UPDATING SPECIFIC TOPICS IN ROBOHELP 7

[Guest]

I am using RoboHelp 7 and have an existing project created with over 2000 topics.  All these topics get updated regularly.  My question is that if I have to update say 4 or 5 existing topics plus create new topics, in order for this to reflect correctly when our DBA's roll this out to our clients on the online help, they have to copy the entire directory, which is massive.  Isnt there a way of just updating those 4 or 5 topics or any new topics, and only rolling out those topics.  We have clients all over the world and it is so time consuming with line speed etc, especially Africa lines.

I have also been told the following (see below) and have tried this, but it doesnt work, i.e. pictures and icons dont appear. 

What you need to copy is any new / changed help files, e.g., f301.htm, and the index.hhk and toc.hhc files. These are the index and table of contents files. Those are only really needed if there have been new index or table of contents entries, i.e. for a new help screen. If it is a change to an existing screen you really only need to copy that .htm file.

My index.hhk and toc.hhc files are also not updating and these 2 files are called index.hhk_backup and toc.hhc_backup.  Im not sure if this has something to do with it.  Both these files are also ready the date as 2009, so something is definitely not right.

PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP.

Thanks

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

What kind of output are you creating? If doing WebHelp, you can employ the Publish method to only update the changed files in your published location as part of the generate process.

[Guest]

Hi Jeff, thanks so much for your reply.  I am using WebHelp.  My whole project is sitting on C drive and what I do once finished updating is generate the webhelp and then copy the entire directory to Linux (see below output folder) and then our DBA’s basically copy and paste it to all our clients sites around the world.  This is the only way everything gets updated including images and if there were any new screens.  If they just update 3 or 4 .html files with the images and new screens, then this doesn’t work, i.e. cannot see the updates when logging live onto clients site.

Amanda Dutton

Software Trainer – Software Solutions, Adapt IT

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

You probably replied by e-mail - you can't attach screenshots that way - it has to be done using the web interface's camera icon; you are also posting all your contact info too - if you'd like more spam in your inbox, please continue ;>)

Anyway, you should check out the Publishing option to have your WebHelp created and then sent to the location you indicate. The first time it will update all files; subsequent generations will only update the files that changed. That should make it easier for your techs to pick up only the changed files and sent them out.

[Guest]

Thanks. Any specific place on where to look for this publishing option, hence the reason I’m asking a forum, as have exhausted all and cannot find any further help on this.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Oh, hang on – I just noticed you’re using RH7 – I don’t remember when that Publish option was added – it appears in the Single Source Layouts recipe for WebHelp as one of the last steps you can do.

@Rick,@ Peter or @Colum? Do you guys remember when this got added – it was before my time ;>)

[Peter Grainge]

Publish has been there forever. It is on the last page of the Rh7 wizard I believe.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Captiv8r]

Hello Amanda

I totally concur with Peter and Jeff here. Publish has been around for eons and that is the way to fly.

So you might be concluding at this point "that's great, Rick, thanks for confirming. Don't you have anything else helpful to add here?" (at least I figured you might think that)

Here's the deal. I see the second part of your question surrounding copying the HHK and HHK files wasn't addressed.Those are actually SOURCE files, not output files. So they would have no influence over what your end users see.

After reading your initial thread, I'm not convinced that publishing will help you out here. You seem to suggest that you generate the help, then provide it to the DBAs, no? And it would be exactly at that point where the publishing would fail you. Do your DBAs have access to RoboHelp? If so, my thought is that they might be able to employ the Smart Publishing Wizard tool. It's a stand alone tool that you might even be able to copy and allow them to use. As I understand it, it works just like publishing does.

Cheers... Rick