Replacing IDs with text at runtime

Report · Jun 14, 2007

Hi Guys,

I’m using RoboHelp to create HTML help. And the Help file is for a large piece of software. Basically we have two ‘settings’ menu options: Parameters – Users and Parameters – Parameters. And within each of these menu options we have various tabs, each with 30 or 40 user or system options on it. There are approximately 200 user options and 300 system options.

In my Help topics, I have hundreds and hundreds of links back to the user and system settings. For example

If you set the User must have depot access option (see the Parameters - Users option and the User Options 1 tab) ……..

If you set the Must have stock to sell option (see the Parameters – Parameters option and the System Options 2 tab) ……..

The problem is that we are currently in the process of changing the layout of the system and user options (so that you can see the options in tree view instead of on tabs), and this includes changing the name of each option to make it immediately apparent what each option is (using full words in the option name rather than abbreviations, and so on).

So, suddenly, ALL the option names are changing, and they’re not on tabs anymore, they’re in sections.

If all the names were being changed but were still on the same tabs, I could do a multi-file ‘find and replace’ on the options – still fairly time-consuming, but not too bad. But because both name and layout (section not tab) are changing, I’m going to have to go through 600 help topics and manually update each and every link to a user or system option.

What I need is some sort of mechanism where I can assign an ID and its text to each system and user option and then use the ID for a link. For example, perhaps create a table listing the user and system options:

id = uo1
text = User can add hire item to a contract user option (see the Hire Contract options)
id = u02
text – User can add hire item to a sales order user option (see the Sales Order options)
and so on

And then for a link from a topic back to the option:
…. if you need to do this, set the (id=uo1).

And then when I build the Help file, each ID is replaced with the text for the option.

Hopefully I’ve explained this reasonably clearly. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Nicky

Report · Jun 14, 2007

Hi Nicky

What version are you using? If you aren't using version 6 yet, it may be time to download the eval and give it a try! I suggest this because version 6 now offers Variables. These work just as you have suggested you are wanting!

I'm guessing there are ways to accomplish this as well using JavaScript. Perhaps fellow Adobe Community Expert Peter Grainges site http://www.grainge.org can help with that.

Cheers... Rick