A strange layout problem...

[cry4blood]

Hey everyone

I have to make a small  accompanying site with Robohelp, and there seems to be some problems. No matter how many times I generate and compile, the result I get in the browser isn't the same as what I see in the WYSIWYG. Any suggestions?

I added the screenshots so you can see what I mean...

thanks in advance!

greets,

C4B

This is what it should look like. As you can see, the image is far more to the right so the text isn't forced into some tiny little box. The text just flows along aside the image and stops just about near the edge of the image...

this is what it looks like in the browser. I know the quality of the screenshot is pretty crappy, but I hope you can tell the difference: the text has obviously been forced into a text box with an a lot smaller width than the one that was shown as a preview in Robohelp...

[Guest]

I can't tell from the images quite how you laid out the text with the graphic, so bear with me.

I have found tables to be the best way to control column sizes in published WebHelp. If you are not in a table, I recommend it.

If you are already in a table, do you have your text in one column and your image in the next column? If you haven't, I would try that - you can specify the sizes of the two columns in pixels, or as a percentage of the window, and you can (I think) specify that the table is x% of the window and the image is y pixels, leaving the text column to spread out or condense based on the size of the window. These are all things HTML can do, but RH does sometimes play with your table formatting, so I can't guarantee results.

If you are already in a table, what is going on with the paragraph that is centered under the text/image block? Don't put that paragraph in a table row with merged cells. End the table and put in that paragraph as centered text. I have my doubts about merging HTML table cells - I know it's possible, but I get hosed up badly every time I try.

Just some things to start with - and BTW, I adore your cartoon!

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

I posted a reply to this earlier and see it isn't here. My web connection was tossing its cookies and throwing a tantrum at the time so it looks like the post failed to update.

I do agree with what Elisa says about tables and using them to control layout.

What I intended to post earlier suggested that the image seems to show you already are using tables. I suggested adjusting the table to perhaps 100% of the width of the page (or another value) as it appears you have constrained the table to a specific width and that's what you don't like.

Cheers all... Rick

Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 within the day - $24.95! Click here for Adobe Certified Captivate and RoboHelp HTML Training Click here for the SorcerStone Blog Click here for RoboHelp and Captivate eBooks

[cry4blood]

hi,

@Elisa: thx for your reply and the compliment Yes, I've been using tables for the site layout. The problem is, wether I change it in WYSIWYG or in the True code section, Robohelp just stubbornly ignores all the changes I make. Sure, you can see the changes in WYSIWYG but it doesn't change when I see it in a browser. It just seems Robohelp just refuses to be useful. >.<

About the lower centered paragraph: it isn't made out of merged cells: I just made the layout with a table in the main body shape, so it is outside of the table. It truly isn't the problem, trust me, I deleted every sinlge part of code to see why the shoe doesn't seem to fit, and I am out of options

@captiv8tor: thx for your reply. Adjusting the width of the table - unfortunately - doesn't work.

And the most enfuriating thing of it all is: if I open the page without the TOC in a normal browser window, it DOES make the changes!!! >.<

thanks for your reply, I'll just try to force my boss to allow me to make the site with notepad or something...

greets,

C4B

[cry4blood]

Oh right, I forgot to change the status of the post ^-^

[Peter Grainge]

You said if you open the topic alone, the display is correct but if you open the help and navigate to the topic, the display is wrong. What if you navigate to the topic and then close the TOC. As the topic takes up the space, does it then correct?

If so, maybe adjusting the table and image width would fix things.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[cry4blood]

thx for the reply, I've been trying to change the size of the tables, en the TOC is making my life hell. I've found a site that has apparently managed to make the site fit next to the TOC, but my java isn't quite good enough to understand how they pulled it off. the site is www.iri.be Any suggestions would be more than welcome

greets,

C4b

[MergeThis]

I see from your image that the last paragraph is centered, but all the rest are aligned left.

Perhaps you're using some margin settings in your .css style sheet that are wreaking havoc here.

Good luck,

Leon

[Peter Grainge]

I'm not sure what they have done as if you use View Source and look for the text, you will not find it.

They have a contact address so why not contact them and see if their author is willing to advise you?

Contact me via my site at the end of next week if you are still struggling.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Amebr-ke0mH4]

I managed to get the source for that page, and they are using a table for layout - looks to just be 2 columns. It also looks like an old version as this is in the code: "RoboHelp by eHelp Corporation www.ehelp.com".

[cry4blood]

Hi everyone

thank you so very much for all your very helpful replies. I managed to work out the problem. The site isn't on yet, but at least now in the prototype it looks alright

greets,

c4b

[Peter Grainge]

For the benefit of anyone else hitting this problem, what was the answer?

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[cry4blood]

Would you believe I don't really know myself? I just started from scratch again, but instead of working in the true code tab, I only worked with WYSIWYG and now it works just fine... Pretty weird huh? The layout in WYSIWYG looks exactly the same as when I made the site with html, yet now it works

So frankly, I have no idea what I did differently...

greets,

c4b

[MergeThis]

Oh, of course...that's the "pull the pin, lob the grenade, close your eyes, plug your ears, and start over" solution!

Works every time.

Leon