Publishing parent updates child is this better?

Question

I have a merged project (currently 25 projects merged, approx. 1000 topics) using RoboHelp 15 Responsive HTML 5 Layout, MSIE 11, Windows 7 ENT.

So, the RH 15 documentation (page 141 <171> ) says:

Does generating or publishing the master project update the child projects?

No. To update a child project in the merged Help system, generate the child project. In WebHelp projects, also publish the child projects to the correct folder.

HOWEVER, I’ve noticed that publishing the master/parent also publishes any updates to child projects. Should I be concerned? Is publishing updates from either the parent or the child preferable? Wouldn’t publishing updates to the child by publishing the master/parent provide a better and less error-prone merge?

Reading the posts from the multiscreen discussion I’m not sure everyone is on the same page...

Here’s a regular scenario for my co-workers: a new child project is created and merged to an existing merged Help, so the existing parent must be published to add the new child project. In this scenario, from what I can tell, any unpublished changes to any child will be published.

NOTE: It's likely that ten or more child projects will be added to this existing merge.

What do you think? Thanks!

Peter Grainge · Answer

As I have said in the other thread, sometimes generating the parent does trigger generation. It's unusual and for you that seems to happen every time. However, with responsive help you need to generate the parent and all the child project, as I think I have explained in another thread.

I don't have the PDF version of the help so I can't look up what you quote but I had to chuckle at being told to publish to the correct folder. Maybe the theory is you can just generate a child but practice overrules theory and we are not all experiencing the same thing. That's why it appears that we are not all on the same page, it's simply that we have had different experiences, as you are having.

1] Here’s a regular scenario for my co-workers: a new child project is created and merged to an existing merged Help, so the existing parent must be published to add the new child project.

2] In this scenario, from what I can tell, any unpublished changes to any child will be published.

1] Yes, when you add a new child, the parent must be generated again. Note I said generated not published.

2] As to the other child projects, that may happen when you add a new child but when you want to update the output you have to generate all of them anyway with responsive help.If Adobe's help is saying otherwise for responsive help, test it and use the search. Put a different non-dictionary string in each project such as redzebra, greenzebra and so on to see if they get found if you don't generate all of them. I am not saying they won't, just that is what people have found is necessary, regardless of theory.

There is a difference between generating and publishing and only generating will be affected by this issue where generating the parent auto-generates the children.

Are you only finding this happens when you add a child?

It's late here now but I'll create another merge tomorrow and generate just the parent. I haven't seen auto-generate happen for quite a while but another test won't hurt.

I'm happy to test your setup if it can be shared.

BTW. Remind me why you are merging with only 1,000 topics.

See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

Publishing parent updates child > is this better?

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