Line feeds and indentations

Report · Apr 05, 2012

Is there any way to get RoboHelp (RH9) to stop inserting line feeds and indentations into the HTML code?

I often have to do massive search and replace scripts and having these *&%(& extra characters makes it very difficult. A line of code that starts out in my text editor like this:

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Transform_Toolbar.htm" id="a10" style="position: relative; ">Transform toolbar</a>

ends up looking like this:

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Transform_Toolbar.htm"

id="a10" style="position: relative;">Transform

toolbar</a>

It makes it harder to search for "Transform toolbar".

Any thoughts?

~Margaret Becker

www.rhino3d.com

www.rhino3d.com/5/help

Report · Apr 05, 2012

Hi,

There’s no way that I know of. But you can use a tool dnGrep (http://code.google.com/p/dngrep/) that can ignore line feeds.

Greet,

Willam

Report · Apr 06, 2012

Thanks. This looks useful.

~Margaret

Report · Apr 06, 2012

Here's another task that doesn't work with all these indentations, etc.... List sorting - alphabetical.

So, I have a list like this with RoboHelp formatting::

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Geometry_Fix_Toolbar.htm"

id="a3" style="position: relative; ">Geometry

Fix toolbar</a>

<a href="../ToolbarMap/point_edit_toolbar.htm"

id="a4" style="position: relative; ">Point

Edit toolbar</a>

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Curves_Toolbar.htm"

id="a5" style="position: relative; ">Curves

toolbar</a>

Sorting result

Edit toolbar</a>

Fix toolbar</a>

toolbar</a>

id="a3" style="position: relative; ">Geometry

id="a4" style="position: relative; ">Point

id="a5" style="position: relative; ">Curves

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Curves_Toolbar.htm"

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Geometry_Fix_Toolbar.htm"

<a href="../ToolbarMap/point_edit_toolbar.htm"

What should happen:

Properly formatted list:

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Geometry_Fix_Toolbar.htm"id="a3" style="position: relative; ">Geometry Fix toolbar</a>

<a href="../ToolbarMap/point_edit_toolbar.htm" id="a4" style="position: relative; ">Point Edit toolbar</a>

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Curves_Toolbar.htm" id="a5" style="position: relative; ">Curves toolbar</a>

Result:

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Curves_Toolbar.htm" id="a5" style="position: relative; ">Curves toolbar</a>

<a href="../ToolbarMap/Geometry_Fix_Toolbar.htm"id="a3" style="position: relative; ">Geometry Fix toolbar</a>

<a href="../ToolbarMap/point_edit_toolbar.htm" id="a4" style="position: relative; ">Point Edit toolbar</a>

Have I missed a RoboHelp tool somewhere?

~Margaret Becker

Report · Apr 07, 2012

Sorry but what "Sorting Result"?

Where are you sorting this code and what are you using?

BTW The code examples are not a list in HTML terms. They are just paragraphs. Lists will have LI tags with an OL or UL tag.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Apr 09, 2012

Yes. I know they are not html "lists." I don't like the way html handles lists. I have to juggle the formatting so there isn't a lot of extra space at the top and bottom of the lists. And when I want a paragraph in the list that is not numbered or does not have a bullet, I have to do more style juggling to get the paragraph spacing correct. Besides, having them be "real" lists does not mean that they can be sorted alphabetically automatically, as far as I can tell.

I use a text editor (Edit Plus or EmEditor) to sort the "group" of paragraphs alphabetically. If I sort my paragraphs with the formatting the way that RoboHelp makes a mess because of the extra and unnecessary line feeds and indentations, as shown in the "Sorting result." I use an outside text editor to perform many automated tasks that RoboHelp makes me do tediously one operation at a time.

In the second "group" (I won't use the word "list" anymore), I have manually removed the unnecessary line feeds and indentations that RoboHelp puts in. Therefore, when I use my text editor to sort the list, it alphabetically sorts on the first differences it finds - the words "Geometry Fix toolbar," "Point Edit toolbar," and "Curves toolbar." As you can see in the Result, The three items are alphabetized.

As far as I can see, there is no way in RoboHelp to sort paragraphs into alphabetical order. It may be that I'm just confused and don't know about some useful tool hidden away somewhere. I have found nothing in the Help.

~Margaret Becker

Report · Apr 09, 2012

Space above or below lists and / or list items can be controlled via the CSS.

Items within a list without numbering can be added by using Shift + Enter.

Text editors may have the ability to sort paragraphs alphabetically but that is confined to text editors. No RoboHelp does not have that option but that also applies to Microsoft Word and the HTML editors that I use. They are different tools for different purposes.

Try this different approach to see if it helps you.

Go to View > Show and click Tag List.

Put the cursor in a paragraph you want to move up or down.You will see Document > Paragraph above the topic. Click Paragraph and the whole paragraph will be selected without and dragging or using other ways of selecting a paragraph. Now you can quickly drag the paragraph where you want it to rearrange the list. I don't know how long your lists are so only you can tell if that is quicker than what you are doing.

It's that or write the paragraphs in the right order to start with.

Sorry but I don't know of any HAT that will do what you want.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

Help others by clicking Correct Answer if the question is answered. Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts.

Report · Apr 09, 2012

Thank you for answering.

Shift + Enter does not give the spacing between paragraphs that I use.

You can get hold of a whole paragraph by putting your mouse to the left of the text until the arrow points to the right and double clicking.

~Margaret Becker

Report · Apr 20, 2012

Well, I tried dnGREP, but I cannot figure out how to get it to ignore line the feeds and tabs that RoboHelp puts into the HTML code.

Report · Apr 20, 2012

Re Item 7

The email for Item 7 just read "Thank your for answering" so I thought you had felt my answer didn't cover what you want and had decided not to ask further. Edits to a post don't get emailed so I have only just seen you added more.

Does using Shift + Enter twice work? It does for me because I have set up my styles that way.

Yes I know you can select a paragraph that way. I find the way I suggested more accurate and less fidly.

Re Item 8

I have tried dnGrep but I decided to pay for an upgrade to PowerGrep as it suited my needs better. I believe Willam suggested that app as it is free and I believe he uses it. Perhaps he can help on that point. I suspect it is an option.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

Help others by clicking Correct Answer if the question is answered. Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts.

Report · Apr 23, 2012

Thank you, Peter,

I have found tools to help me with my search and replace. What I REALLY was hoping for was a way to stop RoboHelp from unnecessarily wrapping the HTML code in my projects. It is stupid, annoying, and unhelpful as far as I'm concerned. But we learn to live with what we cannot change. I have styled around my frustration with HTML lists. I a project the size of mine, I would not want to change at this stage. I had styles set up to accommodate the vertical spacing problems, but for me they seemed to cause other problems.

Thank you for your help, as always.

~Margaret Becker

Report · Apr 23, 2012

Try this link.

http://www.Adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=38

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

Help others by clicking Correct Answer if the question is answered. Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts.

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Line feeds and indentations