Generated Help won't show topics.

Forum|Forum|17 years ago
September 29, 2008
3 replies
923 views

I generate the Help, open the TOC, click a topic, and get the message: "The topic does not exist. Contact your application vendor for an updated Help file." I'm using RoboHELP for Word v. 7. I've made minimal changes since inheriting this Help project, and my predecessors could generate it. Any ideas?

RH for Word

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer RoboColum_n_

Just checking that the output isn't being generated to your My Documents folder or your desktop which mayin fact be on a network?

RoboColum_n_Correct answer

Legend

Just checking that the output isn't being generated to your My Documents folder or your desktop which mayin fact be on a network?

R

RHGraceAuthor

Inspiring

Well, duh! I had them on my Desktop. I didn't even think about that. I've moved them to my C: drive and have no more problems generating. Thanks!

RoboColum_n_

Legend

If you right click on the single source layout being used and select Properties, you'll see an output folder and file name field. This will tell you where your output is being placed. Typically CHM files are created where the output is being installed on a local PC (e.g. installed via the application). Webhelp is designed to run on a website or server. Your application can still access it there but you don't deleiver it with the application. Webhelp has the advantage that you can republish the help at anytime whilst CHMs mean having to wait for another build.

R

RHGraceAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks. I should have known to check the Single Source Layout Properties. Yes, the .chm files are being compiled on my hard drive. I have no idea why I can't see topics in the generated Help most of the time but I can sometimes. If anyone has ideas why this would happen, please let me know.

Captiv8r

Legend

Hi there RHGrace

What is your output? Where is your output?

What you are describing might imply you are creating compiled .CHM output and placing the result on a network server. If that's the case, click here and read on.

Cheers... Rick

R

RHGraceAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks for the reply. My predecessor had worked on files off a server, but I copied all those files onto my hard drive. Could RoboHelp still be pointing to the server location when generating the layout? Now, here's another twist: Every once in a while, it works fine; topics in the generated Help open just fine!

Interesting news about the Microsoft safety patch affecting chm files on a server. I would much rather work in webhelp rather than Word Help, as I'm more comfortable with webhelp and want to avoid Word's quirky behaviors. However, I don't know the differences between the two well enough to explain them (I'm not a techie); I'd need to give my manager sufficient reasons for going to webhelp.

Cheers.

Captiv8r

Legend

Hi again RHGrace

You asked about the differences between "Word help and WebHelp". I don't know that I'm seeing in the thread where that had been addressed. Hence my post.

RoboHelp Office installs as two different applications.
* RoboHelp for Word
* RoboHelp HTML

With RoboHelp for Word, you use Microsoft Word as your authoring environment. With RoboHelp HTML, you use the RoboHelp editor.

If you are creating HTML based output, you will work more efficiently if you use an editor designed to work directly with HTML content! If you continue a path of using Microsoft Word (which was originally intended to work with print, then kludged to convert print to HTML) you will likely find yourself facing many issues that you either would not face if using RoboHelp HTML, or you wouldn't encounter altogether.

Hopefully this was helpful... Rick

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