Edit files in a RoboHelp HTML 8 Project without using RoboHelp

[yodadee]

Hi:

I created a RoboHelp for HTML 8 project with Microsoft HTML being the primary output.

Now my client insists that they want to be able to edit the output without using RoboHelp for HTML.

I don't think that this is possible I open up one of the html files in a text editor, changed a word, then open up the compiled help file without regenerating it in RoboHelp. As expected, they topic in the compiled help file did not make the change to the html file that I edited in the text editor.

Is there a way my client can recompile the help without using RoboHelp for HTML 8 and be able to have the newly compiled help reflect any changes they make in the html file using a text editor?

Any help would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks Greg T.

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Hi,

They can edit the output files directly. Also, they can change the source files outside RoboHelp and only use RH to create the new output. (Possibly only trough the command line.) This however means that they're stuck with the TOC and possibly index, unless they plan on changing all RH files directly.

If they want it to be easy, RoboHelp is the way to go.

Greet,

Willam

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[Amebr]

Obviously Willam's comments about editing the output do not apply to MS HTML Help. It is possible with RH Webhelp (and possibly Flashhelp and Airhelp Web output, but I'm not familiar with those formats), but not particularly nice.

As he states, the easiest way is to continue using RH to edit the source and recompiling as needed.

With the chm files, they could decompile the chm, then edit and recompile in the free Microsoft HTML Help Workshop application, but they would lose RH specific functionality like build and conditional tags (and possibly drop-down hotspots - or at least not be able to add them easily). Additionally, changes they made to these files would not be reflected in the RH source files either. (The HTML Help Workshop project could be imported as a new project into RH if required, but I'm not sure exactly how messy that would be.)

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Haha, missed that. Thanks for keeping an eye out.

Greet,

Willam

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[Guest]

Hi,

To add my tuppence worth, clients should always be advised against editing compliled output whatever the form.

The assumption that you can edit compiled output may be sort of true in some cases, (for example web help and pdfs) but it's a dangerous assumption.

Hyperlinks as well as table of contents and indexes are created and managed in the source tool (for example robohelp). If you let people mess with the output you run the risk of being asked for major updates created by messing with the output, not the source tools as I have been in the past. Not good...

[Peter Grainge]

And next time someone works on the project using RH, all those changes will not be in the source files. Cool!

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Amebr]

I did say it wasn't particularly nice, but some clients refuse to listen.

[Peter Grainge]

Put your warning in writing as it will still be your fault when it goes wrong!

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge