index cross-references don't work

[Guest]

When I create a cross-reference in the index to another index topic, when you click on that cross-reference, it used to go to that topic in the index. With RoboHelp 7, it now does not go anywhere in the index and in the topic panel, it displays any topic at random. Has anyone experienced this bug? Any ideas of workarounds? It is very frustrating to my users.

[RoboColum_n_]

I've not heard of this happening before. Can you confirm what type of output you are producing and (if WebHelp) the browser used. Also can you tell us the index keywords you are using as this may have something to do with this issue.

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply. I'm producing HTML help outputting to a chm. Here are some of my cross-references, which always worked until we upgraded to RoboHelp7:
invoice
see: client invoice (this is xref jump)
see: vendor invoice (this is xref jump)

jump : see link (this is xref jump)

data
also see: database (this is xref jump)

[RoboColum_n_]

I am a bit confused here denc. How are you providing a link to two index keywords and providing text descriptions. Are we talking about a glossary rather than an index?

[RoboColum_n_]

Doh! Sorry I've just spotted that you don't mention an index anywhere and it is my own mind that thought you were. So if it is a glossary, it may be worth making sure all your users have the latest version of the HHACTIVEX.DLL file installed and registered. You can handle this via your application install process if you ask your developers nicely. I always find a box of donuts works well when I need something 😉

[Captiv8r]

Hi Colum

You were thinking Index because that is how the title of the thread reads.

What denc is talking about is the ability to use the RoboHelp HTML Index function to create cross-references. I use them all the time. They work like this. Perhaps you have an index term of Flower. That term links to a topic about flowers. But you want to insert terms such as Rose, Daisy, Petunia and have them link to the Flower term.

What you do is to add the terms "Rose, Daisy and Petunia" to the list of index entries. However, instead of linking them all to the topic about Flowers as the Flowers keyword does, you look at the properties of each term. In the properties, you are able to place a check mark in a check box labeled "Cross Reference". Once you do this, you see a drop-down list become available. The drop-down list contains all the other Index terms. You then choose the Flower term to cross reference to that term.

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

Thanks, Rick. That is exactly what I mean. Sorry I wasn't clear to start. So, for example, I have an index entry of "invoice", I then have a subentry of "see also: client invoice." When you clicked on "see also: client invoice" it would take you to the "client invoice" entry in the index. Now it just sits there.

[RoboWizard]

Hi denc

Ahhh, the plot thickens! So you aren't referring to simple Index entries. It's SUB entries that are failing you.

To be honest, I think linking from sub entries has always been flaky. I made it work once long ago. Version 2000 (logical version 8) and it stopped working in a later version. Then I heard from others that it's one of those things that works occasionally and often fails.

Cheers... Rick

[RoboWizard]

Oh, and one other thing. I don't believe it's RoboHelp at fault with this. Instead, I believe it's an issue with HTML Help generically or possibly with the HTML Help compiler. Actually, as you are reporting the issue changed with an upgrade, I'd be inclined to think perhaps a newer version of the HTML Help compiler was installed and caused it.

[KC_in_Colorado]

I'm also trying to use cross-references in the index with RH7, producing FlashHelp, and it sure looks like there's a problem here...

For example, I have a main index entry for SSC Administrators that has subentries for adding, editing, deleting. Now I want to add a main entry for Administrators that, when clicked, jumps to SSC Administrators. I added Administrators from the Index pod, did Properties, selected the XREF check box, and selected SSC Administrators in the list. Then generated the Help.

When I click Administrators in the index, it displays the Help topic associated with SSC Administrators index entry. It does not scroll to the SSC Administators index entry. This not how cross-references used to behave, not is this behaving as the RH help states. It should scroll down in the index and highlight the SSC Administrators entry.

So then I wondered if maybe the software was trying to save the user an extra click and showing that topic becuase the entry that I'm cross-referencing is only associated with one topic. (I wanted the users to see the subentries when they got there, but okay...) so I tried adding the sub-topics to the main SSC Administrators entry itself, so it's now associated with 4 topics and gives a pop-up list when checked. Recompiled, same thing. When you click Administrators, it takes you to the first topic associated with SSC Administrators. It does not make any other selections in the index itself. So the user still doesn't know of all the additional choices under SSC Administrator if they happen to click Administrators.

This sure looks like a bug to me. Am I missing something?

kc

[Captiv8r]

Hi KC

From what I'm seeing I'm going to conclude it's a bug! I'd also encourage you to report to Adobe as the same.

My own testing a bit earlier is showing me that if I add a term and cross reference it, I don't even see the term listed in the Index. Now here is where it gets eerily weird. I can still type the term and get to the topic using this approach and I'm not sure why. I tested using compiled CHM as well as WebHelp.

I also noticed that indeed the first topic listed is simply displayed and I don't get the list as I would expect (assuming multiple topics are linked to the term)

Cheers... Rick

[KC_in_Colorado]

Thanks for following up on that Rick. I'll go add a bug report for what it's worth. Sure wish we could get patches for stuff like this, that broke between V6 and V7 because I won't be upgrading to V8 any time soon.

kc

[Amebr-ke0mH4]

Well, that's interesting. I just checked a project we've upgraded, and cross reference index entries that link to entries with multiple topics pop up the list dialog box as they always did.

