Create a framemaker project using output folders

[LynnHomsi66]

Hello,

I have the complete Online Help. It's one folder that consists of subfolders for each book in the table of a contents that contain the HTML files relating to that book, the css and the images.I need to update these files but I don't have the project source.

Can I take this one folder and create a framemaker project? Will it keep the images and cross-references?

If not, is there any way I can create a project using this? This folder is all I have to go off of, and I'm really stuck.

Thanks a lot!

Ps. I do have the Weborks project source that contains all these files, if this will help me create a project where I can update the help.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

How were the HTML pages created? If they came via RH, then you can perform a "reverse engineering" on them to get a workable RH project, but I don't know if creating a FM doc and importing HTML into it will work at all.

[RoboColum_n_]

If you absolutely can not find the source files there are ways you maybe able to use the output files. First question is, do you know which application was used to create the help? It wasn't FrameMaker. If you don't, things could get tricky. If you open up one of the HTM files in Notepad, this may give you a clue. Second question - do you have to use FrameMaker or could the original application used to create the help do. Let us know and we'll go from there.

[LynnHomsi66]

I was told it was made in Framemaker, then it was put into Webworks to process and make the output.

There are FM source projects but it's not for the whole online help, only parts. When I open them, I get a messgae there are missing files and cross-references; and images are grey boxes (I've never worked with FM so this could or could not be normal). I don't care which Online Help software to use, I just want it to work. Other than Framemaker, I have Robohelp and MadCap Flare. I use Flare for other online help, so I'm familiar with that...

I could try the reverse engineering robohelp and see what that gives, but I think it was made in FM.

When I opened in NotePad, I saw "Webworks" several times in the code.

Thank you both for your help.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

When you say "it's not for the whole online help, only parts." are you referring to additional content being added or merged in with Webworks or do you think there were more FM files involved in the creation of the content?

The missing files & busted xrefs messages would be normal if the FM content had been moved around from its original creation location. This can probably be repaired if you can track down the missing files and graphics.

[LynnHomsi66]

Never mind about those FM files I just spoke of. When I first opened them, they were Ch 4, Ch 5, etc.so I assumed that the online help was made up of several FM projects then put together in webworks, that's why I thought it was only part of the overall Help.

When I open up Webworks, I see the books with their respective files, with file extensions .book and .fm. (they don't open the file for me to edit, or else all would be solved) So these source files must have been imported in. I did a search using these file extensions and couldn't locate these files. There isn't an import function to add this folder of HTML and images into FM or another software? Maybe if I zip the folder and import it as a whole?

Thank you again!

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Basically you have 2 options:

1. Track down the original files (This is so by far the best solution)
2. Use the new options in FM11 to convert the HTML to DITA and thus draw the content back into FM11. See the FrameMaker 11 reviewer's guide on the fm11 web page for more info.

[Van Kurtz]

If you have a working set of HTML files, that is, you can open them with a browser and they all work fine, then use an HTML editor (Dreamweaver?) and edit the files directly. I have no knowledge of RoboHelp, but maybe you can edit them directly in RoboHelp.

To me, it seems a lot of work to get them back(?) into FrameMaker just to make some changes. If you have an app to edit HTML files, there seems no reason to convert them to something else.

Van