HELP :0) Hypertext Links drop (in Chms) - suspect chm 1st topic htm filename changed!

[Simon T @Eurotherm by SE]

Currently working on updating 20+ Microsoft HTML help files (chm) for a premium product and have hit a problem with the Chm production and files I’m updating.   Note: The files I’m updating, are in Adobe FrameMaker [AFM] 2017 (Version: 14.0.4.511) on a Windows 10 fully patched OS and the remaining unrevised are/were created in FM12.

My revised chms when completed and included into the build, i.e. the applications online help folder to test – fail to work, the hyperlinks (Hypertext Hrefs) don’t work and the default MS HTML Help "Cant reach this Page" is displayed. To clarify, selecting a link from an unchanged Book/Chm to a topic in one of the revised chms does not work – existing book to book links do. (Thus indicating my revised Chms are wonky..).

Initial investigation in the FM source indicated the incorrect application of Hypertext links, to other Eurotherm chms - strictly speaking (or my OCD ishh) should’ve been a Cross reference not a Hypertext_message URL ms-its:something.chm/something nnn.chm  – tried the ‘purist’ internal Xref approach did not fix - so started looking deeper, thinking its not the link it’s the target i.e. the revised chm containing the updated content and .htms. 

After a file comparing both the new revised version and the old 2015 versions decompiled chm files (control.chm) I was surprised to see AFM2017 was changing the 1st topics HTM filename, i.e. the FM Content heading 1 titel is: EPLC Control Library – H1 is configured in the STS file to be included into the HTML file (& CSS) - but the htm filename applied by the AFM 2017 was EurothermControlLibrary.htm – possibly a default from the AFM Book.

Now, with new enthusiasm I tested my theory (… FrameMaker Changing the first htm topic filename, from the H1 content) and spoofed up a new fake first Heading 1 in front of the original, built it and tested the links – it works and confirms the fault.

So how do I get AFM2017 to build the first topic and have the identical filename as the Heading 1 content (EPLC_Control_Library.htm), the same as the previous Chms version. (See Included file compare screenshot of spoof structure that worked).  

If I cant change this behaviour, I assume I’d have edit all the links that point to the older Heading 1 htm filename to the newer versions – considerable work and time delay and not mention if it would upset any of the CSH calls & Merge/baggage functions as the Eurotherm CHM Help is a child that sits, works inside a parent Help system hence the need to build like for like a return to the same htm filename etc.

Help would be really appreciated, a fix - well you'd be a friend for life 🙂

Thanks in advance
Simon 

[Bob_Niland]

It might be worthwhile to download a trial version of FM2020 (perhaps on another machine), and use a copy of the project to see what FM2020 does.

[Matt S - Tech Comm Tools]

You are using characters in your filenames that aren't valid for html. Set up a series of short test docs that use only alphanumeric characters in filenames and paths to confirm.

[Simon T @Eurotherm by SE]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the reply - been a long time fan of your work with FM and esp. the dark arts called conditional text nearly 10 or 20yrs ago thx 🙂

Regarding your reply "You are using characters in your filenames that aren't valid for html....", are you referring to the underscores/bars like; "_" in the htm filenames i.e. "EPLC_Control_Library.htm"? 

If yes - FM (or TCS) is doing that, when I build via Publish > MicroSoft HTML Help.  

I assume they are the spaces in the actual FM Heading 1 titles, for ecxample see function_blocks.htm (the title for that topic is H2 "Function Blocks" that works fine.

You'll also observe the spoof FM titles H1 and H2 under Structs.htm I've added. FM builds and names the HTM filename from the H1 and H2 titles in the FM source file. and enters a _ for each space in the FM title into the htm filename.  

Lol the only place it doesn't do it is the first H1 topic, which wou;ld normally be EPLC Control Library in the FM file - ignoring the spoof H1 title I put in to test -  which is what I need... (bangs head on desk). 

Any further help would be great,  openly here or pm via work email 
Tia Simon 

[Matt S - Tech Comm Tools]

Hi Tia, nice to hear that I helped you with your conditional text woes years ago!

You've got multiple issues:

• Fm 2017 conversion to formats like CHM and HTML5 is not as solid as Fm 2020. Consider Bob's suggestion of downloading a current version to test a copy of your content.
• Your use of hypertext markers means you need to identify exactly what your filename and location are. It might look like FrameMaker filenames, but you're not entering FrameMaker info. Instead, you are entering the filename and location of assets as they exist on your network. They only coincidentally "look" like your FrameMaker files and folders. Changes under the hood to how FrameMaker generates those filenames will invalidate your hypertext markers. As you suspect, using XREFs instead of the markers to specific network locations will solve this, as long as your XREFS are part of the same book file. Links across projects will need to be published from nested books, or configured using your current method, and the actual names of your assets (which, hopefully, will not contain characters used in HTML markup)