Hide topics for specific users/groups

[JP Cornelissen]

Hi,

Is it possible with WEBhelp, to hide/exclude topics for specific users/user groups?

At the moment we are using html/chm help. There is one project for our main software program. I have another project for an add-on module which is integrated in the TOC of the main project by using the merged help feature. We only install the help for this module when the customer purchased that module. Therefore customers who don't have that module don't have the help for it either.

Is something similar possible with WEBhelp (Pro)? i am asking because we are going to switch to WEBhelp (Pro). In that case there is no help file per customer, but one for everybody. Is there a way to only show the extra topics to the customers who are using that module?

* The only way I can think of is integrate all of it in one project, and publish it twice (one with and one without the topics of the extra module) by using build tags. Or is there a way of letting RoboEngine/RoboServer merge it on the fly, but based on the criterium that the customer has the module?
* That extra help project cannot be added to the main help as a teaser for other customers to also use that module (others can't buy it unless they are a franchiser of a specific hotel group for whom we developed the module)

Thanks

[RoboColum_n_ · Accepted solution]

Hi John-Pierre. RoboServer can't do this on the fly. Build tags are the way to go. Just create one new tag, apply it to the topics you don't want non-franchised user to see, then apply the tag to your SSL to exclude it from the output. Viola you have your non-franchised user help. Just remove that build tag from the SSL for franchised users so they get everything. You can also create two identical WehHelp Pro SSLs - one with no build tag and the other with a build tag to avoid you having to remember to add/remove it.

How is your application going to know which help files to write? Is it a separate executable? I know it is possible for the SETUP.EXE to check for licences before installing modules but I've never gone down this line.

BTW build tags can be used on all types of output.

[JP Cornelissen]

Thanks Column,

I was 'afraid' for this answer...

The application is just a single .exe, but there is a parameter to activate the extra module. So, when I have 2 different outputs, it means 2 different websites/folder where the help is located. When someone opens the help, the application will know which one to open based on that parameter. We plan to do the same thing with the localized versions (already did that with the .chm help where we had a file help_en.chm / help_nl.chm / help_de.chm.

By the way, I had a quick reply from adobe about the WebHelp Pro. It looks like it is going to require a different website for each help. I did not post the reply yet, because he is going to write a more detailed article.