Merged TOC Links are Missing

[EileenT]

Please help! I cannot get the sub-project individual page links to open from the major projects TOC.
The .hhp contains the Contents file and is correct.
The sub-project .chm file is contained as baggage in the Major project folder.
The subproject's hhc file is current. It also displays correctly when the .chm for sub-project is opened directly in the major project's folder. Just not from the Major project's .chm...what is going on? I even copied the sub-projects .hhc file in the major projects folder with the .chm.
Help! Please!

[RoboWizard]

Hi EileenT and welcome to our community.

First off, I think you have a general misunderstanding of how merged .CHM files work. All should be separate files and typically stored in the same folder location. I say this because you mention that you have added the sub to baggage. This would cause the sub .CHM to be stored inside the master .CHM.

So have you tried simply ensuring that both .CHM files are inside the same folder?

Cheers... Rick

[EileenT]

Hi Rick and thanks for answering!
Well, I didn't mean to suggest that I added the sub-project .chm to baggage, RH did when I added the .chm thru Merge Project in the TOC within the major project. Hope that made sense. Really, you shouldn't need to do more than merge the project into the major project's TOC, correct. RH automatically places the sub-project .chm in the same folder with the master.chm and all should work, correct?

[RoboWizard]

Hi EileenT

Okay, I think you are possibly confusing the TOC entry point and the MergeFiles section of the HHP to mean baggage. No biggie. As long as the file isn't truly in baggage, you should be fine.

Okay, now for something completely different. When you decide to merge, RoboHelp dutifully and helpfully copies the other .CHM file to the same folder. But here is where the process goes wonky on you. The process does not copy the other .CHM to the !SSL!\Microsoft_HTML_Help folder where the output normally ends up. Consequently, if you just click the View button once the compile is finished, you don't see the other file, because it's not there.

Hopefully this makes sense... Rick 🙂

[EileenT]

Yes, the file truly resides in Baggage (I didn't put it there, RH did). It is also in Merge Files in hhp where it belongs. The folder (major) contains the Major.chm and Subproject.chm. It contains the .hhc for the Major. And, if you want another zinger...if I use the Search tab in my major project and search on one of the topics in the subproject, it finds it and displays it beautifully! So it has to be the TOC, which I have rebuilt endless times for both major and sub...displays beautifully in subproject even outside of my subproject's folder, but not thru the major toc. Keep trying though...you are probably going to suggest I recreate the major project from scratch.. E.

[MergeThis]

You say: "The folder (major) contains the Major.chm and Subproject.chm. It contains the .hhc for the Major."

First, the CHM output does not need the HHC file (unlike the old Winhelp HLP that required its matching CNT file).

Second, you should really be generating your output (CHM) to another folder, entirely separate from your project folder. That is, never to the default SSL folders. For example, C:\ XYZmerge would contain the major and minor project folders, but you would generate your output to C:\ XYZgenerate. (This is all configured on the first page of the Generate wizard.)


Good luck,
Leon

[EileenT]

Rick and Leon, thanks for responding to my plea for help. I ended up coming in this a.m. and just recreating my master project. Now I'm on the right track. My project looks great again. I got carried away with moving and deleting some files using Explorer and I believe I just crossed over one too many .chm files. I probably deleted the last .chm sub-project I used in my last master compile and fried the project. Ah well, at least all the real work of writing the content is still there! Thanks again. Later...
ET

[Guest]

Merged project pages are listed in the TOC but will not display when selected? But a Search for these ‘missing’ pages returns viewable results? You have a minor problem with your TOC settings. Follow the procedure below to solve it:
1. Open the master project that references the external .chm files.
2. Click the Project tab.
3. Open the Single Source Layout folder.
4. Right-click Microsoft HTML Help (Primary Layout) and select Properties.
5. Click the Advanced button.
6. Select the TOC Styles tab.
7. Alongside the Default Window section click the drop down and select <Default>.
8. Ensure that any previously generated .chm files are deleted using Windows Explorer before regenerating your Primary Layout. Open and delete the files from the directory specified in the Select Output Folder and File Name text box in the Properties window attached to the Microsoft HTML Help (Primary Layout) (see above).
9. Generate your Primary Layout.

Duncan