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I_am_Sammy_Spencer
Known Participant
February 17, 2010
Answered

Combining AIRHelp using RoboHelp 8's Help Viewer Wizard is not working.

  • February 17, 2010
  • 3 replies
  • 2658 views

I am having problems successfully combining

multiple .RHA documents into one AIRHelp file (as

discussed in RJ's Webinar).

I am hoping someone can assist me.

Here is the process in which I'm using:

1.) Output each individual document as .RHA files.

2.) Create the "combining" document as an AIRHelp file using RoboHelp HTLM 8's Help Viewer Wizard.

3.) In the same directory as the "combining" AIRHelp file, I create using Notepad a file called "help.helpcfg".

4.) In "help.helpcfg", I have the following XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<contents>

<data id="Help1" label="Help 1 Document" onlineurl="" offlineurl="file:///C:/Documents and Settings/Student/Desktop/Document 1/Output/RHA/UltimusClient.rha" useoffline="true"/>
<data id="Help2" label="Help 2 Document" onlineurl="" offlineurl="file:///C:/Documents and Settings/Student/Desktop/Document 2/Output/RHA/UltimusClient.rha" useoffline="true"/>

</contents>

5.) I install the "combining" AIRHelp document.

6.) In the directory in which the "combining" AIRHelp document was installed, I place the "help.helpcfg" file. Note that all documents are on one accessible network location, so accessibility between the "combining" document and the individual .RHA files is not an issue.

Whenever I launch the "combining" AIRHelp document, I receive the typical message that it cannot find the main application.

Could someone assist me with what I'm doing wrong?

Thank you very much in advance!

Most sincerely,

Sammy Spencer

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Praful_Jain

    Hey, Praful Jane! Thank you, as always, for your great assistance!

    I have come closer to combining my two test documents into a "shell" AIRHelp. As you know, my two test documents are identical, but have made duplicate copies in two separate directories. Just to tell the two apart, I regenerated new .RHA files for each but changed the document titles (both in the .RHA file generation and on the actual title pages) to "1" and "2," respectively.

    Once I saved the help.helpcfg file to ANSI format, the "shell" AIRHelp file was able to load the first test document. However, there is no drop-down box beside the Search text box to select other documents in which the help.helpcfg file points. So, I cannot view the second test document.

    Could the issue be that the names for the .RHA files are identical (but in different directories)? (I tested this theory to no avail.) Or could it be that the document IDs and version numbers are identical, and AIRHelp is smart enough to realize this (and is only displaying the first one)?

    Have any ideas?

    Most sincerely,

    Sammy Spencer


    Hi Sammy,

    Great to hear that AIR help viewer is working for you now. One important thing, related to helpcfg files is it loads different help RHA(directories as well) in the same viewer. Now to distinguish between different Help data files, the helpcfg file has to provide different IDs to it. As I see your helpcfg file, there are 2 entries for RHA files, but both of them have same ID, we need to provide different IDs to the different Help systems only then AIR help viewer will show different entries.

    Please see the URL for more information @ http://help.adobe.com/en_US/RoboHelp/8.0/RoboHTML/WSC6D74158-7BEE-4d0b-BE5A-CDE7709EC109.html

    Hope this solves the problem.

    -Praful

    3 replies

    A
    Anonymous
    June 25, 2010

    Hi Sammy,

    I was able to successfully follow your steps to view a single AIR app through the viewer. I can't get multiple AIR apps to appear in the viewer and I think I've isolated the problem to your below step 2.

    "2.) Create the "combining" document as an AIRHelp file using RoboHelp  HTLM 8's Help Viewer Wizard."

    Questions:

    1. Can you please elaborate on how you created the "combining" document using the Help Viewer Wizard?
    2. Which AIR Help file did you select when creating the viewer using AIR Viewer Wizard?

    Thanks,

    Lydia

    A
    Anonymous
    March 31, 2010

    Reviewing this exchange has been very helpful to me as I prepare a combined help system using the viewer -- Thanks!
    I have a couple of related questions as far as distributing the combined help to users.

    I have created my RHA files, which are stored presently on my hard drive. I've created the HELPCFG file pointing to those RHA files. There is my air installer for the viewer, which is in another location. I run the installer, which creates the necessary folders and help executable in C:Program Files. I then copy the HELPCFG file into the folder with the executable. When I run the executable, the viewer comes up and everything works as it should.

    Now I want to provide this combined help to a user. The user runs the AIR installer, which creates the executable in his/her Program Files. But he/she doesn't have either the HELPCFG file or the RHA files at this point. How should I package all the necessary files so that everything gets put in its proper place? I don't want the user to have to manually copy files from one place to another. Is there some other installer that can do this for me? Am I going to have to develop such an installer on my own?

    Praful_Jain
    Praful_Jain
    Participating Frequently
    February 18, 2010

    Hi Sammy,

    Can you please clarify some points to me.

    • You had installed the AIR file on some machine, and copied the help.helpcfg file in the installed AIR file location. when you run the AIR file do you see dropdown having Help 1 Document and Help 2 Document.

    • Second thing, can you do one thing, go to start menu select run option, and type following, C:/Documents and  Settings/Student/Desktop/Document 2/Output/RHA/UltimusClient.rha and Press enter, and see if you are able to access this file or not.

    AIR file reads the helpcfg file and tries to load the offline or online Help content. so if the help content is not accessible on that machine for some reason, then AIR file shows error in accessing help file MainApp.

    Thanks

    Praful

    I
    I_am_Sammy_SpencerAuthor
    Known Participant
    February 18, 2010

    Hey, Praful! Thank you for your quick reply!

    To answer your questions, even though I have the "help.helpcfg" file in the same directory as the installed "combined" AIR Help file, when I launch it from Windows Explorer or the Start menu shortcut, I receive the message that it cannot find the main application.

    Furthermore, when I copy the path to my .RHA file and paste it into "Run" command, it successfully finds it; Windows doesn't know how to access the .RHA file, but it at least accesses it. In reality, the "combined" AIR Help file and the associated .RHA files are all on the same computer (and doesn't even need a network connection to access each other). Furthermore, the "combining" AIR Help file is installed on the same computer in which the .RHA files are located.

    I am guessing by your questions that I at least have the XML syntax correct?

    Thank you again for your assistance!

    Most sincerely,

    Sammy Spencer

    Praful_Jain
    Praful_Jain
    Participating Frequently
    February 24, 2010

    Hi Sammy,

    Can you please share with me the installed AIR application folder. Zip the installed AIR application folder (which contains the help.helpcfg file as well), and upload it to https://share.acrobat.com/ site and give sharing rights to praful@adobe.com. I will try to look into the AIR application folder and try to find out the root cause of the issue.

    -Praful

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