Problem with bullets for drop down text

[CPortals]

Hi,
When I apply bullets to drop down hotspot, the same bullets are also applied to the drop down text associated with it. I can see the original bullets in the WYSIWYG editor, but when I preview the topic, the bullets applied to drop down hot spot are automatically applied to the drop down text. Help appreciated.

[Peter Grainge]

This is an old one but so am I and I cannot remember the exact details. I am sure someone will recall it but I believe it is to do with the HTML tags at the hotspot or the dropdown text itself. Might be worth checking that out while you wait for someone with the correct answer.

[donalmc]

The way I fix this is to do a search in the TrueCode editor for the first few words of the paragraph that has an unwanted bullet. (You will have to click yes to search from the top of the file as the dropdown code and text is at the top). You will see your paragraph preceded by the below code - just delete it and you should be good.

<li class=kadov-p>

[CPortals]

If I delete the code <li class=kadov-p> the bullets do dissapear but the the numbering I have give to the drop down text also dissappers. My text should look like this:

* Drp Down txt 1
1. Step 1
2. Step 2

* Drp Down txt 2
o Do this
o Or Do this

[HKabaker]

You could apply the numbers manually.

Another approach might be to use the <ol > tag (ordered list).


Harvey

[Chet Zeshonski]

I'm having a hard time visualizing this problem, so tell me whether I have this right. You want a bulleted drop-down line that reveals a series of numbered steps, like this:

* To run the application:
1. Step 1.
2. Step 2.
3. Etc.

But what you get is something like this:

* To run the application:
* Step 1.
* Step 2.
* Etc.

Is that correct? If so, I'm baffled--I use this setup for my instructions all the time, and I've never come across this problem. Perhaps it's being caused by the steps you're taking to add the text. Could you post those steps for us?

[CPortals]

Chet,
The problem is exactly as you have described. These are the steps I followed:

1. Type drop down hot spot
2. Insert drop-down text (apply numbered bullets)
3. Apply bullets to drop down hot spot. The bullets Iam using here are "Bullet Image" and not ht standard bullets available in RH 5x

[Chet Zeshonski]

Ah. (I haven't used custom bullets.) Do you see the same behavior if you use a standard bullet for your drop-down hotspot?

[HKabaker]

RH often confuses the source code when you apply numbers or bullets and reapply or edit them. When I try to eliminate the code completely by un-bulleting in WYSIWYG, sometimes I can re-apply numbers and bullets but often it's still wrong.

Look in the TrueCode for something like this (Omitting < and >)

ul
li How to do this with a bullet in front
/li
/ul

ol
li ABCD with 1 in front
/li
li EFGH with 2 in front
/li
/ol

Notes:
ul is for unordered list (bullets)
/ul ends the bullet list and may be missing.
ol is for ordered list and may be missing

This would be for standard bullets. I'm not sure how to use a custom bullet here.

Harvey

[CPortals]

The bullets work fine with the standard bullets. Its only when you try to apply a custom bullet, that it shows this behaviour.

[HKabaker]

Finally, I understand the problem.

You want a bulleted list with a custom bullet.
Each item has dropdown text, which is a numbered list or maybe a combinatiion of numbers, bullets and plan text.

When you use a custom bullet, the output turns all the tagged dropdowns into custom bullets.

You probably can't straighten this out in RH, because output code doesn't look like the TrueCode. RH output overrides any changes you may try in TrueCode.

You can, however, handle this by brute force. After generating WebHelp, you can go into the output html code. The tags must tell the browser to end the bullet list -- </ul> -- before it reads the popup code.

Then you have to insert a tag -- <ul> -- and a style statement telling the browser the next line restarts the custom bullet list. Again, you have to cancel the custom bullet ahead of the code for its numbered dropdown.

And so on.

Why it works OK for regular bullets is hard to answer, except that RoboHelp output processing uses different methods for regular and custom bullets, and RH programmers didn't anticipate this situation.

If you don't want to fool with the output html code, you have some options.

One, obviously, is to go to regular bullets for the master list.

Another is to abandon dropdowns and use text-only popups, which will require some manual work for a numbered list.

Then you could put the special text into a very small topic and call it in an automatic-sizing popup window, or specify the size yourself. With the special text broken away from the master bulleted list, you have endless opportunities for styling both.

Opening a new topic and inserting the special text doesn't take much more effort than opening a popup dialog and inserting text there, does it?

If you want to see a sample of the brute force method, please send me a private message.

Harvey

[CPortals]

Thanks Harvey,
My project has too many topics with drop down hot spots, which will make changing the HTML output a tedious task. For now, I will do away with the bullets for drop down hotspots. Thanks for all your help.

[HKabaker]

One method for "faking" custom bullets is a two-column table. The first column is just wide enough to contain the icon. The second column contains text with a dropdown link.

Table specs are for no borders, or white, or page background color, and no cell spacing (Alas, RH applies default cell spacing, but I can deal with it.). Table structure takes care of indents/outdents for the bullet, and you have much more control over the text display.

When it looks the way you want it to, perhaps you could make a custom table template, or just save an empty custom table to paste into a topic.

If you like, you can make the bullet icon a link for something else.

Lots of possibilities here, not too much work up front and, yes, a pain to switch to another strategy.

Harvey