Table cells/graphics do not display properly

[syncrasy]

I'm trying to integrate some HTML code (developed outside of RoboHelp) for a somewhat complex table used to display a sliced graphic, background colors, etc. It looks fine in Dreamweaver, but when I paste the code into RoboHelp (true code pane), some of the graphic slices do not display properly, e.g., the slices in the bottom rows are offset slight and get repeated multiple times if I resize the window. I notice that RoboHelp seems to add a bunch of its own styles to my code, which might be part of the problem. Is this a known issue with RoboHelp? Should I not bother using outside HTML if it has some complexity to it?

[MergeThis]

Complexity may not be the issue so much as foreign code: RH is quite finicky about what it will allow in (it thinks it's saving you from yourself, the helpful little thing!).

You might try making sure that you Save your pasted code before you exit True Code. That sometimes works.


Good luck,
Leon

[RoboColum_n_]

If Leon's advice doesn't work, is it possible to edit the entire topic in DW and then import into RH? As Leon says, RH is trying to save you but you may be able to save it the bother by not using it. Just a thought

[syncrasy]

quote:

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Originally posted by: Colum McAndrew
If Leon's advice doesn't work, is it possible to edit the entire topic in DW and then import into RH? As Leon says, RH is trying to save you but you may be able to save it the bother by not using it. Just a thought

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Ok, I tried importing, and the problem still happens. I think the only solution is to use "whole" graphics rather than "sliced" graphics/HTML, which means I'll have to make some compromises with how the text over the graphics is displayed. Oh, well.
--Syncrasy

[syncrasy]

quote:

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Originally posted by: MergeThis
Complexity may not be the issue so much as foreign code: RH is quite finicky about what it will allow in (it thinks it's saving you from yourself, the helpful little thing!).

You might try making sure that you Save your pasted code before you exit True Code. That sometimes works.


Good luck,
Leon

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Saving first has no effect.

[RoboColum_n_]

It looks like it's the RH editor that may be causing this problem. Did you try creating all the topic in DW and then importing it into RH. Just a thought.

[RoboColum_n_]

Just wondering if you have tried compiling the problem outside of RH - say in HTML Workshop? Generate a project with one topic (with your spliced grahpic) and generate. If it works, the fault is with RH. If it doesn't, the problem is with the HTML Help engine that RH uses and won't work no matter what you do. Could be worth trying if for no other reason than to discover where the problem lies.

[syncrasy]

quote:

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Originally posted by: Colum McAndrew
Just wondering if you have tried compiling the problem outside of RH - say in HTML Workshop? Generate a project with one topic (with your spliced grahpic) and generate. If it works, the fault is with RH. If it doesn't, the problem is with the HTML Help engine that RH uses and won't work no matter what you do. Could be worth trying if for no other reason than to discover where the problem lies.

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Hmmm... I've never heard of HTML (Help?) Workshop. Are you talking about the Microsoft product? It's not on my computer. Is it safe to download/install it? (i.e, will it interfere with my RoboHelp files or any other system files?)

[MergeThis]

...and just what the heck is "a sliced graphic"?

Hey, how can you learn, day after day, if you don't ask, right?

[syncrasy]

quote:

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Originally posted by: MergeThis
...and just what the heck is "a sliced graphic"?

Hey, how can you learn, day after day, if you don't ask, right?

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I'm not an expert, mind you, but since I originated this post, I'll take a stab at it... "Slicing" a graphic is a technique used by Web desigers to design and display graphics more efficiently or more flexibly. It involves slicing up an image into several pieces like a jigsaw puzzle (often by using a program like Fireworks). The slices are chosen logically based on function, e.g., a designer might create a "banner" graphic to be used as a page header with navigation elements (buttons, text, etc) designed into the graphic. The graphic might be sliced up so that the navigation buttons are separate slices. This allows you to easily add hyperllinks to those individual slices. The part that gets tricky is that an HTML table must be generated along with the slices (with each slice in its own table cell) so that the pieces are displayed correctly, giving the appearance of one large graphic.

[MergeThis]

See Image Maps under Images and Multimedia in the RH help.

Sounds like you might be able to accomplish what you need without a table full of slices. I use them frequently to include hyperlinks to reference material or to bookmarks in the same topic (sections of screen shots or elements in a workflow diagram).

Plus, adapting the image to changes would be less problematic (replace one graphic, move image maps as needed, etc.). RH provides Rectangle, Circle, and Polygon shapes.


Good luck,
Leon

[syncrasy]

quote:

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Originally posted by: MergeThis
See Image Maps under Images and Multimedia in the RH help.

Sounds like you might be able to accomplish what you need without a table full of slices.

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Yes, I'll probaby use an image map as my alternatve, or perhaps cell background images. (My fancy sliced graphics were actually made by another designer before I knew for sure RoboHelp wouldn't handle them). There's a compromise involved here, though. These graphics serve as the background images to a paragraph of text each. The slicing technique (complex tables + background images + background colors) would have allowed us to have the entire graphic block resize itself to accomodate larger font sizes or a resized page, while keeping the text as regular text (not part of the graphic). By going with a fixed size graphic, I won't have that flexibility.

[MergeThis]

Yeah, no solution seems to be free of some downside...


Good luck,
Leon

[syncrasy]

quote:

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Originally posted by: MergeThis
Yeah, no solution seems to be free of some downside...


Good luck,
Leon

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What's the saying? "Limitation inspires creativity" ? (I'm not sure RoboHelp's idea of creativity is the same as mine, though)

Thanks for all your suggestions, Leon.
--Syncrasy

[Peter Grainge]

Maybe it would be better to create and maintain this whole topic in Dreamweaver?

1 Create the topic in Dreamweaver.
2 Copy and paste the true code from the Dreamweaver version into the file you have in RoboHelp. Do this outside the project using Notepad or similar, not Word.
3 Open the project but do not open this topic in RH.
4 Generate the help.

If the appearance is what you want, whenever you want to edit the topic, simply right click and use Dreamweaver as your editor.

[MergeThis]

Oh sure, leave it to Peter to find the easy way out!

[Captiv8r]

LOL, since we are in teasing mode, I'll share something along those lines.

All of us that find those easy ways of doing things are really just really lazy! Well, at least according to this little saying.

"Give the laziest person the hardest job."

Why?

"Because they will find the easiest possible way to get that job accomplished!"

Cheers and happy Monday all! Rick