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DimiMestier
Known Participant
September 11, 2017
Answered

TOC/index/variables disappeared in RH 11

  • September 11, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 1898 views

Hello to you oh-so-helpful forum folks!

I have inherited several RH projects, one of which uses WebHelp for output--and that is the project I'm having trouble with. I am using RH 11.0.4.291 and have all updates installed. I am not overly familiar with WebHelp.

The compiled help was last checked into source control on 12/14/2015, but it looks like quite a few files were later updated and checked in on 7/13/2016. I have updated only one file, and checked it in on 9/1/2017. In the existing compiled help, the TOC and index are visible and the product variable is where it's supposed to be. All of my examples are for using IE 11, but the same is true of Chrome and Edge.

When I compile the file now, however, it opens with a statement that the product variable is not defined and the TOC and index do not appear. In the project itself, the product variable is defined and displays properly. In the Project Manager, two files are defined in the TOC and Index folders: PL_Help (Default) and PLHelp. When I double-click to open any of those files, empty panes open.

Do you have suggestions for getting the TOC and index back? I dread that you might tell me I have to create them again.... Do you know why the variable is appearing in the project but not in the newly compiled help? I have researched the forum and found several issues related to mine, but they seem to be for older versions. I looked at a patch someone mentioned in a thread, but the files in the patch were older than what I currently have and, in the end, the thread seemed to indicate that they did not fix the disappearing TOC and index issue.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if I can provide screenshots of anything for clarification.

--Dimi Mestier

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Captiv8r

Sorry about that. CBT means Conditional Build Tag. Used with Build Expressions.

The fact you tried without a build expression and you are seeing the same behavior is enough to rule that out.

Are you open for connecting one on one where I might see your screen and try to help you work through things? If so, shoot me a private email at rickstone1975 (at) gmail (dot) com and I'd be happy to configure a screen share and see if we might work through it.

And if you aren't comfortable doing that, that's fine too. I just had a small bit of unexpected free time this afternoon and thought I'd toss out the offer.

Cheers... Rick


I connected using WebEx and while we have no good explanations as for why things happened the way they did, we seemed to resolve it by using RoboHelp to create a totally new TOC and Index and import the content from an older TOC and Index. While that did seem to correct the blank issues we were seeing, the TOC would end up blank in the browser after opening the Index until we reloaded the entire WebHelp output. But I believe that's more aligned with browser changes and the older WebHelp code.

As for the UDV aspect, we did clear the CPD and at one point all the variables just performed a disappearing act. So we added them back in carefully, then looked at the UDV report to determine which were left orphaned. Once we added them back to the project it appeared that things were more back to normal when generating. No more variable undefined messages showing.

Cheers... Rick

1 reply

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Jeff_CoatsworthCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 11, 2017

Little confused here - you talk about checking in the compiled help - normally your project files live in source control and you check them out to work on them or generate help output (in any of the flavours RH produces). That help output may then be put someplace else for inclusion in builds or may be published to a web server or another location.

When you generate help, IIRC, you select the set of variables you want to have used in the Single Source Layout. Maybe you missed doing that?

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DimiMestierAuthor
Known Participant
September 11, 2017

I mentioned the checking in only to establish that I had a compiled help file with one date and other files with a different date. We use Team Foundation Server and typically check in every file in the help folder, although I usually keep everything checked out until I'm finished with my updates. In any case, my confusion is that the current compiled help has a TOC and an index, but those things are missing when I compile the help with my updates. I also don't see the TOC or index in the help project, although they must have been there when the help was last compiled.

As for the variables, they show up in the User Defined Variables pod. I don't know where to select a set of variables to use during a compile. I have looked in the WebHelp Settings (screenshot attached), but cannot find a setting for variables in any of the options.

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Jeff_CoatsworthCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 11, 2017

Can you show what's on that "Content <default>" screen?

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