Global find and replace

[Nicky58]

In my Help file, I’m using bold for the names of system options. Unfortunately, in the next build we’re changing all the names of the system options – to make them more user friendly. For example:

Sales Person Mandatory becomes Users must enter a salesperson code in order entry

So I need to use a ‘global find and replace’ utility to update the system options in all the htm files.

I’ve downloaded the FAR utility and obviously there’s the Multi-File Find and Replace option in RoboHelp.

And I tried both. Unfortunately, I noticed that both utilities weren’t picking up several instances of each option, and it’s because in several places in my code I have the following:

If the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sales Person</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mandatory </span>system option is set

- there are tags in the middle of the option name. I’ve no idea why RoboHelp has done this; obviously all I’ve done is grab the option and hit bold.

And yes, I have tried the Ignore HTML Tags option on the RoboHelp utility.

Anybody come across this problem before and found a solution?

Regards, Nicky

[Peter Grainge]

You will probably find there are only a few combinations so you "just" need to make two or three passes.

It's a pain but not much option.

[johnmccallum]

Nicky,

The "Ignore HTML tags" option just ignores text inside the tags it doesn't ignore the tags. However, the search function does ignore the tags so after you have used the global search and replace, you may want to compile and use the search to manually find any unchanged options. That might be faster if there are only a few split tags.

John

[Guest]

Hi Nicky,

This is a VERY old bug that I have complained about for YEARS. But did they listen? Did they f**k. (I know, one question at a time, please...!)

Find and Replace does not find phrases that span two separate lines of HTML code, nor does it find phrases where HTML tags. are involved. Such as simple fix! But all they want is a wider market, adding new features to $e££ more, and who-care$-about-the-bug$-a$-long-as-we-get-more-cu$tomer$?
ForeHelp (I was a poewr user of that too) did a perfect Find and Replace, even allowing you to find text of a certian paragraph style or character style, and it didn't matter whether it went across separate lines of code.
If RH had the good features of ForeHelp, it would beat both of them.
Tough. We have to search for the phrase, word by word, the hard way.

[Nicky58]

Thanks Guys – kind of what I was expecting. A failing of the tool. So, in 2007 I have to manually go through 650 help topics and cut and paste option names. The words ‘soul’ and destroying’ spring to mind.

Nicky

[Peter Grainge]

I don't think you do. As I said, I think you will find a limited number of combinations. When you have done that, create a Word document, not to print but it will be a continuous file that you can inspect on screen for any omissions.