Generating a print doc deletes other docs in the same directory

[Guest]

Generating a new doc into a directory that contains a different doc generated off the same Word template causes the older doc to be deleted.

MY RH8 project is set up with a number of Print Documentation SSLs, one for each chapter of a book, all to use styles from the same Word template. Each SSL has the same Location selected, so all the chapters are by default created in a common directory, where each can be tweaked as needed and later all merged into a single PDF for distribution.

But as each doc is generated, the previously-generated doc in that directory disappears. The newer and older files have different file names, were generated by different RH Printed Documentation SSLs, but the SSLs refer to the same Word template. If a previously-generated doc is still open in Word when I generate the next, then I get the "[template name] is locked for editing" prompt, I select "Open a Read Only copy", it runs on to completion, and then both docs are present in the directory as expected.

The selected output can be doc, docx, or pdf, and always the earlier file is deleted. The selected Location in which the files are created can be inside the project or outside the project. It makes no difference whether the template's properties are set to Read-only.

An obvious workaround is to copy each file out to a different directory as soon as the file is generated. But RH deleting differently-named files is so obviously a malicious thing to do, I can't be working it right. Any ideas?

[Peter Grainge]

That's the way it has alway worked so you are not doing anything wrong. I agree it is a pain if the document has a different name.

I can only suggest you make a feature request. The more people who report a bug or request a feature, the more likely it is to be actioned. Please follow this link.

http://www.Adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=38

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Dang, that's a nuisance! I will do the feature request.

Thanks for the quick response.

[Subhash Jha]

When you generate a Print Doc SSL, a log file with name <ProjectName>.log is created along with the generated word doc(s) in the output folder. This log file contains the name of the previously generated word doc(s). When a Print Doc SSL is re-generated, it read the name of previous word doc from the log file and deletes it and creates a new word doc with possibly new name given in the SSL settings.

So, this is the normal behaviour of RoboHelp and works correctly if each Print Doc SSL is generated in separate folders. But when all the Print Doc SSLs are generated in the same output folder then the current SSL reads the log file of the previous SSL and hence deletes the previously generated word doc in that output folder.

Workaround:

1. RoboHelp has an option to generate individual Word Document for each Chapter, it can be used instead of Multiple SSL with one Chapter each.

2. If you can't use the first option for any reason, then delete the <ProjectName>.log before generating the each Print Doc SSL.

[Guest]

The individual chapter option would make sense. I have ignored it for so many years I don't even see it anymore.

[Peter Grainge]

You're not the only one who missed that!

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge