Generate XML output

[community_help]

This question was posted in response to the following article: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/robohelp/robohtml/WS5b3ccc516d4fbf351e63e3d11aff59c2a0-7f3a.html

[namedujour]

Can someone please help me parse through these instructions? I don't know what they're saying. I have a "Recent Updates" page that I need to publish as XML in order for our web developer to capture the new topic names and links, and display them in an Announcement bar on our website. Reading this, I have no idea what to do:

Select Output Folder And File Name -- I have an existing project. It's already set. Or is there some reason they're telling me to do this again?

Name and location of output files. -- Ditto

Conditional Build Expression: Click Define to specify conditional build expressions. -- Is this a necessary step? Must I create a conditional build expression to publish in XML? Why?

Select Export Handler: Advanced options include the following: -- Where is the Export Handler feature? It isn't anywhere on the Webhelp Settings dialog with the other options they're having me set. Oh wait. I just found it on the menu under Tools. (It would be really helpful to actually have that in the step!)

Export Project To DocBook Exports the entire XML project to DocBook format.

Export Topics To DocBook Exports only the topics to DocBook format. -- Which of these do I want to select? What in the heck is a DocBook export? Is it going to convert my topic to XML? Why doesn't anything happen when I select this option? Have I messed anything up by selecting it?

Export Project To XHTML Exports the XML project to XHTML format. All topics are converted to XHTML files. -- It's not an XML project. I just want one XML topic. HOW DO I GET ONE? Why are the instructions telling me this?

I'm a technical writer, and this topic has some serious flaws. It isn't even a help topic - it's a series of random, unrelated notes. I can't do anything at this point, except ponder my confusion.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

The page is presuming you know how to generate help out of your RH project using the Single Source Layouts (SSL). It’s a reference page describing each of the options in the XML SSL recipe. You can’t just get 1 page exported, you need to do all topics.

Output - You get options about where to create the help files and what it’s going to be called. If you’re happy with the defaults, just let it be.

CBT – if you don’t use CBTs to create multiple flavours of help output, then don’t define anything.

Export Handler – you probably don’t need any of this – DocBook is an industry standard in structured writing (like DITA).

[namedujour]

Nowhere in this topic does it tell me how to generate as XML. Output Generation Basics doesn't tell me either. I can try generating the entire project as XML and see how that works, but the instructions and the interface suggest that I can select either "a topic" OR "the entire project," which is why I found them misleading. Plus they don't tell me what to do; they just show me where I've been.

There isn't an option on Webhelp Settings for XML output. Any ideas on where I find it? And what I do with it when I get there?

Wait a minute. So I look around again, and notice the XML Output single source layout. I apparently have to create a separate single source layout using this, and ditch the Webhelp single source layout. That's just a guess. I'll try that.

[MM_Acton]

namedujour, I notice that on that layout, you can choose a Table of Contents. Based on the way the other Single Source Layouts work, I'm guessing that if you wanted to export only one or a few topics, you could create a new Table of Contents with only those topics listed, and then choose that TOC in the XML Output Options - XML Output dialog.

[namedujour]

Excellent idea, MM! I'll try that!

[ranielse]

Yeah. The chunking could be improved here. I think that what you need is on Output Generation Basics. It should get you going.

Regards,

Randy Nielsen

Product Integration Manager, Creative Cloud Learning & Training

Adobe

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

@ranielse - you might want to fix your signature tagline - I'm sure the Creative Cloud doesn't require any "leaning" LOL

[ranielse]

@Jeff_Coatsworth

Ackk! In front of a bunch of Tech Writers, no less!  Thanks for the heads-up!

Fixed.

-Randy