Style reverts to default on Design tab after HTML code is modified

[KC_in_Colorado]

Help! I started having the strangest problem yesterday with a single topic and was hoping it was related to that one topic file but it's happening today with other files in the same project. I'm using RoboHelp 7 - just upgraded a couple of weeks ago from RH6 (mid-stream in this project).

Yesterday I added some "hover text" directly to the HTML code, using the same tags and placement that I've used for the past several projects and the current one (although I'm not sure if I've added any of these tags since I upgraded to RH7). When I returned to the "Design" tab (WYSIWYG editor), all styles had reverted to default (Times Roman, etc.). When I applied Heading 1 to my topic head (which looks like a default Heading 1 style on the drop-down list in the RH GUI), all styles were restored to those defined in my project-specific style sheet. The hover text (for DHTML expanding text) works correctly. I continued to add hover text tags to that topic and had to manually reapply Heading 1 each time I returned to the Design tab. But when I finished, it compiled fine and hover text worked, etc. (That same approach to hover text exists throughout this project - it's simply adding a "Title" line to the A HREF tag.)

Today I was editing other topics in the same project, went into the HTML for a DIFFERENT topic, and added a single space after a <SPAN> tag. When I clicked the Design tab, again, all styles appeared to be lost. And again, I can restore them by simply selecting Heading 1 from the style drop-down in the formatting toolbar and applying it to the topic heading.

I'm very close to project delivery and this is scaring me... Does this mean my CSS is somehow corrupted or what? I checked topic properties and both of these topics are using the project style sheet. I have never looked at a CSS -- just define the styles using the RH GUI. So I don't even know what to look for.

???

kc

[RoboWizard]

Hiya KC

Are you certain this isn't possibly a red herring? Could just be a quirk with the way the WYSIWYG editor displays things. Before I would conclude things are being rewritten (they may be, but I'd reserve judgment until proven otherwise) I'd try clicking the Preview icon and see if things look okay there. This could be something as silly as having multiple topics open in the editing pad and taxing system resources.

Just a thought... Rick

[KC_in_Colorado]

Hi Rick. Thanks for responding! I just exited and reopened my Help file so only one topic is open. I selected some text and opened the HTML tab, didn't make ANY changes, and returned to Design. SAME RESULT! If I Preview, everything looks fine. But I need everything to "look fine" again on the Design tab. Since there is only 1 topic open right now, surely it can't be a system resource thing? I don't have a lot of stuff open...?

[KC_in_Colorado]

Hi Rick. Thanks for responding! I just exited and reopened my Help file so only one topic is open. I selected some text and opened the HTML tab, didn't make ANY changes, and returned to Design. SAME RESULT! If I Preview, everything looks fine. But I need everything to "look fine" again on the Design tab. Since there is only 1 topic open right now, surely it can't be a system resource thing? I don't have a lot of stuff open...?

[KC_in_Colorado]

p.s... You are definitely onto something as far as suspecting this is a display issue only. I can recreate at will. All I have to do is click the HTML tab then return (without touching anything) to the Design tab. There is no "Refresh" button in the RoboHelp UI that I can find. So I have to either reapply the uppermost style (which is Heading 1 -- if I apply one lower in the topic, things get REALLY skewed!) or close and reopen the topic to see it's actual format. (And I need to see it's actual format -- the WYSIWYG format!) Do you think there is something I have done to cause this? Or is this a bug with RH7?

-- kc

[RoboWizard]

Hi KC

I'm wondering if a simple restart of either the application or the PC would change behavior. Sometimes memory gets all fragged out and restarting corrects things.

Just thinking out loud... Rick

[KC_in_Colorado]

Sorry for the late reply. I had restarted my machine twice and there was no change. (I shutdown each night.)

However, yesterday I had to go in to the HTML to add a couple of those title tags for hover text. And both times, when I returned to the Design editor, everything looked normal. The project style sheet was in effect, styles looked correct, etc. So whatever is WAS, it appears to be gone for the moment. Thanks for your responses! - kc