Upgrade from RoboHelp x5 to RoboHelp 9

[RoboFan]

Looking for advice/tips regarding a potential upgrade from RoboHelp x5 to RoboHelp 9.

Currently:

• 3-client RoboHelp x5 / 1-server RoboSource Control v2.3 (the version included with RoboHelp x5) environment
• all 4 machines run WinXP SP3
• 16 projects (a couple with over a thousand topics, most with hundreds of topics)
• all projects are under version control 
• general project feature use:
  • substantial use of drop-down links for text and images
  • some use of jump links
  • otherwise standard feature use (images, hyperlinks, CSS, topic templates)
• primary publish formats: .chm and printed doc (via MS Word 2003, the newest version that'll work with RH x5)

Projected upgrade path:

1. replace all client/author WinXP machines with Win7 64-bit machines
2. install RH 9 on new Win7 64-bit machines
3. retain current WinXP SP3 RoboSource Control server machine
4. uninstall RH x5 / RSC v2.3 from WinXP SP3 RoboSource Control server machine
5. install RH 9 / RSC v3.1 on WinXP SP3 RoboSource Control server machine
6. connect to existing version control databases via RSC 3.1
7. create project working folders on all client/author RH 9 Win7 64-bit machines

Thoughts, issues, concerns, advice?

[RoboColum_n_]

If you are using DHTML dropdowns you should be aware that the content of these is not included in any review documents you generate in RoboHelp. Something to bare in mind if you want to use this RH9 functionality. Apart from that you should be OK.

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The RoboColum(n)

@robocolumn

Colum McAndrew

[Peter Grainge]

You will likely also encounter issues with lists. RoboHelp 8 changed to XHTML and that broke lists for quite a few people. If you do encounter that problem, the fix is on my site.

There are also topics about the issues with RoboHelp 7, 8 and 9. Not all the issues 7 and 8 had will apply as a good few were fixed in patches and upgrades.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[RoboFan]

Colum and Peter,

Thank you for the prompt responses. We are using DHTML dropdowns. Since I'm intrigued by the review functionality in RH9 your information is good to know. If that feature works as well as I hope it does, I think the drop-down issue is something our writers will be happy to deal with.

Fortunately, we use inline lists so that issue doesn't appear to be a problem.

Regards,

Jason

[Peter Grainge]

What do you mean by "inline lists"?

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[RoboFan]

We don't use style sheet defined styles for them. We create/format each list manually.

[Peter Grainge]

Then don't consider yourself immune.

It's the way RoboHelp 5 wrote the HTML that can cause a problem.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge