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Can RoboHelp9 Search information from other database besides itself

Guest
Aug 22, 2011 Aug 22, 2011

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Hi experts,

I just got the task to look into the RoboHelp's search function whether it could satisfy our needs:

we want to have a RoboHelp 9 to  host the information for contact center, and we already have couple of other database existed for different department that the agents from contact center might need to log in to search information.

the question is:

1. Is it possible, after RoboHelp 9 set up and configured, the agents could search and retrieve information not only resides in RoboHelp but also sits in other database?

2.Is it possible that from internet public users could search and retrieve information that sits in RoboHelp and other databases (that we allow them to go) ?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Fran

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Community Expert , Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

Not sure what you mean by your last paragraph - you may want to check out the blog post described in the help article - http://iconlogic.blogs.com/weblog/2011/02/adobe-robohelp-9-external-content-search.html#tp

It looks pretty cool (I don't use it myself in my projects because a lot of our clients are internet-restricted); you could also just add URLs to the search pages of the external websites (like some knowledgebase) and let the users do their own further searches.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 22, 2011 Aug 22, 2011

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Yes - have a look at AIRHelp

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Guest
Aug 22, 2011 Aug 22, 2011

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Hi Jeff,

Thanks, that's an encouraging answer. but would it be possible to elaborate a little bit more?

Great appreciated,

Fran

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LEGEND ,
Aug 22, 2011 Aug 22, 2011

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Welcome to our community, Fran

I'm guessing here that Jeff means in AIR Help, you are able to add additional Resources in the dialog. I'll show it below:

You may need to click it for a larger view

tmp1.PNG

But I'm doubtful this will actually provide what you are looking for. What does come to mind is a separate product called ZoomSearch. You can read more about ZoomSearch at fellow Community Professional Peter Grainge's site linked below:


Click here to visit Peter Grainge's site

Cheers... Rick

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Community Expert ,
Aug 22, 2011 Aug 22, 2011

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If the database can be accessed via a URL and has its own search, then the URL can be added. AIR itself will not search the datasource.

ZoomSearch can be set up to search on the help content and the database regardless of whether the latter can be accessed via a URL. You can have one search button that accesses both or you can have several searches targeting different areas.

You will not be able to set up ZoomSearch in locally installed AIR Help and you will have to modify the instructions a little for Browser based AIR Help. I think it will work there but I haven't tested it so I would create a simple test first. Back up your project before you start on that. It's not difficult to remove ZoomSearch from a project but a backup removes any worries.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Guest
Aug 23, 2011 Aug 23, 2011

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Thanks a lot!

It's a lot of learning...I am exploring AIR HELP...I will take a look at ZoomSearch tomorrow. and let you know how it goes.

Fran

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LEGEND ,
Aug 23, 2011 Aug 23, 2011

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Hi Fran

Explore AIR help if you like, but I just wanted to reiterate that the AIR Help format will not do as Jeff is suggesting. What you will need is another tool such as ZoomSearch combined with WebHelp to accomplish that.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day!

Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training

SorcerStone Blog

RoboHelp eBooks

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Guest
Aug 23, 2011 Aug 23, 2011

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Many thanks:)

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Community Expert ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Sorry for the brevity of my response - I was rushing around vacations here in the office.

What I was thinking of was the "External Content Search" found in the RH Community Help - http://help.adobe.com/en_US/robohelp/robohtml/WS1b49059a33f77726-4a8d842d12b5cb44e25-8000.html

Although it won't (as Peter says) do searches within other external URLs, you can certainly "load up" the file to contain many search terms and resources. I had always associated this feature with AIR Help, but the topic says it can work with other SSLs too. You can see it in action yourself while using the Adobe Community Help when you don't restrict your search to "Adobe reference only."

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Guest
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your answer. After I tested, now I understand what Peter and you said:

All the search terms loading up only helps to bring up that external link, and the terms could not be passed down to the search engine and directly return the result like the information from the project.

However, before moving to Zoomsearch, any of you could tell whether "Add Resources" and "Show Online Content-Specify the URL for online Help" in Adobe Air could contribute to more than just said above.

Thanks a lot!

Fran

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Community Expert ,
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Not sure what you mean by your last paragraph - you may want to check out the blog post described in the help article - http://iconlogic.blogs.com/weblog/2011/02/adobe-robohelp-9-external-content-search.html#tp

It looks pretty cool (I don't use it myself in my projects because a lot of our clients are internet-restricted); you could also just add URLs to the search pages of the external websites (like some knowledgebase) and let the users do their own further searches.

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Guest
Aug 24, 2011 Aug 24, 2011

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Thanks Jeff.it is cool:)

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Guest
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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Hi Peter,

I am exploring Zoomsearch 6. I have RoboHelp9 installed on my own computer which is Xp sp3.

1. what's the platform should I choose? ASP, ASP.net, JavaScript?

2. I want to start to search from RoboInfo (which is RoboHelp v5), and add external link like google.ca, which indexing mode should I choose: spider or offline?

3. Do I need to install webserver on my own computer to upload the index?

Thanks a lot!

