.hhc conversion

[markb37599647]

Hi,

Is there a way to convert an old style  'classic' .hhc file into a new style .toc file? By this I mean other than upgrading a 'classic' project to the new version (File > Upgrade RoboHelp Classic Project).

Some of our help project files are auto generated by a script and the script currently outputs an .hhc. I would like to avoid having to ask Development to rewrite the process to generate the new format .toc.

If the answer is no, so be it, but I would like to find out if I am missing anything first.

Many thanks,

Mark

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

So according to Google, the .hhc file is the CHM output TOC (had to look that up since it's some really ancient technology) - so it's your help project OUTPUT files that are being auto generated, not your RH project files. IIRC there are a number of tools for converting CHM output into something else - but RH isn't one of them. I'd be having a look at the process that's auto-generating this stuff - it may be as simple as invoking RH in a command line mode to create another output format.  

[Peter Grainge]

Sorry to disagree Jeff but hhc is the TOC file.

The file format of everything in the New UI is completely different so the whole process will have to change, not just the hhc.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Well, what do you know - a quick Google isn't comprehensive!
So Mark, what are you actually trying to accomplish? 

[markb37599647]

Thanks for your replies.

We auto-generate 'classic' RH project files using a series of scripts. The resultant files are HTML, CSS and an .hhc (table of contents file). I take these files and import them into a RoboHelp project then publish the output.

This all worked ok when I had RoboHelp classic, but unfortunately I don't now: I've just got the new version which doesn't support .hhc files as far as I can see. I can create a new project, import the HTML and CSS ok, but cannot use the .hhc file. So I have to autogenerate a table of contents in RH, however there are big differences between the structure of the one I autogenerate and the original .hhc, so I have to do a lot of work to reorganise the content.

I do not have access to classic project files so cannot upgrade the project in the normal way. So what I'm after is a way of incorporating/converting the .hhc into the RH 2020 project I am creating. I hope that makes sense.

Many thanks,

Mark

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Ok, so the question is why is the RH-created TOC so different from the script-generated one? Wouldn't they both just be looking at whatever headings you used in the HTML to bust it up into separate topics?

[Peter Grainge]

Isn't the issue here that the script is for the old format TOC and whether there was a way of avoiding rewriting the script?

The TOC is now so different I don't think there is any option but to rewrite the script. There are two formats for the TOC now which adds to the issue.

https://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/rh_tour/rh2020/toc_index_glossary/toc.htm

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

@Peter - your example links on that page in the "Online and Book TOCs - Why the Change?" section don't seem to go anywhere.
@Mark - I think you'll have to mess around manually with the new TOC format and then show the developers what the XML looks like for them to change their script.

[Peter Grainge]

The link is working for me. Maybe you have some blocks?

[markb37599647]

Ok both, thank you for your help. I thought that this would probably be the answer.