I tried existing entries; creating a new cross reference linking to an old index entry; and a new cross reference linking to a new index entry.

I'm on 7.0.3, so if you don't have it, maybe try again after getting the update?

[KC_in_Colorado]

I'm also at 7.0.3 so I'm not sure what the difference is. I filed a bug report yesterday and received mail this morning acknowledging that itis a bug and stating that it's fixed in RoboHelp 8. Of course that doesn't help me so I asked if there was a patch available for RoboHelp 7.

Are you producing a different type of output? Mine is FlashHelp. Also, are your index entries added via topic properties or from the Index pod? I sure would like to get this to work if possible. Thanks!

[KC_in_Colorado]

Ameber,

Just reread your post and realized that you didn't say that your cross-references are scrolling to the referenced terms, only that if the referenced term has multiple topics associated, they pop up right? So while you're seeing different results than I am, the cross-reference feature STILL is not working properly (where when you click on a cross-reference, you are actually taken to another index entry). Just wanted to clarify that.

Will post info from the developers when we're done corresponding.

kc

[Amebr-ke0mH4]

You're right. It doesn't scroll to the referenced index entry.

I checked a few older chms, and it seems that the scrolling stopped working about the time we upgraded to RH6.

Additionally, in case anyone else is crazy like us, where we had a "see also" reference that referenced an entry that was also a "see also" (adding, see creating; creating, see adding - long story ), previously it would jump to the "see also" like a normal entry, but now it pops up a message saying "To locate information about this keyword, please select one of the subentries in the list", just as if it didn't have any topics assigned.

[KC_in_Colorado]

Well, I got a quick response to my bug report, but if I'm reading this correctly, there are no plans to fix it. Engineering seems to see this as a "feature" but I agree with Amebr, I believe it "broke" in 6.0. I KNOW I used to use the XREF feature in WebHelp back in the day and it didn't behave like it does now...

Here's the response from RH Engineering:


Hi KC,

This is the behavior in CHM output not in FlashHelp or WebHelp output.

Currently in Flashhelp or Webhelp, clicking on any index term opens the pointed topic. Cross-referenced term opens the final topic which is pointed by its linked terms. It is not scrolled to the linked index term. This behavior for FlashHelp/WebHelp is same as x5/RoboHelp 6 onward.

Regards,
Gunjan

-----Original Message-----
From: KC
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 10:28 PM
To: Gunjan Kumar
Subject: RE: [ Bug Report ]

I'm using FlashHelp output. And I don't have RoboHelp 8. Is there a patch available for this bug for RoboHelp 7? This was not a problem in RoboHelp 6.

Thanks,
kc


-----Original Message-----
From: Gunjan Kumar [mailto:gukumar@adobe.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 10:36 PM
To: KC
Cc: wish_robohelp@macromedia.com
Subject: RE: [ Bug Report ]

Hi KC,

In CHM output of RoboHelp 7, It was a break in cross reference behavior of Index. It has been fixed in RoboHelp 8.

Please let me know if you have break in CHM output or any other output.

Regards,
Gunjan

[EileenPalsson]

Hi, I have RH 8.0.2, and the cross-references in the index in CHMs still aren't working.

They look ok in the HHK file -- like this:

     <item name="SCSI" seealso="ISIS">
           </item>

This is a very simple cross-reference to a main-entry index entry. But it doesn't work in the CHM output.

Any suggestions/updates to this issue?

Thanks!

[EileenPalsson]

We are still using RH8.0.2 and still having this problem in CHM output. Cross-referencing a top-level index entry to another top-level index entry sometimes does not work.

After scrutinizing the non-working cross references and comparing them to ones that were working, I managed to "fix" the ones that aren't working.

We have a two-level index (with keywords and sub-keywords). I found that the ones that did not work looked like this:

flowers
herbs
...
roses -- see flowers  [this is the cross reference that didn't work]

So in this case I was cross-referencing a top-level keyword (that has no sub-keywords) to another top-level keyword with no sub-keywords.

To fix this, I created (and used) sub-keywords for the keyword I was are linking to, like this:

flowers   [ONE topic should contain this keyword by itself, as well as a subkeyword]
    daisies
    petunias
    roses
herbs
...
roses -- see flowers

If "flowers" had no sub-keywords, the link didn't work in some cases. (Yet certain cross-references to keywords with no sub-keywords did work. I don't understand why.)

If I created sub-keywords for "flowers" but had more than one topic assigned to "flowers", this didn't work, either. It only worked when ONE topic contained that keyword.

So, that's the workaround that helped us achieve index cross references in our CHM output. Perhaps others can benefit from this workaround.

Tip: To easily find all cross references, make a copy of the project's HHK file. Open that HHK file in Notepad (or other text editor) and search for "seealso". That way you can find the cross references that you need to test.

Warning: Don't edit the project's original HHK file while you have the project open in RoboHelp. This causes RH to crash.

/Eileen