uppercase in filenames generated by RoboHelp

[nitabeck]

I developed (originally in RoboHelp HTML X5) and maintain (now in X7) a FlashHelp system. (FYI that the fact that it's FlashHelp is irrelevant to my problem.)

When my client's developers attempt to check in my source files to their source code control system, they always complain that some of the folders and filenames have mixed case. They want everything in lowercase.

Specifically, they are complaining about:

-- a folder in which the images are stored. The folder is Images. Is it capped because that's how I originally named it and therefore I can change it (and the change will "stick")?

-- RoboHHRE.lng. They want to know if I can force RoboHelp to write it as robohhre.lng?

-- eHlpDhtm.js. They want to know same. But I also wonder if I even need this file anymore and can just nix it. I suspect it's legacy.

-- eHelp.xml -- ditto above.

For my output, I have the set the Use Lowercase File Names (Recommended for UNIX), but, obviously, that controls only output. It is these source files that my developers are complaining about.

[HKabaker]

Hi, Nita.

If you created the folder as Images, you can change it to images. However, a quirk of RH, inherited from MS apparently, prevents it from recognizing a change of case by itself. It might be fixed now, but if you have a problem making the change stick, change Images to Nita (or something), save the project, and change Nita to images.

The RH furniture files are a different matter.

RoboHHRE.lng carries the alternative language settings. Since you have the options of US or UK English, I don't know what would happen if you deleted the file.

When RH puts a file in WebHelp output, there's a use for it under one circumstance or another. eHlpDhtm.js is extremely important if you have generated Applet and/or DHTML output.

Also, consider that these files are referenced in htm topics, htm furniture, js and xml files whose origin is in the RH program application folders.

It's easy enough to change the filenames after you generate WebHelp, but I believe Unix will be unhappy unless you also change all the references in the output as well.

Not too hard with search and replace after generating WebHelp, but it shouldn't be too much trouble for your developers to force all file names to lower case whenever they appear inside < > brackets.
Probably they deal with this frequently and have a utility they can use. Or they should be able to write a script of their own.

Whether .jar and .cab files are involved here, I don't know.

I'm reluctant to advise doing this in the RH program files, where there are DLL and other sorts of files, or in the project folder, where the .cpb database file and others refer to them.

Good luck, and if you experiment in a backup copy of a project, please report back on results.

Harvey

[nitabeck]

Thank, Harvey and Peter. (How nice to see you standing over my shoulder!)

First off, of course I'm working in a COPY of the project. My livelihood depends on being cautious!

Re the Images v. images. I figured as much (that it was something I had created in the now dim past). I did end up renaming it, and I've known about RH's quirk re case, so I renamed it using a very similar process to what you suggested.

Re the language file, the developers are resigned for having to deal with it. They're telling me that the case changed since last summer's update, and I have verified that the case did NOT change in my project source files. They must have changed the case somehow last summer.

Re the eHlpDhtm.js file--- When I run the Unused Files report, this one (as well as eHelp.xml) show up as unused. I have not used any dynamic HTML in the entire Help system, so I'm hopeful that blowing away this source file will actually not affect this particular Help system's output. But I thank you for the caution nonetheless, which I'll (try hard to!) keep in mind for other Help projects.

Lastly, I confirmed with the developers about their request for all lowercase. I got it wrong; they just don't want the case changing from revision to revision. What mystifies me is that I have not changed the case of my project files whatsoever. They must be doing something after I deliver, and then, the next time I deliver, their source code control system complains and they come back to me to complain that I "changed something".

Nita

[nitabeck]

Thank, Harvey and Peter. (How nice to see you standing over my shoulder!)

First off, of course I'm working in a COPY of the project. My livelihood depends on being cautious!

Re the Images v. images. I figured as much (that it was something I had created in the now dim past). I did end up renaming it, and I've known about RH's quirk re case, so I renamed it using a very similar process to what you suggested.

Re the language file, the developers are resigned for having to deal with it. They're telling me that the case changed since last summer's update, and I have verified that the case did NOT change in my project source files. They must have changed the case somehow last summer.

Re the eHlpDhtm.js file--- When I run the Unused Files report, this one (as well as eHelp.xml) show up as unused. I have not used any dynamic HTML in the entire Help system, so I'm hopeful that blowing away this source file will actually not affect this particular Help system's output. But I thank you for the caution nonetheless, which I'll (try hard to!) keep in mind for other Help projects.

Lastly, I confirmed with the developers about their request for all lowercase. I got it wrong; they just don't want the case changing from revision to revision. What mystifies me is that I have not changed the case of my project files whatsoever. They must be doing something after I deliver, and then, the next time I deliver, their source code control system complains and they come back to me to complain that I "changed something".

Nita

[Peter Grainge]

By default images go to the root or wherever you store them, so if you have a folder called Images it is one you have created and you should be able to change it.

The others cannot be changed via a setting but as you are working on a Windows PC, case is not important. I would take a copy of the project and run a case change tool across it, then create a new output and test.

You will need to check regularly as when you do new things in RH it could pull in further files with mixed case.

eHlpDhtm.js is not a legacry file. Powers dropdowns etc.

Whilst I think it would work, I would not accede to the request. Too many risks of something unforeseeen breaking. Balanced against the fact that this is just someone trying to be tidy, it's not worth the hassle in my view.

[HKabaker]

Nita,

Looking back at my notes, the eHelp.xml file contained no information in any of my projects. In fact, my developers want me always to delete it because of a problem they had in Unix.

Also, looking back over about 5 years, ehlpdthm.js always was lower case in WebHelp output, but in the project folder it's almost always eHlpDhtm.js. This works whether you checked the lower case option or not.

RoboHHRE.lng is in the project file. If you check the lower case option, it comes out robohhre.lng. If you don't check the option, the name is not forced to lower case.

This suggests that you may very well be able to change them in the source project folder before generating WebHelp. It's worth testing.

Regarding DHTML. are you saying that you always select the Pure HTML option when generating WebHelp, and that you have no popups, dropdowns, expanding text or dropdown text in your project?

Harvey

[nitabeck]

I do indeed have the "lowercase filenames" option set, but that doesn't seem to affect the mixed case of RoboHHRE.lng.

Just to remind you that I'm not creating WebHelp but rather FlashHelp, in case that actually is adding a wrinkle here.

In any case, the developers and I have sorted out everything but the RoboHHRE.lng, and they'll just "deal with it."

Thanks once more for your help.

Nita

[Gravenstein]

It might be worth a quick test to see if another project also generates robohhre.lng in mixed case.

G