Index - Searches

[Guest]

Is there a way that you may add a keyword to the Index Designer and when a user does a search outside of the Index tab, that the topics associated with that keyword displays? For example, when searching for dogs all the breads display when searching on the Index tab. If I have an overview about a dog that doesn't contain the word "dog," that topic doesn't display when doing a search outside o the Index tab.

Any hints on how to allow all the topics to display without typing all the keyword combinations in the topic description?

[Guest]

Hi Joan,

I think what you are asking for is the very reason why there are separate Index and Search tabs in the first place.

The Search will search for a specific word within the text of the topics, so it will only list those topics that contain your search term.

The Index will list all the topics that have a specific index keyword, but that keyword doesn't have to exist within the topic. You can give a topic as many keywords as you like, but you need to use the Index to find them, not the Search.

The Index and Search work in fundamentally different ways, and most people are used to using them in the way they were designed. You can't combine the two into one, which is what you seem to be asking for.

Anne

[Guest]

Thanks, Anne for the explanation. We receive comments about not finding content and wonder if how people are searching may be the reason.

[Guest]

Sounds like you need to encourage your users to use the index a bit more.

Maybe I was wrong about people being used to using the Search and Index in the way they were designed. Different users have different levels of experience. You could always offer to run a workshop on making the best use of their help system!

Anne

[MergeThis]

Before I did that, I would make sure I had a really whiz-bang Index in place. You know that users will zero in on just those words you didn't include, don't you?

I'm not saying you don't already, but it wouldn't hurt to make an extra pass or two...


Good luck,
Leon

[Captiv8r · Accepted solution]

Hi all

I couldn't agree more that a really good index is what's needed. Those that have been here a long time will probably groan when I tell this story again.

I once constructed a very large WinHelp system. (250+ interrelated .HLP files). This system had a pretty decent index and folks were well accustomed to it. Largely because of my constant evangelization of using the Index and being ultra receptive and responsive to suggestions for keywords.

Enter the world of the web.

Because of the popularity of the system, I was, ummm, how to say this. "Strongly encouraged" by our LAN department to convert this to HTML and place it on the company intranet. (the LAN guys were sick to death of creating special drive mappings to every Tom, Dick and Harry that saw my system and wanted access to it)

To make a long story longer, WebHelp wasn't mature yet. I used FrontPage and framesets galore to mimic the WinHelp system. But it lacked an Index. One thing led to another and I was forced out due to political wind shifts. I eventually quit and moved to a different company. Then I was asked back. What I was told was that people "wanted the search/wanted the search/wanted the search" (chanting ad nauseum)

Soooo, I brought back that wonderful Index. BUT, what I did was use smoke and mirrors on them. I modified my WebHelp skin so Search wasn't even an option. I didn't include any means of searching whatsoever. What I DID do was to replace my Index image with the image used for Search.

Bottom line was all they had was the Index I provided. What they thought they received was "The Search". Users were happy/PHBs were happy/I was happy.

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

Captiv8r,

I'm a beginner with RoboHelp. I'm trying to figure out how you did your smoke and mirrors with the Index. Would you mind being more specific on how you accomplished this? I've been trying and can't figure out how to get rid of the Search so that there is only one Search option (which is actually the Index).

Thank you,

Joan

[RoboWizard]

Hi Joan

In the Skin editor, I edited the Index item and selected the image that skin used for Search.

Then when generating, I DE-selected the Search tab by removing the check mark.

How's that? Rick

[Guest]

Thanks, Rick. Very simple. I'm a little embarrassed. Thanks for helping a newbie out.

[RoboColum_n_]

ROTFL Rick. If only I had the nerve to be as duplicitous as you!

[MergeThis]

I LOVE IT, Rick!