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"Synchronize Table of Contents" stops functioning in output at one point

Explorer ,
Jul 30, 2009 Jul 30, 2009

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Greetings,

I am publishing as WebHelp and the TOC/Navigation synchs and displays where I am in the documentation as I navigate using "Previous" and "Next" links within each content page.

Up to a point. Then it fails, And it continues to fail even where it had worked before.

The page where the synch breaks down and the page whose "Next" link leads to it, but can find nothing wrong. I have tried deleting the page where the synch breaks down and creating a new file in its place and a new TOC link in the project, to no avail. I have also tried deleting and recreating the entire TOC (which is quite extensive and the auto-generate makes a hash of it which is very time consuming to fix -- but that's another story).

So, what is going on with the synch display at this particular juncture. I can see nothing remarkable in the source code for either the page where the synch breaks down or the page with the "Next" link that opens it. Nor do I have any idea why the whole synch display breaks down and stops after reaching this one page even where it was working previously.

Attached is a zip of the output files. The file with the "Next" link is in a folder named "Chapter_5_Google_AFV_Ad_Campaigns" and the file itself is named "Section_II_CreatePlaceholder_forNewCampaign.htm." The file where the TOC/Nav synch fails is in a folder called "Chapter_6_ScanScout_ Ad_Campaign" and the file is named "Section_I_CreateNewCampaignforAdvertiser.htm"

I'd provide a link to the online Help but it's in a protected staging server.

Ideas? Solutions? This is urgent.

Thanks.

Steven

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LEGEND ,
Jul 30, 2009 Jul 30, 2009

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Hi there

Try editing your WebHelp Single Source layout properties. Click the next button twice and configure the speed optimization to Local PC. Then generate again. See if this solves your issue.

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Jul 30, 2009 Jul 30, 2009

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No, it doesn't. Don't see why it would either.

Are we down to "computer voodoo" with this?

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LEGEND ,
Jul 30, 2009 Jul 30, 2009

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Hi again

stevenjs wrote:

No, it doesn't. Don't see why it would either.

Are we down to "computer voodoo" with this?

Not really. Here was my line of thought. Remember that your Single Source Layout is equivalent to a recipe that governs the "ingredients" that end up in the output. As each page is modified it is injected with different bits of JavaScript. One of the scripts injected (assuming the Single Source Layout recipe has included it as an ingredient) causes a script to fire that handles synchronizing the topic with the TOC location.

When the typical settings are used, the TOC data is broken into many smaller byte sized chunks during the WebHelp generation process. When the user loads up the WebHelp, the first layer of books loads into the TOC area. Once complete, the second layer loads and so on. Because this happens in stages, occasionally a link is clicked early on that attempts to synchronize the TOC to an area that hasn't been loaded yet. In that case, no synchronization will occur because the data simply isn't there.

By configuring the WebHelp recipe Speed Optimization to Local PC, you are telling WebHep to keep the TOC data in a single larger file. And this often corrects the synchronization issue we hear about.

Your issue may be completely different, which probably explains why the setting seems to have no effect in helping your situation. But there you have it. The full monty on why I suggested what I did. (Since you pondered why the setting would even matter. )

Cheers... Rick

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Advisor ,
Jul 30, 2009 Jul 30, 2009

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Your zip file probably won't be cleared by the censors until tomorrow, but my first reaction was: holy crap! Those are some reeeealllly long folder & file names!

Also, is "Chapter_6_ScanScout_ Ad_Campaign" a typo, or do you really have a space betweeen "Scout_" and "Ad_Campaign"? If so, not good...

Good luck,

Leon

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Explorer ,
Jul 30, 2009 Jul 30, 2009

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Thanks, Leon. Was a space. Good catch.

But removing it has not caused any change in the problem.

In other guides where everything works, the file and folder names (vs. the titles as they appear in the Nav/TOC) are even longer.

Another issue I neglected to mention at the outset, not only does the synch no longer work once one gets to Chapter 6, Section I, but one can no longer open any of the "books." The whole Nav gums up.

What's this about "censors?" Are you kidding?

Steven

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Advisor ,
Jul 31, 2009 Jul 31, 2009

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No, I'm not kidding; see how your zip file is still labeled QUEUED? That means that it remains unavailable for download until the censor/monitor determines that it does not contain anything offensive/dangerous.

As to the TOC thing, I'd delete the pages under that "Chapter 6, Section I" book, and then the book itself, and recreate it. See if that helps. I kinda think, though, that the whole numbering thing might be problematic. Since your chapters might get restructured as the documentation evolves, numbering seems counter-productive, as well.

Are you aware that:

  • The Topic Title and File Name entries do not have to agree (General tab of Topic Properties window).
  • The Topic Title  does not have to agree with your Heading 1 title within the topic.
  • Once you have established a book (with or without a link to a page) and pages in the TOC, you can rename those TOC entries to anything you want.

Therefore, you could have:

  • TOC entry "New Campaign Placeholder Creation"
  • Topic Title "Create_Placeholder_for_NewCampaign"
  • File Name  "cre8_phold_new_camp.htm"
  • Heading 1 title of "Creating a Placeholder for a New Campaign"

Once we can get a look at that potentially dangerous zip file, we might be able to help more.

Good luck,

Leon

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LEGEND ,
Jul 31, 2009 Jul 31, 2009

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LOL - I'm not sure I'd call it censoring. But I suppose it technically fits the bill.

I usually refer to it as a forum moderator having to approve it.

You say toe may toe, I say toe mah toe...

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LEGEND ,
Jul 31, 2009 Jul 31, 2009

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Hi again

I should also add that there are free services that allow transfer of files. Adobe themselves offer a service using Acrobat.com

Click here to visit Acrobat.com

Or, you could use YouSendIt or TransferBigFiles

Click here to visit YouSendIt

Click here to visit TransferBigFiles

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Jul 31, 2009 Jul 31, 2009

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I am aware of all those things, thanks.

As for numbering, the occasional renumbering is not onerous, while the structural clarity is well worth the risk. It's nothing compared to having to revamp the internal Previous-Next navigation, something which the RH developers I believe could and really should automate. That internal nav is a hefty addition to usability, but hard to maintain manually.

However, I am not one to wait around on censors, benign or otherwise, so I renamed the existing RH project folder, created a new RH project using the same name as the old, created new folders to match, and imported all the old html files into them, and but for a few adjustments to the prev-next nav, everything came out hunky dory.

So many thanks for your thoughtful interest, but the problem is solved.

Unless you're really curious to know how RH can goof things up. Very buggy app, I must say, seems to have gotten more so since the <kadov> days.

Steven

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Advisor ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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By "automating the internal Previous-Next navigation," do you mean the Browse Sequence? If so, the RH developers have provided you with the "Auto-create using TOC" option. Any further work is left entirely up to you, which it should (some would call it freedom). For example, many authors like to provide functional browse sequences that do not mirror the TOC structure at all (the TOC structure is often the product of engineering/marketing decisions, and can therefore be less-than-user-friendly).

Are you entirely sure that the difference between your brand-new "hunky-dory" help and your previous dysfunctional version is completely the result of RH bugginess? Although some RH actions can be quirky, I've found that some of my issues have simply been the result of shooting myself in the foot.

If you feel strongly enough about the certainty of your "buggy" diagnosis, then by all means submit a wish list or bug report to RH.

Good luck,

Leon

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LEGEND ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Hi there

To expound on Leon's excellent reply here, if you *ARE* talking about the Browse Sequence, a little known trick to making it exactly mimic the TOC structure is to use the automatic creation based on TOC feature, but configure the TOC level setting for 0. Most folks stop at 1 and when they do that, they end up with a new sequence for each book that is encountered at the first TOC level. Not one long giant browse sequence as they desired.

tmp1.png

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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They'd have to pay me to detail the very long list of bugs in RH 7 and 8. Sometimes I think no one tested half the features before its release. Worst thing, some bugs are intermittent.

