Copying a RH project?

[avi10000]

Hi all,

What is the best way of making a copy of an RH project? I don't see an operation called "Save Project As". I tried copying its whole folder, but when I tried to open the copied project from its new location RH crashed somewhere. Don't remember what it said.

tia

- avi

[Peter Grainge]

Copy and paste.

If you want to copy to a networkd drive for storing it, zip it up and copy the zip file.

[avi10000]

Ok, that also.

But I like making a new version to work from every day, and sometimes more often, as backups. So I keep a whole history list.

In addition, I like to add a date and "draft release" tag to each project name / folder.

E,g., when I work with Word I add to the file a suffix like this: "- 2008-09-22 - dr0-01.

So I make a new one like that every day - at least.

- avi

[Peter Grainge]

Say your project is called avihelp. Zip it up and you get avihelp.zip.

Press F2 in Windows Explorer and prefix the zip file YYMMDD and whatever else you want.

[Moonlion2]

I've always found the lack of Save As.. in RH7 bewildering. Does anyone know what the design reason for this is?

[Captiv8r]

Hi there Moonlion2

Just pure speculation here, but I'd surmise that maybe it has to do with making edits to the project. Perhaps you click Save As to create a new project. But fail to consider that once you do this you are actually editing the new project and you think you are actually editing the old.

I dunno. I'm probably wrong about that. I suppose it's probably a question to ask of the old RoboHelp developers. But if you asked that, you would just get a bunch of garbage about how bad RoboHelp is and how the code is all patched together with twigs and string and all that rot.

I'm thinking the best approach is probably to just submit Wish Forms and hope Adobe decides to add the functionality in.

Cheers... Rick

[Moonlion2]

Yeah ... not buying it, considering virtually every application that exists that has Save also has Save As.

And, heh, twigs and string. Considering the all the headaches associated with this application compared to the amount associated with other applications, I'm fully capable of accepting the twigs and string argument as truth. 😉

[avi10000]

Ok, so what's the lo down on all this.

So far, I have learned as follows:

1. RH works only on a disk drive, and not on a server. I.e., you have to keep the images in a disk folder.

2. Once you have created an RH project you can't copy it to anywhere else and make it work?
This one is almost beyond belief. I think I will have another go at copying it and opening it from its new location.

3. If anybody else on another PC wants to open the RH project he has to copy it to a folder of identical name on his hard drive.

- Avi

[RoboColum_n_]

Hi Avi.

RH uses an Access database which are well known to have issues when run over a network so perhaps you should air your grievance to Microsoft. Also the Save As feature in any feature is not designed to be a backup feature as Rick suggested. For that there are other applications better designed for the purpose. Finally for multi-author projects it is best practice to use a source control application in the same way as application developers.

[RoboWizard]

Hi Avi

In addition to what our friend Colum offered, I'll also offer this:

1. RH works only on a disk drive, and not on a server. I.e., you have to keep the images in a disk folder.

Not sure where images suddenly come into play, but okay. Yes, RoboHelp projects (consisting of all sorts of files) should be kept locally when working.

2. Once you have created an RH project you can't copy it to anywhere else and make it work?
This one is almost beyond belief. I think I will have another go at copying it and opening it from its new location.

You may copy all you like. They key to making it all work in the end is to ensure nothing changes relative position. For example, you can't simply copy a project from location a to location b, then decide to relocate files within the folders of location b outside of RoboHelp and have it work. But things should work just fine as long as you performed a simple copy.

3. If anybody else on another PC wants to open the RH project he has to copy it to a folder of identical name on his hard drive.

This is untrue. Unless possibly source control is in use. But even then I believe it has more flexibility than that. RoboHelp doesn't typically work with and enforce absolute pathing. In my experience, one has to sort of jump through hoops to MAKE it work that way.

Cheers... Rick