RH 2017 - variables values missing from the list of variables

If you can't get the variables back using Peter's suggestions, there are two scripts available to convert a text string to a variable.

UDV Converter - script only. You have to enter the  details into the script file before running it.

UDV Converter with UI - running the script displays a dialog box that allows you to enter the text string you want to replace with a variable, a name for the variable, and the variable value.

I forget the exact location to run it in RH2017 (I need to go home to check) but in RH11 it's in the Tools > Scripts > [script name], so I assume that probably translates to a similarly named tab in the ribbon.

Do note that it has a bug that won't find your text string if it spans a line break in the behind the scenes HTML source code. Typically this appears to be in lists and tables. (I've frankensteined[1]  myself a slightly better version of the script, but I'm not a programmer and it hasn't been tested much so I couldn't guarantee that it won't break something, or miss certain string combinations. If you find that the script doesn't find enough instances of your string, I could post it, but use at your own risk.)

(I'll be submitting it to Adobe as a bug, but given they've killed the script function in RH2019, I suspect we'd be really lucky if they released a fixed version.)

[1] spliced in chunks of code from other Adobe RH scripts

I have not seen that reported  before and the only way I can think of is when you deliberately delete a variable, you get a dialog with options, one being to convert to text.

When you delete a variable, you can multi-select. Perhaps someone did that accidentally?

Regardless of how it happened, you need a way back. Variables are stored in the rhvariable.apj file. Open that in a text editor and see if the variables are there. If they are then close the project and create a backup. I always recommend creating the backup as a zip file. That prevents you opening it accidentally and working on it before you realise it was the backup. This way you always have a clean backup that can be used to create a new clean copy time after time.

If the rhvariable.apj file was empty, get a copy from a backup and overwrite the empty file.

Now delete the CPD file and reopen the project. Does that restore the list? If it does, does it also convert the text back to variables. I doubt it but who knows. That bit may have to be manual.

If the values are unique words, you could try a find and replace operation by correcting one instance of each value and using that code as the replace. That is not an option if the term is unique unless the find and replace tool allows you to confirm or reject each instance.

Let us know how you get on.

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

@petergrainge