Setting a user defined variable at topic level?

[Nick27]

RH8 HTML

I want 2 topics to use the same snippet, in this snippet are several variables, and I want to set these variables at the topic level. Because these topics carry the same information, accept for some very minor thing, i.e button names and a screenshot. So I want to single source as best I can.

Though I cant find anyway to set a user defined variable at the topic level.

Is this possible?

Thanks

[Captiv8r]

Hi Nick

This isn't the first time I've seen this request put forward. Unfortunately I'm not sure we ever arrived at a good conclusion the last time someone asked.

Try the link below to see if you can glean any information.

Click here to view

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[Peter Grainge]

My suggestion would be to create a snippet and a variable with  very similar names to remind you to edit them separately. I think that what was discussed before was the ability to have editable areas within a Snippet and that would cover this.

The more people who report a bug or request a feature, the more likely it is to be actioned. Please follow this link.

http://www.Adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=38

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Nick27]

Peter Grainge wrote:

My suggestion would be to create a snippet and a variable with  very similar names to remind you to edit them separately. I think that what was discussed before was the ability to have editable areas within a Snippet and that would cover this.

The more people who report a bug or request a feature, the more likely it is to be actioned. Please follow this link.

http://www.Adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=38

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Im confused....how would this work? The snippet would contain a variable....but variables can only be set globally....and if I have to edit something in the snippet then this change will occur across both topics that use it, essentially making them the same.

[Peter Grainge]

Two Snippets.

SnippetName

SnippetName_B

Both are the same except SnippetName_B contains a different variable or the value is just text.

You will have to discipline yourself to know that if you change SnippetName, you have to amend SnippetName_B as well.

It's not elegant but it would work.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Nick27]

Yes, but I still have to maintain both snippets individually, If I want to update either one, then I have to update both......so I may as well have to topics, turning them into snippets provides no additional purpose, unless of course I use them in other places, but at the moment they aren't.

[Peter Grainge]

I was thinking of the future when you might use them more extensively but mostly about the fact that having the snippets is a reminder that the information, with slight variances, is in more than one topic.

Without using snippets, if you go to one topic you could edit it and forget the other topic. With snippets, when you go to one topic, you see the snippet and when you edit that, you see the other snippet and get a reminder.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Nick27]

Yeah...I read the same post before I threw my idea out, thought that perhaps someone had come across something since then, or perhaps it had been introduced in version 8

Lots of good ideas, and I dont see why they couldnt be done by  Adobe....and why they havnt been done already, I know we shouldnt discuss other author products here, but another major authoringIT tool allows this. and its very very useful. being able to set variables at topic level is incredible useful, and if the variable isnt set then it will apply the 'global' variable. whether or not that topic is using snippet data or not should be irrelevant.

Placing snippets within snippets, which also cant be done in RH, is extremely useful if you need it.

surprising that at a version 8, things like this havnt come into production....another one to add to the wish list.

very sad.

[Captiv8r]

Hi Nick

Well, hoping I don't add any fuel to the fire here, but...

Version 8 isn't really version 8. Logically, it's version 16! And that probably surprises you. Maybe even frustrates you! But there's even another twist here. From the Adobe perspective, it's version 3. Adobe acquired Macromedia. At the time, RoboHelp was at version X5. Logically version 13. So seeing the "5" in there, Adobe naturally assumed 6 would seem logical I suppose.

On the Snippet variable thing, I'm thinking you might be able to work around it a smidge by using a bit of JavaScript magick. Define the variable in the Topic using JavaScript and insert some script in the Snippet to dynamically write in the variable content found in the topic.

Aside from that, probably the best we can all do here is to exercise using the Wish Form to ask for these features.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks