How come some of my links don't work in my merged project?

[lovejoyp]

I am working with RH8 and have set up a merged project according to the Grainge new method. The following is the file structure for my project (working) files:

C

     DocsandSettings

        MyName

             Mydocs

                 MyrobohelpProjects\

                      Help

                          Help file (this contains the redirect to SSHelp\Help.htm)

                          SSHelp

                              Children

                                  Help

                                     Main_Help_Page_files\Main_Help_Page.htm

                                  Achild

                                      A_Help\A_Help_files\A_Child.htm

                                 EChild

                                      EHelp\EHelp\EHelp_files\EChild.htm

I can link from Help to A_Child.htm. I cannot make the link from Help to Echild.htm

I generate to C\Merged\mergedProjects then the child files are all in their separate folders.

What Am I doing wrong?

Pat

[Peter Grainge]

I'd rather see a screenshot.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[lovejoyp]

Ok, i attached a file. Hope this help.

Pat

[lovejoyp]

I got an error message trying to attache them. Here they are but these aren't very good.

[Peter Grainge]

Your structure is wrong.

You have the source child projects in a a folder that is within the parent.

SSHelp is the parent and that should be in a folder called whatever you want, let's call it AllProjects.

So you should have AllProject with two subfolders, one called SSHelp and the XPJ for the parent will be in the SSHelp folder. The other will be called children. At the moment children is in the parent project folder.

I don't recommend having your projects within My Documents etc. I know that is the RH default but it leads to long paths that can cause problems.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[lovejoyp]

Ok, so let me see if I understand this. My help structure for working files should be like this --

All projects (folder)

Parent (folder)

ssHelp.htm

ssHelp.xpj (file that will have the redirect to Achild.htm)

Children (folder)

Help (folder)

MainHelpPage.htm

Achild (folder)

Achild.htm

Echild (folder)

Echild.htm

Should the Help, Achild and Echild folders also contain the .xpj files for those children?

Can I move the whole structure under C\RHWorking or will everything break?

In my current structure the Achild actually links. I wonder why??

Pat

[Peter Grainge · Accepted solution]

That looks better. The XPJ will always be in the root folder for that project.

Download the example on my site. You will see it first hand that way.

The way you had things links between child projects should have worked and links between the parent and any child would have broken. Make sure you are creating the links they way I describe. The relative path is very important.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[lovejoyp]

I set up the new structure. However, it didn't help.

My starting file is a child called Help. Then there are children Ahelp and Ehelp. I have always been able to link the children Help and Ahelp. I cannot link Help to Ehelp.

I set the working file structures up exactly the same. I set the merged structures up exactly the same but nothing seems to work.

It's almost quitting time here so I hope I can think of something next week.

By the way, I downloaded your example but it won't run on RH8. It says it's converting it then nothing happens.

But thank you for your time and patience. You deserve a medal (nice bottle of wine, good meal, money) for the good work you do.

Pat

[Peter Grainge]

Visit Adobe's site where there is a later version of the article and a RH8 demo.

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/robohelp/articles/merged_help.html

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[lovejoyp]

I got the files to link!!!!!

Thank you for hanging in there with me.

I moved all the files around, created a new help on the C drive and linked everything. That seemed to do it. I'm guessing the files didn't know where they were supposed to go because my structure was such a mess. Once I straightened that out it worked.

Thank you so much for the links to your instruction files. I couldn't have done it without them.

Pat