Frances

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Guest
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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Sorry, I think I mgiht have misled you by my second question, I just re-ask all 3 questions:

I am exploring Zoomsearch 6. I have RoboHelp9 installed on my own computer which is Xp sp3.

1. what's the platform should I choose? ASP, ASP.net, JavaScript?

2. I want to start to search from RoboHelp9 and add external link like google.ca, which indexing mode should I choose: spider or offline?

3. Do I need to install webserver on my own computer to upload the index?

Thanks a lot!

Fran

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Community Expert ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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what's the platform should I choose? ASP, ASP.net, JavaScript?

See the ZoomSearch website limits for JavaScript. It is quite high in 6 and may well be sufficient for you. Otherwise you will need developer assistance for the other methods. My guess is JavaScript will be fine.

I want to start to search from RoboHelp 9 and add external link like google.ca, which indexing mode should I choose: spider or offline?

Spider and offline are ZoomSearch things and nothing to do with RoboHelp's external links. ZoomSearch works on what you can point it to but you CANNOT include the results of external search engines. External search doesn't do that. What it does is take the user to that search engine in response to a search term that triggers the link appearing in the results. Hope that's clear.

Do I need to install webserver on my own computer to upload the index?

I am not sure what you mean here. If you use ZoomSearch JavaScript method you can run the webhelp locally on your machine and have ZoomSearch work. If you use the other methods then you have to publish the help to a webserver and publish the ZoomSearch files to the webserver so see it work.

I think you need to set up a proof of concept using ZoomSearch javascript. Given that what you want, I believe, is one set of search results that pulls from your RoboHelp project and your database, I think you need to be working on this with one of your developers.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

Message was edited by Peter Grainge: CANNOT originally read CAN

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Guest
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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Hi Peter, thanks for your answer!

you are right,  what I need to achieve is to show people that from roboHelp9 I can get search result not only from RoboHelp project but also the result from google. It's clear that with just  RoboHelp 9 I can only see the google link but not the search result from google. so I do need ZoomSearch.

this is what I did and accomplished with zoomsearch:

I chose javascript as my platform, create a search engine for an intranet. and add RoboHellp publish_help as source. I am able to create indexing and see the zoomsearch webpage in my own computer. comparing to RoboHelp search, for the same term entered, both give me exactly the same result from the project, but because I have  added google.ca in RoboHelp's external link, so RoboHelp actually gave me one more result:www.google.ca in the end of the result.

my question are:

1. how to I add google.ca into zoomsearch? should I choose "create a search engine for an Intranet" or "Create a search engine for an online web site"? (I am choosing "intranet" now)

2. if "create a search engine for an Intranet" is right, should I choose "spider mode" or "offline mode" as method of indexing? (I am using "offline mode" now)

I don't see any place that I can add external link like google.ca in ZoomSearch engine Indexer. Did I choose the wrong options?

If I need use spider mode t, what should I enter for start URL?

Fran

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Community Expert ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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When you started this thread you were talking about searching a database which I took to mean something held on your company network. What you are now wanting is one search that amalgamates your robohelp content and Google results. As I said in my previous reply I don't think you can do that. If you could do that people would not have to go to Google itself and their advertising income would go.

I cannot imagine ZoomSearch's Create a Search for a Website would allow you to run Google's search algorithms as again they would be giving away their income stream.

I believe Google do offer various services that may achieve what you want but guess what, I think you will find you have to pay serious money for them.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Guest
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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Hi Peter,

I spoke with users today, and found out google is important to them besides the RoboHelp information, but not other internal database which I was told  when I started this thread.

In your previous post , you mentioned "ZoomSearch works on what you can point it to but you can include the results of external search engines. " and that's exactly what users are looking for.

but in your latest post, seems ZoomSearch could only search on RoboHelp project and other database held in our organization. but not external link like google. If so, I don't really need ZoomSearch as users don't search on RoboHelp and internal database in the same time now.  would you mind to confirm this?

I really appreciate it,

Fran

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Community Expert ,
Aug 25, 2011 Aug 25, 2011

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That will teach me to reply while watching something on TV. I have corrected the earlier post and apologise for incorrectly typing CAN when I was thinking CANNOT.

What exactly is it that the users want? It almost sounds like they just want to Google but there has to be more to it than that or you would not be here. I have something else in mind but need to know the workflow.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Guest
Aug 26, 2011 Aug 26, 2011

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Thanks Peter for your reply, so I would not continue to explore Zoomsearch. If you have anything in your mind could help to search and retrieve the results in roboHelp and Google in the same time would be really appreciated.

I would like to thank all of your input to help me understand this RoboHelp and ZoomSearch. I probably come back for ZoomSearch if users change their request. but for now, seems Jeff's last suggestion is the best solution.

Fran

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Community Expert ,
Aug 26, 2011 Aug 26, 2011

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I have made some enquiries and if I get the information needed, I will post back.

Jeff's suggestion is simply the external search where if a user searches on a keyword that you have put into the external search properties, the external search will be listed in the RoboHelp results. That will open Google within the help and then the user has to type the search term in.


See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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