Can anyone get consistant results with RoboHelp 9 Command line

Report · Mar 13, 2013

I have been fighting with the RoboHelp command line for days. We have an existing help product that we can generate from the Project IDE consitantly. We set up our layouts, assign the ones we want to build in batch mode. Then build and validate them both generated in batch and one at a time. But when whe run the command line, "RHCL myproject -b" it does not generate the same results AT ALL. It looks like we are running the layouts that are assigned to be run in batch mode (we can see the out put going to the correct locations under the correct names) but the result is just not the same as we get when whe execute batch via the IDE.

Does this actualy work?

Is this a feature that only works properly in RoboHelp 10?

Does anyone have any positive experiance running the RoboHelp from the command line ?

Report · Mar 13, 2013

Why assume it is broken before giving anyone a chance to help?

See if Bill Albing's page on my site helps. http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/command_line/command_line.htm

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 · Mar 13, 2013

Hmmm I am not making assumptions. I am posting my frustration based on my emperical tests. But thats neither here nor there. I thank you for the link to Bills page ... I have memorized it already reading and re-reading it over the last several days. I converted the command line I use to "RHCL myproject -lmylayout" just to make sure I am using the same layout. Where "mylayout" is the same layout I am using in the IDE.

I get the following results from the IDE:

Screen shot:

Log:

******************************

Batch generating layout "WebHelpBatchBuild"....

Starting compilation...

WebHelp preprocessor 9.0.1.262

Clearing output folder...

Compiling C:\robohelpoutput\ADMACS2.htm ...

Preparing to create WebHelp...

Preparing files for WebHelp...

Copying files...

Updating files...

Finished preparing in 7 sec(s)

Initializing compiler...

Generating WebHelp 5.50 (9.0.1.262)...

Processing TOC data...

Processing Index data...

Processing Glossary data...

Processing Context-sensitive-Help data...

Updating HTML topics...

Updating admin_roles.htm...

EDIT - List of topics edited out for ease of reading - first and last left in.

Updating Workstation_Layout_-_ADMIN.htm...

Finished updating HTML topics in 3 sec(s) : total 579 topic(s).

Processing Full-text-search data...

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................

Finished processing Full-Text-Search data in 12 sec(s)

Applying WebHelp 5.50 Template...

...................................................................................................

Finished applying Template in 2 sec(s)

Finished compiling WebHelp in 25 sec(s)

Compilation complete.

******************************

From the command line:

Screen Shot:

Log:

**************************

dobe (R) RoboHelp Project Command Line Compiler version 9.0.1.262

Project: C:\CM\cm_sandbox\BLK2_REL_10611_CVN69_RC\apps\admacshelp\src\Block2\ADMACS Blk2 CVN69 Baseline.xpj

Layout: WebHelpBatchBuild.

Output: C:\robohelpoutput\ADMACS2.htm.

Scanning project for compilation....

Scanning finished.

Warning: No baggage file description.

Starting compilation...

WebHelp preprocessor 9.0.1.262

Clearing output folder...

Compiling C:\robohelpoutput\ADMACS2.htm ...

Preparing to create WebHelp...

Preparing files for WebHelp...

Copying files...

Updating files...

Finished preparing in 5 sec(s)

Initializing compiler...

Generating WebHelp 5.50 (9.0.1.262)...

Processing TOC data...

Processing Context-sensitive-Help data...

Updating HTML topics...

Updating Welcome_to_ADMACS/General_Security_Guidelines.htm...

EDIT - List of topics edited out for ease of reading - first and last left in.

Updating user_administration.htm...

Finished updating HTML topics in 3 sec(s) : total 579 topic(s).

Processing Full-text-search data...

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Finished processing Full-Text-Search data in 7 sec(s)

Applying WebHelp 5.50 Template...

...................................................................................................

Finished applying Template in 1 sec(s)

Finished compiling WebHelp in 17 sec(s)

Compilation complete.

**************************

Note in the second snap shot the lack of index and glossary output. Also the menu options at the top are lacking. Looking at the logs there are alot more update operations being performed in the IDE version.

So, not assuming that it is broken, do you have any idea what I am missing here to make these outputs the same?

Report · Mar 13, 2013

I have edited your post to make it a little easier to follow. I am not a user of command line generation but hopefully someone else will assist. If not, there is a link on the page to contact Bill. Use that and send him a link to this thread.

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 · Mar 13, 2013

Thank you.

Report · Mar 13, 2013

I sent you a separate email. I'm not sure there's enough info here to help diagnose the problem.
Can you share the exact syntax you are using to run the command? Maybe it's the spacing or the choice of parameters.
Maybe there is a setting in the layout that needs to be set. I'm not sure. After you receive my email, let me know and we can share more stuff here.

Report · May 18, 2015

Very late to the party - but - ensure that MSXML 4 is present and registered on your workstation. This seems to have helped in my case.

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Can anyone get consistant results with RoboHelp 9 Command line