as answered.