8 Replies Latest reply: Jun 17, 2010 7:15 AM by argus08 RSS

    conditional table rows not hidden in output

    argus08 Community Member
    argus08 May 6, 2010 10:48 AM

      Hi, I'm using TCS1, converting a largish book with many many conditions to CHM.

       

      Some tables that have a condition applied to some rows. I'm using the FM expression to control the conditions' conversion to RH.

       

      The rows are hidden as expected in FM, but the resulting output in RH maintains an empty row. I've applied the condition to both the row and to the content separately, to no avail. The html shows a nbsp in each td.

       

      I've done a Force Update several times as I've been experimenting setting up this new project. Could that be the culprit? Should I just pooch the entire folder that contains the html files and reimport the book, or otherwise start over now that I have settled on my settings?

       

      I've searched several forums for clues on hiding table rows - does anyone have any tips/tricks to handle this?

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        • 1. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
          shaneataylor Community Member
          shaneataylor May 6, 2010 11:19 AM (in response to argus08)

          Short answer: yes, reimporting is the way to go. Force Update not only doesn't update your images, but it's been the trigger for many RH crashes in the past, so I only ever use it after the most minor of updates to my source files. After any significant changes (e.g., for each monthly docs update) I simply create a new project to ensure that what I'm getting actually is updated output from my source files.

          • 2. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
            argus08 Community Member
            argus08 May 7, 2010 6:26 AM (in response to shaneataylor)

            Thanks Shane, good to know another piece of RH that can't be trusted  :-P

             

            Re conditionalizing table rows, can you (or someone) tell me what the recommended method is? That is, should conditionalizing just the row be enough, or is it truly necessary to do both the row as well as the contents of each cell?

            • 3. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
              argus08 Community Member
              argus08 Jun 16, 2010 9:20 AM (in response to argus08)

              Back to this project again...

               

              OK, I've created a whole new project with these steps:

              1. Set conditional expression in FM, regenerate TOC & Index, Save & close book.

              2. Create new project in RH

              3. Copy fmstyles.css into new project folder.

              4. Import FM book, load xml mapping file.

               

              My conditional rows are still showing as empty rows. The condition is applied to both the row and the content.

               

              Is the only workaround to manually clean up the HTML afterwards?

              • 4. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
                Jeff_Coatsworth CommunityMVP
                Jeff_Coatsworth Jun 16, 2010 10:56 AM (in response to argus08)

                You don't say if you've set the integration flag in RH to use the FM conditions or not. It sounds like you should because you've already conditionalized the "output" that you're sucking into RH. The other option is to show all the conditions in FM and then use the RH build expressions to create the conditionalized output that you want to see.

                • 5. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
                  argus08 Community Member
                  argus08 Jun 16, 2010 11:05 AM (in response to Jeff_Coatsworth)

                  Sorry, yes, I set the conditions with an expression in FM, then the RH project settings are set to use the FM condition expressions. The rows in question are hidden just fine in FM, but there are empty rows in the RH output. In the meantime I can edit the empty <tr>s in the HTML before generating the output, but there's gotta be a better way. Oh wait, this is TCS/Adobe we're talking about...  :-P

                  • 6. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
                    argus08 Community Member
                    argus08 Jun 16, 2010 11:06 AM (in response to Jeff_Coatsworth)

                    PS  I was of the understanding that conditions only work via the "set expression in FM" route.

                    • 7. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
                      Jeff_Coatsworth CommunityMVP
                      Jeff_Coatsworth Jun 17, 2010 6:39 AM (in response to argus08)

                      Nope, you can leave everything visible in FM, bring it over to RH & then apply the FM conditions to your generated output. I do this by importing a FM master book (of books); RH doesn't like linking master FM books. Then I apply the conditions I want when I create WebHelp.

                       

                      I think I understand what you're seeing - you've got a table in FM that has rows consisting of conditionalized text and non-conditioned text. When you apply the condition in FM, FM's smart enough to hide the entire row (text & grid structure), but when it comes over to RH, RH isn't quite as clever in hiding the grid structure - it only hides the text. Is this the correct scenario? If so, then I don't know if anybody on the Forum can help you - you may have to try Adobe Support.

                       

                      I would suggest trying a small-scale test project where you leave all the conditioning to the RH side & see if your output shows the text & grid structure both hidden.

                      • 8. Re: conditional table rows not hidden in output
                        argus08 Community Member
                        argus08 Jun 17, 2010 7:15 AM (in response to Jeff_Coatsworth)

                        Oh, so the difference is importing vs linking. So you're saying that conditions will work if the book is just imported. This will preclude updating the files if the FM files change. But then again, I've also read that it's safest to not rely on Force Update but to start a new project when there are major updates. So if the content is final and I'm starting a new project anyway, there's no reason why I shouldn't just import the book rather than linking it.

                         

                        Hmm, I'll try that as a test (after I get this deliverable out the door). It would certainly be easier than setting an expression each time with so many conditions.

                         

                        Re the table rows - yes, they're coming in to RH as empty rows, which are easy enough to delete, it's just an annoying extra QA step.

                         

                        Thanks Jeff