RH7 - Conditional Builds and CSH

[Guest]

I have a project that has full online help and also context sensitive help. I was wondering if I have to generate the files in two seperate folders, one for the full online help and one for the context sensitive stuff or can they coexist in the same location? The guy before me pretty much exported the project into two seperate folders which is why I am asking.

Thank you for your assistance.

[RoboColum_n_]

There should be no need to produce the help file twice at all provided the output for the CSH and the main help are the same. Just generate once and use the combination of the map file and the application's API call to display the output the way you want. Was the previoius author producing two different outputs to display in different windows? If so, I believe this can be done from the API thereby negating the need to produce two outputs.

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Read the RoboColum(n).

[Guest]

Correct. The CSH was using a window without the navigation and while the main help did and they were the exact same help files.

Any idea how to do it all under one, using the API?

[Peter Grainge]

It's easier to explain this with the method of calling help using URLs.

If your URL is

startpage.htm#path/targettopic.htm

The help opens with the navigation as that is in the startpage.

If your URL is

path/targettopic.htm

The help opens without the navigation as you are just calling the topic, not the topic plus the navigation.

Somewhere in the call your developer needs to make the calls so that they work in the same way.

You only need one output.

Above the CSH view there will be a link that reads Show (by default). That opens the navigation. Personally I prefer help that opens with the full navigation and the CSH topic. The user can immediately see there is much more help.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Guest]

That all makes sense. I'm curious where the conditional build comes into play though? I happen to have a two conditional builds, one for the full help and one for the context sensitive help. The build for the CSH removes images and certain text that just doesn't apply to it while the full help removes a close button I added at the bottom of every page for the CSH. Maybe in this instance I would need two seperate "builds"?

[Peter Grainge]

Did I mIss a reference to the CSH topics being different by virtue of the content being different?

If that is the case, then you do need two outputs and in the CSH build you would not want the Show link. You suppress that in the wizard. To my mind, that is the worst way of presenting help. The user gets the information for the screen or field they are in but cannot get to the full help.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Guest]

I agree, but I don't have much say in the project