Collaboration with Git and Integration of RH project to app

[amitabh_cbnits]

Hi all RH users,

I need your help to understand a few things as I'm new to RoboHelp 2019 (Release). I'm writing a technical document on a project and wish to collaborate with the design team through Git. I have generated a few output screens (HTML5 and Frameless). However, the design team wants to make some modifications that I created on RH. So, I pushed the project to Git. But I did not see any output screens inside Git Repo but other files. My question is how can I have the output screens inside the Git so that our designers can make the necessary changes and push the same to Git. Later I will take a pull from the Git, and use the same as output layout.

Next question is that once I have done with the design and content, how can I integrate my RH project to our application? Can this be done through Git as well? Or I just have to give index.html file to the developer? I would be grateful if someone could come forward and help me with definite answers. TIA

[Amebr]

There are several different things in your post. I'll try to cover what I think are the main ones.

1. Modifying output screens

First, I assume "output screens" means the finished help file (the output you generate). If people change the output files you generate, those changes will not be included in your Robohelp project. You really should not do that. Have I understood correctly? Can you give more detail about what you are trying to achieve?

2. Output files in Git

Typically only source files are added to source control. While I haven't used Git, I believe you would need to manually add the output to Git using Git tools. However, I've heard developers get upset about souce controlling the output, so double-check that is allowed in your organisation. However, if you are adding the output so other people can change it (#1 above) then I really wouldn't recommend you do this.

3. Integrating the help

This one is hard. It depends what you mean by "integrating". One option is the help lives on a web server and the help calls the correct web address for the screen. The other option is the help file is included in the application installation package, and installed on same computer as the application.

In the first case, you only need to give the developers a map file so the application will call the correct web page. In the second, you will need to give them the complete output folder with all the htm, image, javascript, css, etc files.

In both cases the developers will need to program the help call in the application. 

Have a look at Peter Grainge's site: http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/calling_help/calling_help.htm

Also look at the Robohelp 2017 help which includes some information about CSH and the different tasks performed by developers and writers (this information doesn't exist in the 2019 help, but most of the concepts still apply)

https://help.adobe.com/en_US/robohelp/2017/robohtml/index.html#t=book%2Frob_createhelp_ch%2FContext-...

Post back with further questions once you've had time to read and discuss with your developers.