Issues with HTML Help developed and maintained in RoboHelp for Word

I can help you with the cleanup.

The reason you may have mutilpe rtf files is that the person you took this over from had Word set to automatically backup files before they were used. That is why you see so many versions with (1) or (2) or such in the filename. You may want to shut this option off in your installed word version.

RH for Word has a one-to-one relationship between the doc and rtf files. So, for every doc, you will have an rtf and the filenames will match. RH for Word is also smart enough that if the rtf file does not exist, it recreates it. So to deal with the issues you have, I would create a folder inside the project and move all the rtf files that are duplicates - again, these probably have a number in the filename. The same applies if you have any doc files with a number in parenthesis in the filename.

As for the tmp files you are seeing, if Word craps out while a doc is open, it saves the info as a tmp file. You can see this when you are working on any word doc that you have saved someone and are editing it. As soon as you start to edit the doc, a tmp is created. You don't need these. I suggest you also move them to the folder where you put the extra rtf files.

The BAK folder can also be moved into the same folder as again, it not needed to generate help.

The RHtemp files - move those out too. I suspect the previous person working on this was unfamiliar with how to set up the project and accidentally generated the help system into your main folder.

This brings me to tell you to check the Single Source Layout for Webhelp properties. This is where you tell RH how to generate and where to put your output in the Select Output Folder and Start page. Select the folder where you want the help system to be generated. You will need to keep the file.htm at the end of this path. Typically, I use a folder under my project folder as I can zip the project folder up when I need to.  Note: you can use this section to help you ID which doc is failing or looping by selecting one doc, generating the help to see where it fails.

Once you have the above done, generate your webhelp. If there are issues, in RH Explorer, select Tools, Resolve Broken Links and Resolve Duplicate Topics.

Once you are satisfied that you help system contains everything you expected, you can blow away the folder where you moved the extra files you don't need. Perhaps you may want to set a reminder a couple months from now to delete the folder.

RH for Word uses the rtf files to generate all its help system formats. If you were to look at an rtf file using a text editor, you would see all the formatting commands stored in your doc along with your text. If I recall, RTF (rich text format) was useful for moving docs between different word processing applications. Anyhow, because the RTF contains all the formatting codes, it is easier for RH to use to generate the chm or htm files for the help systems.  (Please note, this is how I understand it, but it may not be entirely accurate. )

As far as your issue with save and save again, I think this may have something to do with your templates in Word. Check your Word options to make sure the automatically update your normal template is shut off. This may be causing the problem. This related to Word itself, not RH.

For the printing issue that hangs on one doc, under the Single Source Layout for printed doc, try to narrow down the issue of which file is doing this by having only one file selected at a time by modifying the properties. Make sure the output folder is not the same as your webhelp output.Take a look at the options set. Try using the single doc. Also, for the template to apply (the very last screens of the layout options), use the robodoc.dot file. For the doc with an issue, make sure you have moved all the topics to the right frame -- you'll see what I mean when looking at the layout screens.

Since you are new to this, the doc files are the most important part of the project. They can be imported into new projects or the RoboHTML app.

Hope this helps.

With all those issues, I am thinking it would be quicker to abandon that project and start afresh. It is possible to resolve some of the issues but also some would be tricky, hence going for the new project.

As an alternative to recreating it in RoboHelp for Word, you could, as you suggest, create it in RH HTML. That has an option to import a WinHelp project by which it means a RoboHelp for Word project or you could import the CHM that has been produced or you can import the Word documents. You may need to experiment to see which works best.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips