Cannot view compiled WebHelp pages

[Guest]

I am using WebHelp for HTML X4 to create a user manual. I have to email a draft document to the project lead to read, but cannot generate the content. I tried using WebHelp Pro, Microsoft HTML Help and Printed Documentation layouts but all bombed on me. (This is my first use of RoboHelp in five years.) Does the file have to be on a website to be viewable? Is there some other layout I should use to have a viewable document that I can email? Also, when the program was initially installed on my networked computer I had to be given complete admin access for the program to run without errors. This is not a good indication for sure. With the exception of tutorials, I cannot open the Help manual to figure out what is wrong with my book. Please give me some guidance on my document viewing problem. Thank you.

[RoboWizard]

Hi CathyVer and welcome to our community

Sorry to hear of your issues. Definitely, Absotively beyond any inkling of a shadow of a nuance of a doubt, RoboHelp HAS to be properly installed in order to work successfully. You can read more about that by visitiing fellow Adobe Community Expert Peter Grainge's site using the link below:

Click here to visit Peter's site

Once you are certain it's been installed correctly, you can proceed. But only then.

I do, however, have another suggestion or two as well as some other questions.

Suggestion
I always consider this a "best practice". Click Tools > Options... > General tab and make sure a check mark appears in the check box labeled "Use offline help".

Question
You seem to think your output type will present a single document or file that can be sent to a user for review. While this is true for compiled .CHM output and may be true for your Printed Documentation (depending on your selections at generation time) other options won't be so accommodating. For starters, WebHelp and FlashHelp outputs will present a "swarm" of files you need to send. And WebHelp Pro is an output type geared toward an entirely different use of RoboHelp. You can read more about WebHelp Pro by Clicking this handy little link right here.

The question here is: What exactly are you seeing? Sorry, but my psychic powers aren't too strong today and I'm not able to ascertain what is exactly meant by things "bombing" on you. I'm assuming that either it simply doesn't work or it's presenting some sort of error message. So what exactly are you seeing?

Maybe with more information we can help you sort it out.

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

I appreciate the monitoring of the forum. An update is in order. Since I have not used RoboHelp in five years, I forgot that I indeed have many files when I generate the document. And to view the manual, I doule-click the htm file of the same name as the folder in which the files reside. Next, I sent the folder to a zip file and pointed to the location on a server ....so the person in another country could gain access. He's happy and I am relieved.

The chm file extension is not familiar to me; someone pointed me to a Robohelp chm file and told me to use it.....but I could not see any of the text when I opened it....each page was an error message. So I got confused...and that's where the problems began....on one front.

On the other front, MIS folks are in a crunch and cannot respond to my needs at this time, so I have to find my own way. It would be nice to have access to a Help guide for the Robohelp X4.1, but I have found nothing in my search. Any suggestions where I can look?

[RoboColum_n_ · Accepted solution]

First off, CHM files do not work when run on a network drive thanks to a MS Sercurity patch implemented about a year ago. There are workarounds but trust me you don't want to go there unless registry hacks and working in other nether regions of windows is your want regarding a X4 user guide, you can download one from here. Just scroll down to the X4 section and click on the relevant link to download a PDF.