Meaning and purpose of baggage file

[tibor_]

Can someone please explain me what are baggage files for? And how to use them correctly?

Generated help doesn't include baggage files created by me so I am losing the point.

Or any link with sample or explenation?

thank you for your help

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

They should be - that's the point of adding files to baggage; they get carried along into the generated help output, so you don't have to copy them in afterwards.

[tibor_]

Sorry, still not clear for me.

1. I create baggage file and links it to image. That baggage file I can Use in any topic. That OK to me.

but

2. When I link .html file to baggage file, it can't be use in any topic ( or maybe I don't know how to use it) and also this baggage file is not contained in generated help

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

From what I remember, Baggage files are just files that you want to ensure get copied into the final help output. I use them in one of my projects to include the installer that calls RH topics. It's never referenced by any topics within the project. Check to see what the RH Help has to say about baggage files.

[tibor_]

Sorry, it says nothing about usage. Maybe it can be powerful element but ...

[Peter Grainge]

You say you created a baggage file and linked it to an image.  What are you linking and what is supposed to happen?  Are you saying that if you look using Windows Explorer, the baggage file is not get uploaded or that what is supposed to happen does not?

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Try here - http://help.adobe.com/en_US/robohelp/robohtml/WSbbd90109c56458db1172e0811dc92a89ab-8000.html

there's a section that talks about adding baggage files to your project and when to do it.

[tibor_]

I thought, that baggage files can be used for anything ( images, texts, stories ... ) But from link above I have realized that the main purpose is for icons, images, backgrounds ...

@Peter Grainge what was I expected? That, when I link a text or html to baggage file, and this file is in some logical structure folder of project (not baggage file folder) it will be automatically added to generated webhelp. But I was wrong.

[Peter Grainge]

Baggage files are for uploading files that the generation process will not include. If you topics have images and suchlike they will be uploaded so no need to add them to baggage.  Typically this will be to upload a javascript file that your topic relies on.  Adding an image or an html file or anything else as baggage does not get it displayed as content, it simply gets it uploaded.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[tibor_]

Ok. Thank you. Now it's clear for me. I will never use it

[namedujour]

I use baggage files for lots of things: PDF files, Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoints, etc. If you need to link to a file that is not a part of your online help project, upload it as a baggage file. When you click a link to a baggage file, it launches the application and opens the file.

A nice thing about baggage files is that they follow the project through every environment, so you can launch and display them on the test server before publishing to the live server and verify everything is okay before going live. (If you link to a file that isn't a baggage file, you have to upload it to the live server independently and hard code the link. It's much messier and less convenient.)

To add a baggage file, go to your Project Manager and right-click Baggage Files > New > Baggage Files, then navigate to the file. To link to it, highlight your text, then click on the file name in Project Manager and drag it to the highlighted text. When you publish, the link will open Word or Excel, or whatever application launches the file.

One important note: Microsoft files DO NOT launch as baggage files unless you save and upload them as version 97-2003, so do a Save As to an earlier version if you're on Microsoft 2007 or later.

[tibor_]

Hi namedujour. Your scenario didn't work for me.

1. I created baggage file and link it to some html content

2. I created simply topic with simple text

3. I highlighted text in topic, then I drug baggage file to the highlighted text ( a red background had shown)

4. I generated WebHelp Pro, but there was no link on text which has been previously highlighted.

Any ideas?

[tibor_]

never mind. I have found the answer

Dragging a baggage file to a topic no longer creates a link. -

You just need to hold down the Shift key while you drag

[namedujour]

I've never had to hold down Shift to drag a baggage file, so this is interesting. Are you on a PC or a Mac? What version of RH?

[tibor_]

PC and RH v 9

[namedujour]

That's very odd then, because I'm also on a PC and RH 9. I haven't a clue about why it works differently for you, but it's something to keep in the back of my mind if I ever move to a new environment and things don't work the way I expect them to!

[Captiv8r]

Hi folks

namedujour, what version of RoboHelp are you really using? I know you say "9", but is it perhaps the 9 from years ago? 😉

I ask because having to hold the shift key while dragging to create a link to a baggage file has been there for at least the last two (and possibly three) versions of RoboHelp. But if you are using the version 9 from way before Adobe got hold of RoboHelp, I could see where it would work without using Shift. 😉

Certainly you can click and drag without issue, but it's creating a link that requires the shift connection.

Cheers... Rick

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[namedujour]

I have V9.0.2.271. I got the update a few months ago – the same version that messed up my style sheets by replacing wd_style_name with just style_name.

I've been linking to baggage files very frequently and consistently without hitting Shift  - I just tested and generated a project again and it worked just fine. The link was there in the published version, and when I clicked that link it launched Excel and the spreadsheet I'd linked to.

It seems odd that Adobe would enhance an application to ADD keystrokes. What was the reasoning?

Or is it related to the Windows environment? Did I just get lucky?