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Scott_Hawkins
Participating Frequently
January 26, 2016
Question

Formatting Cross Reference from Linked FrameMaker Document (RH11/FM12)

  • January 26, 2016
  • 1 reply
  • 2020 views

I am using TCS 5 (RoboHelp 11 / FrameMaker 12). FrameMaker is unstructured. I am a new RH user, still getting my feet wet.

I have RoboHelp linked to a FrameMaker book. The book contains internal cross-references (to other topics that are part of the RH project) and external cross-references (to topics in other FM books that are not part of the RH project). I mapped the FM cross-reference formats to RH styles to remove page and chapter numbers.

After I generate the help (.CHM or HTML5), the internal cross-references work and they are formatted correctly. But the external cross-references, which are broken links, exhibit these characteristics:

  • They do not appear in the mapped style; the chapter and page numbers still appear.
  • They appear as text that is formatted to resemble a hyperlink (<a><span class="FM_HypertextColor">Chapter 16, Demographic Forms</span></a>&#160;in <span class="FM_Italic">Master Forms Guide</span>.

(Note: Before I generate the help, RH recognizes the external x-refs as broken links. They do not appear under Broken Links in the RH project, but when I open a topic and press CTRL + hover the mouse pointer over them, they display the broken link finger icon).

I'm trying to figure out how to get RH to 1) format the broken links correctly (remove chapter and page #), and 2) display them as plain text instead of HypertextColor.

Suggestions or voice of experience from anyone? Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Jeff_CoatsworthCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 27, 2016

How are the external references done in FM? Are you using the hyperlink paragraph tag to link to them or a cross-reference tag? You might have some control over how they are coming across depending on that.

S
Scott_HawkinsAuthor
Participating Frequently
January 27, 2016

They are cross references in FM formatted as (for example):

  • <Hypertext Color><$paranum[Chap No, Chap No cont., Appendix Head, chap.num, chap.num continued, appendix head]>, <$paratext><Default ¶ Font>
  • <Hypertext Color><$paratext><Default ¶ Font> on page <Hypertext Color><$pagenum><Default ¶ Font>

In RH Conversion Settings, the two examples above appear in FM Style Preview as:

  • <$paranum[Chap No, Chap No cont., Appendix Head, chap.num, chap.num continued, appendix head]>, Para Text
  • Para Text on page 1

Both are being converted to RH style Para Text (<$paratext>).

The cross-references formats are applied consistently in FM. The ones that are internal to the linked FM book in the RH project convert correctly in both the RH topic and the generated help; the external ones do not.

Here's an internal cross-reference converted in RH from the FM chapter number format:

Here's an external link using the same FM format that did not convert in RH:

Here's an internal cross-reference converted in RH from the FM page number format:

Here's an external link using the same FM format that did not convert in RH (pixelated intentionally):

Thanks, Jeff.

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Jeff_CoatsworthCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 27, 2016

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