Searches in generated Help Files

[NavHarry]

Hi,

I create help files for multiple customers from the same project. I have multiple table of contents with lots of topics that need to be customized for different customers. After I generate the help files I do a search as a test. The problem is that the Robohelp search result includes topics that I did not include in the table of contents.

thanks for your help

[RoboWizard]

Hi there

Indeed just because a topic is not in the TOC it is not excluded from search.

To exclude from search you need to use Conditional Build Tags.

Think of the TOC as you would a simple web page with links to other pages. Just because the link isn't there does not mean the page cannot be found.

Cheers... Rick

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[Peter Grainge · Accepted solution]

That is by design and desirable. The TOC is simply a way of bringing a reader's attention to key topics. It does not have to include all the topics in the build. Let me give an example.

I have a project with around 12,000 topics. Only a very small number of those would be in TOC, the rest being accessed from links in the topics.

All topics in Project Manager will be in the build by default. If you have some reason for leaving them in the project but do not want them in the build, such as different versions, then you need to apply a Conditional Build Tag and then use a Build Expression to exclude those topics when you generate the output.

You need to create different layouts for the different versions, each with the required build expression for that output.

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[EileenPalsson]

Isn't this what Properties -> Exclude From Search is for in RH8?

If so, it's not working -- at least in my project.

If not, its actual intended use escapes me.

Enlightenment would be appreciated.

Correction: Never mind, I found the info in a separate thread: http://forums.adobe.com/message/2354655#2354655

Namely, this functionality works for WebHelp but not CHM. (Why didn't Adobe say so in their help?)

[Captiv8r]

Hi Eileen

I'm hoping that you and all others that find this to be a problem will take a moment and file a bug with Adobe on it. I filed one for the Exclude from Search not working for CHM files, but got a note back stating something along the lines of "it's a limitation with the CHM format". Personally, I believe they can make it happen if they want to. After all, we can make it happen ourselves if we really want to put forth the effort. So the application needs to assist us by making it easier.

Cheers... Rick

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[Peter Grainge]

Eileen

You posted a question about this in Community Help. The purpose of commenting is to enable users to post comments that help others or provide feedback to Adobe how the help can be improved rather than being for asking questions. It just isn't designed for that. If you would like to post another comment pointing out this should be covered in the help, I'll be happy to approve that one so that it gets to the authoring team. The question however will have to be deleted. I'll do that when I approve the feedback comment.

I think this point is also covered in the RH Tour on my site. The fact that this option is not available to CHMs is not something Adobe can fix, it's simply that the Microsoft Help Compiler was not designed for it and only MS can change that.

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[EileenPalsson]

Peter,

Actually, I didn't ask a question. I pointed out that the functionality doesn't work (even though I neglected to mention that it doesn't work in CHM files, because I didn't understand that at the time) OR that it is not completely documented. The latter is the case here.

I thought one of the advantages of AIR Help is that users can point out errors in the documentation and tips to each other, and that writers can get feedback and correct errors & emissions that users find. Adobe already knows about this issue, so why is the Help not augmented to state that the "Exclude From Search" setting currently only works in WebHelp searches?

I appreciate the RH tour on your site, but I can't go take a new tour every time I have a question about RH functionality. It should be covered in the Help.

It is interesting that you and Rick are in disagreement about whether this functionality can be implemented for CHM files.

Thanks

Eileen

[Peter Grainge]

I stand corrected but nonetheless I read the comment as something that needed to be raised with Technical Support or via these forums and I see another moderator rejected the comment for the same reason.

Rick and I are not in disagreement as far as the fact that the MS compiler cannot handle the Exclude from Search option. Rick is saying that there is another way of doing that which I had overlooked, http://bit.ly/7bYDkx

I didn't mean to imply you should look at everything on my site first. I made reference to the tour in the hope that a look at it sometime might help with a future problem.

I agree the help should specifically state this method is not available with CHMs and, as I said, if you comment to that effect I will approve it so that it gets to the authors.

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