RoboHelp - Help?

[jtncarter]

I am currently working on developing a help system for AMCOM and we are using RoboHelp v7. I really like the help file Adobe uses in their products including RoboHelp. I like the + and - icons and the clean look. I would like the same look for our system but I can't find anything that looks like theirs with the same layout. I believe the help system in Photoshop and Flash are built with something different and I am wondering if the help system in RoboHelp is the same. Can anyone point me in the right direction or provide some clarity.

[jtncarter]

I did find that the Authering Tool Name is RoboHelp 7.0 so if RoboHelp was used what would be an easy way to use the same format and create a skin from thier help file?

[Peter Grainge]

You would need to look at WebWorks. Google it.

[jtncarter]

Thanks Peter for taking the time to respond and letting me know about WebWorks. I really appreciate your help.

Unfortunately that’s not an option for me. I work for the Army and all software has to be pre-approved and their not on the list. It’s a pain but I think all I need to figure out is how to move the Contents, Index, Search, and Glossary off the top and into the left panel to match how the RoboHelp Help file looks. Than I just remove the top line and I have a match. I can do everything else in Photoshop and match the gradients etc, but the way they have the help setup is completely different from any skin they provide and I don’t have access to move the navigation icons.

So if my only tools are RoboHelp 7, Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver, how can I create a skin that matches the one used by RoboHelp to create its own help document?

[Captiv8r]

Hi jtncarter

You might begin by choosing Traditional style - no skin before you generate. When you do that, you should see you are part of the way there. From there, you could edit the image components to achieve the coloring you like. After all, those tabs are simple images. Finally, you would substitute the imagery used for the Books and Pages. After you do that, you should have exactly what you want.

Cheers... Rick

[jtncarter]

Rick -

Thanks so much. That is what I was looking for. You helped out big time. Just one more question. After I finish the images is there any way to make that a template so that each time I publish it will use the new images and not the grey ones? We publish two or three times a day and although it would not be that big of a deal it would still be great to cut down on repetitive things.

Again, thank you!

Justin

[Captiv8r]

Hi Justin

Well, I had a thought here that didn't seem to pan out. I could have sworn that those images are actually stored in seed files on your hard drive. So when WebHelp generates, it pulls from those seed files. So my thought was that if you modified the seed files...

You should find them in this folder:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe RoboHelp 7\RoboHTML\WebHelp5Ext or in
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe RoboHelp 7\RoboHTML\WildFireExt\template_skin

You could accomplish it. But darned if I can make it work. So unless I make some discovery, you are probably going to be stuck with post processing the files. You could set up a batch file to perform the post processing. That would save some time I think.

Sorry I'm not more helpful... Rick

[jtncarter]

Rick -

You have been a major help and I am sooooo close. I need help with one more thing. Everything looks right other than the boxes around the index and search funtions. They are still grey. Any idea how to change that?

[Captiv8r]

Hi again

I just took a quick peek and it seems that is also an image named whd_tab0.gif? Have you found that file and tried modifying it?

If I'm not looking in the right place, perhaps it would help to see your screen first hand. If it comes to that, I can set up a meeting and send you a link to connect. Then I could see your desktop. If you want to do that, give me a shout. rstone75 (at) kc (dot) rr (dot) com

Cheers... Rick

[jtncarter]

Rick -

Sorry but I got pulled away into meetings the rest of the day. It looks great and I am so close. I have changed whd_tab0.gif already in photoshop and all the tabs. It really does look sharp. Two more very small things and it really will be perfect. The Index and Search boxes are still grey and the highlighted text in the Contents is also grey. If I could change those two things to a dark blue it would be perfect. But if I dont get that it still looks great. Thank you so much for your help.

[Captiv8r]

Hello again

See if this helps you come even closer:

For the search, edit the whfform.htm file and change the value of the <body bgcolor= to the color of your choice (using hex values).

For the index, edit the whiform.htm and do the same thing.

For the highlighted text in Contents, edit the setActiveBgColor in the whtdhtml.htm file.

Cheers... Rick

[jtncarter]

We did it and it’s perfect! It really does look great. Nice and clean design. I wish I could show you the final product but it’s for the munitions program so I’m not allowed to put it on any kind of public server.

Thank you so much for all your help!

Justin

[Captiv8r]

Yay!

What about a simple screen capture with some innocuous topic open? Or with parts blacked out (Like we say in Good Morning Vietnam!)

Glad you got it sorted. Now if you can only help me to get a ride with one of the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels!

Cheers... Rick