Using Map Files / Map IDs

Hmm...I may be an idiot, Rick!

Peter, in your example:

#define child1.htm 1000
#define child2.htm 2000
#define child3.htm 3000
#define child3a.htm 3001
#define child3b.htm 3002

What exactly are these lines referencing? When I first read through the topic, I thought you were using these to define # ranges - i.e. the first line means any four-digit number in the 1000s points to something in a project named 'child1.htm'.

But...are these meant to be sample lines similar to the one we've been testing with?

#define 12345 1

IE...is the '1000' in the first line meant to indicate the beginning number of a range, or a specific Map ID / Map Number being assigned?

Hi,

When you use CSH in a merged project, the master project will automatically check all child projects when the context sensitive id cannot be found in the master project. Peter’s method includes merging the map files but I don’t think that is necessary. We have several merged projects that work perfectly without merging the map files. But Peter is the authority on merged help

It is important to first get the terminology straight. In WebHelp there are Map ID’s and Map numbers. The Map ID (or topic id) is an alphanumeric string that can be anything from one character to a hundred or more characters. Then there are the Map numbers. Map numbers are a number between 1 and 4.294.967.295.

The terminology is important because what RoboHelp calls a Map ID may be referred to as a map number. Reading the article on Peter’s site I get the impression that what is called a Map ID on Peter’s site is actually the Map number in RoboHelp. (Please correct me if I’m wrong Peter.) The Map ID in RoboHelp is the Topic ID on Peter’s site. See step 8 of the article, it describes how to create a test page using the default RoboHelp JavaScript API. But that test page actually uses the map numbers as the default JS API does not support topic id’s, only map numbers.

Your map file tells the following:

‘12345’ is the Map ID or topic ID.

‘1’ is the Map number. The Map ID referred to on Peter’s site if I’m not mistaken.

Calling the Map number 12345 will not work if you use the default method because you are looking for the wrong number. Try the following:

Say that your master project is placed on http://localhost/newproject.htm. Open a new browser window and add the following URL in the browser where you replace the url with the url your project is placed:

http://localhost/newproject.htm#<str=12345

Does this get the desired result? Also try the test page but use ‘1’ instead of ‘12345’. Does this also get the correct page?

You (or your developers) may also be interested in my WebHelp CSH dissection: http://www.wvanweelden.eu/robohelp/webhelp/csh Note that this article is aimed at developers and does not provide any direct answers, but it will help you understand the different settings in RoboHelp.

Hope this doesn’t confuse you and I hope my assumptions about your intended action are correct.

Greet,

Willam

Our help system is installed locally by many of our customers (some customers' remote sites don't have strong/consistent or any internet access), so the full pathway will vary - could your suggestion still work in that context? Would it require the full URL (won't work) or only relational to the Webhelp folder (would work, since the path within the Webhelp folder would never change, regardless of where the system's installed).

I think we could automate a generic path using the naming convention you suggest, but it would only work if the URL did not require the full path, as that would break for customers using a non-standard install of the help.