Map IDs...where is the path generated for CSH?

[themint100]

Hi all,

I'm strongly considering biting the bullet and switching over to Webhelp from HTML Help. I think it's the right decision, but it's late in our devo cycle...<sigh>...anyway....

I read Peter Grainge's article about Merged Webhelp, and I think it does everything I need. Our project is relatively huge, and I'd like to tease it apart into subprojects that can be distributed separately (already read Peter's caveats about that).

Before I convert, however, I want to ask about CSH mapping. When we were working with HTML help and a single .chm file, I generated a map ID file, let's say "project.h". In our application, we embedded the topic ID (let's say "first_topic"). When a user pressed F1, the application scanned project.h, then opened the first_topic page in project.chm. Simple enough.

But with the Webhelp output, it seems that I have to specify the target *file* to load into the browser using the format:

parent#pathname

However, my project.h file only has something like this:

#define first_topic 1000
#define second_topic 1001

It seems that what I need is something like this:

#define first_topic 1000 parent#path/first_topic.htm
#define second_topic 1001 parent#path/second_topic.htm

So my questions:

1) If I switch over to Webhelp, and if I have only the topic IDs in the application, can I find the path for the associated help topic?

2) If I do a *merged* webhelp project (as Peter describes), with a 'dummy' parent and children for each 'real' project, how is that handled with regard to CSH?

Thanks in advance,

-Greg

[themint100]

A little more progress! Successfully got the merged webhelp example working as explained in Peter's article.

The merged webhelp presents a problem with the .h files. To use the CSH Test tool, you need to specify the .h file you want to test.

Since I had three subprojects, each with a separate .h file, I tried appending the .h files to each other into one file, and put it at the level of the \mergedProjects folder in the \generate and \publish directories.

Using the merged .h file, the CSH Test tool loads the right help into the help previewer, but not in the multi-frame mode. Is that right? Does the previewer not support the multi-frame capabilities of a browser?

Also *important*: when you generate or publish Webhelp, seems that the .h files don't get copied to the target output directories. They have to be copied from the project directories manually. (Bug?)

-Greg

[JanetSwisher]

Hi Greg,

Did you select "Two Pane" in the window properties when you defined the window in the various projects?

I am likewise trying to implement the "merged WebHelp with Map IDs" scenario, per the articles on Peter G's site. However, the problem that I have is that I do not get the right topics displayed, from either the previewer or the test page. As far as I can tell, I have followed the instructions correctly.

I have an example project I can zip and share, if anyone's interested.

--Janet

[themint100]

HI Janet,

I did select two panes from the window properties tick boxes. When you say you're not seeing the correct topics, do you mean in the TOC, or what?

-Greg