Working with snippets and user defined variables

[Nick27]

Hello all, forum was down all day?

Anyway, I have 2 questions.

1. With snippets, I create a new snippet absed on a topic, though the topic is not related to the snippet in anyway from what I can see. So I can create a snippet from a topic, and delete the original topic and keep the snippet? right. I would have thought the snippet would relate to the topic somehow.

Also, is there a feature somewhere to create folders to store/sort snippets, I am going to end up with alot, hundreds and would like to organise them if possible. having a huge list is a bit difficult to search after a while.

2. Regarding variables, is it possible to make variables display so they stand out ina  document, when I use them they appear as normal text and its hard to look at a topic and see where variables are used. something to set a color background or something.

Thanks for any help.

[RoboWizard]

Hi there

As you are referring to Snippets and Variables, we might conclude you are using version 7 or 8 of RoboHelp.

What version are you using?

There is no provision for orgainizing Snippets into folders. You should probably suggest it.

Variables normally show with green text in RoboHelp 8.

Cheers... Rick

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[Nick27]

Yes, my bad, RH8 HTML.

I made a few variables to test with, assigned a name, and a value, but when I drag it into a topic is displays the value. Is this how snippets are supposed to work?

Would kind of prefer it to display the variable name so it pops out at me quickly, rather than the value. or at least show the value but in some way that I can see its a variable and not a piece of normal text. The only time it shows is when I mouse-over the word and a small op up says its a variable.

Big shame about not being able to put the snippets in folders. Having a huge list will become very annoying. ah well.

thanks.

[RoboWizard]

Hi there

Nick@Tag wrote:

Yes, my bad, RH8 HTML.

I made a few variables to test with, assigned a name, and a value, but when I drag it into a topic is displays the value. Is this how snippets are supposed to work?

You asking if Snippets should work like Variables do? Or did you mean to ask if that's the way variables are intended to work? Actually I suppose the answer is the same. Both really work that way. The content of the Snippet or Variable appears in the topic. But with variables, you are able to change it when you generate. In version 8 you do this with different variable sets.

Would kind of prefer it to display the variable name so it pops out at me quickly, rather than the value. or at least show the value but in some way that I can see its a variable and not a piece of normal text.

RoboHelp 8 supports formatted variables. So what you could do is to edit the variable. Perhaps give it a bright red background to make it really stand out. Then just before you generate you could change it back. Or, you could declare another variable set. Perhaps call it Edit where the variable is formatted that way. Then when you generate you just choose the production variable set.

Cheers... Rick

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[Nick27]

OK thanks. I'm just wondering about variables now. the only problems I had with snippets really was the folder issue.

I thought that variables used in a doc had a visible color so you could see they were indeed variables, but mine are not displaying.

[RoboWizard]

Hi again

Did you try clicking View > Show > Fields? Maybe Fields are turned off. There should be a check mark next to the Fields option if fields are visible.

Cheers... Rick

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[Nick27]

yeah thats better, great thanks.

anyway to customise what color is uses? right now its dark green text and doesnt stick out much with black text, would be nice to put a color box or something over it.

[RoboWizard]

I thought I already offered a suggestion for handling that.

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