Help project getting quite large

[Guest]

Hi, All!

In our office, we have a software program that gets rolled over/modified every year; consequently, the Help project also gets rolled over -- we have Help files that go back to 2004-05. Obviously, our Help project has grown considerably -- it's at 14,938KB now, and we're preparing to roll over to 2008-09.

One of our technical staff suggested that perhaps individual help "books" could contain separate .chm files to prevent the current project from becoming more of a "memory hog." Is this possible? If so, how?

Thanks,
Lon

[tripwire45]

You can create separate projects so you can manage separate CHM files and then merge the projects into one master project if all the content needs to appear in a single help file. Also, are you using any form of versioning? It seems like you wouldn't need to have information from 2004-05 still appearing in current help files unless it's still relevant.

[Guest]

Hi, tripwire45,

Thanks. That seems to be what I'm looking for. Does RoboHelp's "Help" provide instructions?

lon

[tripwire45]

Just open up Help and search for "merge". The first search result should be an FAQ for merge help item containing a number of links that describe master projects, sub-projects, and the merge process. Hope this is helpful.

-Trip

[Guest]

Hello, again, tripwire,

I've been scanning through the Version X4 manual, and Chapter 26 addresses merging; looks useful. I'll let you know. Meanwhile, any tips, suggestions, advice, etc., would certainly be welcome.

Thanksagain,
Lon

[tripwire45]

I'm using X5 so it may be a tad different. The hardcopy documentation I have available is quite old and doesn't seem to apply to my version of RH.

I'm just learning how to merge myself. I've inherited a project that merges several sub-projects into a master project and now I need to create an entirely new set of projects that I will eventually merge.

I don't know how this will apply to your situations, but I've created separate projects for the different content areas I'm documenting and creating content, links, indexes and the like.

The only difference between a master project and a sub-project is which one you decide will be the master. Actually, a master project can be completely empty of content, but I haven't had the nerve to try that option as yet. Usually there's one project that is the backbone for the documentation and I use that for the master.

Here are the steps:

Create each of the projects you want to have combined including adding any content, links, and so on.

Compile each individual project.

Go to the master project and put your cursor where you want to merge another project.

Right-click -> New -> Merged project.

In the Merged Project dialog box on the HTML Help tab, use the browse button to browse to the chm file for the project you want to merge.

Select the chm file and click OK.

You can drag and drop the merged project so it appears where you want it to go in the master project's TOC.

Generate the main project again and then view the project to verify that the merge was successful and appears where you want it.

If it all worked out, when you re-compile the master project after the merge and view it, you'll see the sub-project books completely integrated into the master project TOC, as if all the books were part of a single project.

The only real hang up I've found is that if I make any change in a sub-project, the only way to get it to show in the master is to delete both the merge link in the TOC and the sub-project's CHM from the master's Microsoft_HTML_Help folder. Then I recreate the merge, re-compile the master project and the changes appear. Let me know how you get on.

-Trip

[RoboWizard]

Hi all

Just a couple of tips.

1. Don't use underscores in your .CHM file names. For example, use MyChm.CHM and not My_Chm.CHM. Links between .CHM files will break if underscores are used.

2. In order for the Index keywords to merge, you need to define at least one in the master .CHM.

Cheers... Rick

[tripwire45]

Greetings, Rick. You seem like you might be able to answer the questions I posted in another thread in this forum. If you wouldn't mind, could you have a look? Thanks:

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/messageview.cfm?forumid=65&catid=449&threadid=1313304&e...

-Trip