Copying/importing tables into Robohelp

have narrowed down the definition of the problem.

The original author created a large number of irregular tables, i.e., with
different rows having different numbers of cells. In the simplest case, the
author decided to "merge" cells of the top row and use that row as the
"title paragraph", but there are many more complex table designs. Now all
these tables in the HTM files (extracted from the CHM by using KeyTools) are
perfectly rendered by MS Visual Express Web Developer, but when I try
importing the HTM file into RoboHelp, or by copy+pasting the table's HTML
code into the RH HTML view, the table's structure and data gets trashed. In
the simplest case, as above, where the author decided to "merge" cells of
the top row and use that row as the "title paragraph", then the solution is
simple, I use an HTML editor to remove that row from the table, leaving the
rest of the table as a perfectly regular table, which RH then renders ok and
I get back the structure and all the data. However, there are some cases
where the table design is complex includes lots of merged cells, and that
remains a problem.


Conclusion:

Before writing my conclusion as an assumption (assuming the author used
RH...) I decided to actually try out the round trip myself. Using RH I made
a new topic, "New Topic", and in it I created a simple irregular table
(merged the top row of cells, as above). Then I generated the CHM, then
decompiled it using KeyTools and RH Help Studio (both tests), and checked
the New_Topic.htm file with a good HTML editor and I see it is as I created
it. Then I imported it into RoboHelp, and lo and behold, it trashed the
table.


Moral:

If you are worried about ever losing your sources, do not create irregular
tables with RH.

Isn't it written somewhere in some holy book (different type of "sources")
something like "don't do unto others that which you yourself cannot cope
with"?.

- avi