As for "shooting oneself in the foot," there are huge dependencies on this forum for failures in the ware and its Help both.

Here's an example of what I mean by Previous-Next in some very old work, though it is no more than what it sounds like.

http://mywebniche.com/ID/MCNY/RoboHelp/Faculty_IQWeb/userGuide/CourseHome.htm

Where does a "browse sequence" appear? within the page? How is it expressed? Can I see an example?

Thanks.

Steven

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LEGEND ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Hi Steven

Take a look at the link below:

Click here

There is a link on that page very near the top that will reveal an image of them in WebHelp/FlashHelp.

Cheers... Rick

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LEGEND ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Hi again

What you listed as Previous / Next navigation in your link is not anything RoboHelp would provide out of the box. My guess is that either a RoboHelp hack has been used or there has been some custom coding added.

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Not at all clear from your link what a "browse sequence" is. I'd need to see it live.

As for "Previous / Next navigation in your link is not anything RoboHelp would provide out of the box" -- that is a sickening shame. Obviously, usuability is very low on the RH development list.

Steven

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Advisor ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Could you provide a screenshot of your version of a "Previous / Next navigation", using the Insert Image icon above (the camera)? And perhaps the underlying html code for it?

Good luck,

Leon

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LEGEND ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Here Leon, I'll click the link for you...

Click the image to see larger...

tmp1.png

And here is the code behind it:

   <p><a title="Overview: What is IQ.Web?" href="what_is_iqweb.htm" onmouseover="if ((parseInt(navigator.appVersion) == 4) && (navigator.appName == 'Netscape')) ehlp_showtip(this,event,'Overview: What is IQ.Web?');" onmouseout="if ((parseInt(navigator.appVersion) == 4) && (navigator.appName == 'Netscape')) ehlp_hidetip();"><img src="../red_left.jpg" x-save-file="TRUE" x-save-method="compute-relative" alt="Go to the previous topic in this sequence." width="24px" height="19px" align="left" border="0" class="img_whs6">previous</a></td>

From what I'm seeing, someone (I'm guessing not the OP) used a blend of two different outputs to achieve this. One was probably genning traditional WebHelp and using the images, then the second was genning skinned FlashHelp. Then probably replacing the topics in the FlashHelp with the WebHelp.

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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That was made with an old <kadov> version of RH.

The code for this in RH 8 is as simple as can be:

<p class="FM_Normal"><a title="Overview" href="Overview.htm"><img
   src="../red_left.jpg" alt="go to previous page" title="go to previous page"
   style="border: none; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 0px;
   margin-bottom: 0px;" width="24" height="19" align="left" border="0" />previous</a></p>

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LEGEND ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Hi there

So you are simply manually constructing the links then?

That seems to be what you have described.

To my knowledge, that wouldn't have anything to do with why synchronizing with the TOC would fail.

Cheers... Rick

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Explorer ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Right, it has nothing to do with the synch failure.

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Advisor ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Then, I suggest you mark this posting as Answered. Other unrelated issues should be dealt with in separate posts.

Good luck,

Leon

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Explorer ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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Leon, here's a link, same as above. Make all the screenshots you like.

http://mywebniche.com/ID/MCNY/RoboHelp/Faculty_IQWeb/userGuide/CourseHome.htm

There is nothing special about the code. It's just an "Insert Hyperlink" on selected text/image for the previous and next page. Use cases show almost no one uses the side nav when content is sequential and prev/next is available. "Browse sequence" is a poor imitation, and likely more confusing than useful if it's yet another layer of side nav.

Steven

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Explorer ,
Aug 03, 2009 Aug 03, 2009

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LATEST

The question is answered, but there is no interface to designate my own response as the "correct" answer.

As I said, " I renamed the existing RH project folder, created a new RH project using the same name as the old, created new folders to match, and imported all the old html files into them, and but for a few adjustments to the prev-next nav, everything came out hunky dory."

That's closer to an answer than any other.

Thanks.

Steven

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