Multiple .js files being created

[gingerm]

I am using RoboHelp 8 to create WebHelp. The project is rather old and probably originated in RoboHelp 5. It's been worked on by many people over the years and at one point someone added a lot of javascript files. Recently, I notice that my output has been creating additional .js files but with the name slightly altered. For example, the file whlang.js is in my source directory but my output directory has both whlang.js AND whlang_nc.js. To make matters worse, I had been copying the new .js files into my source directory, then when I compiled again, I got ANOTHER .js file, whlang_nc_1.js. So I have all these .js files and I don't know which ones I can delete or not. I'm hoping someone can help me sort this out.

[Peter Grainge]

I am sorry to say you have a bit of an unholy mess to sort out.

It looks like you or someone else has published the webhelp to the source folders so they now contain these javascript files that should only be in the output. To make matters worse, unless you somehow managed to publish the topics to different folders, you will have overwritten your source files with output files. In RoboHelp they will be recognisable by red squares appearing.

Hopefully you have not overwritten the source but if you have, then Rick Stone's page will help.

http://www.robowizard.com/RoboWizard/NewProject.htm#MonthlyScry/062004.htm

Probably the easiest solution will be to create a new project and import the source files into that, if you have them.

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@petergrainge

[Captiv8r]

Hi folks

Hopefully Peter won't mind my suggesting an amendment to what he suggested.

Peter Grainge wrote:

Probably the easiest solution will be to create a new project and import the source files into that, if you have them.

First, by adding a pre-condition:

Assuming the source topics have not been overwritten, the easiest solution would be to create a new project and import only the topic files.

My point is that if you simply imported all the source files from the old project to the new, you would be carrying along all the old and unwanted crud, no?

Cheers... Rick

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[Peter Grainge]

Rick

I did specify to import source files (not output files). The unwanted stuff is the output files and the javascript files, they are not part of what I said to import. That of course assumes both source and output are in the project right now.

I'm not getting your point as we both seem to be saying to import source files.

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@petergrainge

[gingerm]

At this point my source files and ouptut files are the same.

If I create a new help project, can I just import these files, or do I need to create all new topic files (cut/paste text from old topics into new ones)?

[Captiv8r]

Hi Peter

The point was that you said source files. And that means things other than topics, no? And in that case, whoosh, along comes the unwanted javascript files too!

I simply wanted to clarify that we are talking specifically about "Topic Files". Not simply "Source Files". Further, we hope the Topic files are clean. Seeing as how there are likely WebHelp generated topic files that have replaced the nice clean originals, they are sullied, but are still considered "Source Files" as they are now both in the Source as well as Output folders.

Sure, you and I both know what you meant, but I was thinking perhaps gingerm or others that come along later might not. Hence the post.

Sorry to muddy the waters... Rick

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[Captiv8r]

Oh, and forgot to mention this too.

If the topics are indeed sullied output files with all those JavaScript references (as Peter and I both suspect they are) I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see that importing them will likely also cause the JavaScript files they reference to be added right back into a new project. The thing is, RoboHelp will see the JavaScript references and likely add the JS files back in. It has no way of knowing it shouldn't, because as a help author, you are able to add in JavaScript yourself.

My vote is to scrub the topics per the instructions Peter kindly pointed you to earlier.

Cheers... Rick

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[Peter Grainge]

What can be imported other than source topics? You cannot import images, javascript and CSS other than RoboHelp importing them with the topic. So import is effectively limited to topics and I had made it clear not to import anything that was output.

Whether or not Gingerm can differentiate source topics and output topics when importing is another matter. If they have gone to different folders, then a bit of sleuthing should enable that to be discovered. If they have gone to the same folders, then there will only be output topics as the publishing will have overwritten the source topics.

GINGERM

You say the source and output files are the same. The may look the same in a browser but the code is very different. If you do import an output topic it will have a red square. Also it will likely bring in the files that are unwanted.

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@petergrainge