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K
ktbFL
Inspiring
November 13, 2014
Answered

I can't see Imported/Copied Topics

  • November 13, 2014
  • 1 reply
  • 2478 views

Some of you may recall me posting a few weeks ago that I inherited a mess that consists of CHM files instead of individual topics for csh.  Each link for CSH calls a full CHM file.  Now I am trying to pull them all into one project and set them up properly for use in our NEW product.

So, I poked around the forums and saw in one place that there was an IMPORT PROJECT option - but that doesn't seem to exist in RH10.  The Merge Projects option doesn't seem to be what I need either at this point.

I am simply trying to do a test to see what is involved with pulling in old htm topics to my new project with its own set of topics.  I saw on one of the forums that I could import a topic, but everything else would have to be manually moved over (like images, and other topic related files).  So, instead of importing the topic, I simply went to the folder of the old chm project and copied anything and everything that had the project name (in this case "Scheduler") in the file name.  I then pasted it into my project.  This included 2 style sheets, several images, and things like apj, cpd, brs, etc.

However, when I open my project into which I copied all those files, I don't see anything relating to those files.  So, I thought perhaps I had not copied in the htm - I then tried to just import just the topic "Scheduler" from the chm project file.  However, in doing that I got an error that said that the file already existed in the project.  But I'm not seeing it in the Project Manager... WHAT STEP OR TRICK OR OBVIOUS ISSUE AM I MISSING?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Captiv8r

    Sorry but I don't think Rick's suggestion will work here. What that will do is create projects from the CHMs but I believe you already have the projects.

    Having you tried importing the files as images should come with the topic. What other problems are you encountering?

    See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

    @petergrainge


    Peter is right but in re-reading this, I think I am seeing what the issue is.

    Correct me if I'm wrong here, but it seems you are thinking that perhaps RoboHelp should be behaving similar to Dreamweaver. Here's what I mean. In Dreamweaver, you manipulate HTML pages just as you do with RoboHelp. And by manipulate, I mean creating links between them, adding and removing content.

    Dreamweaver simply works with existing files on the drive. And if you copied a file from one folder and plopped it into the site, the page then shows up immediately in Dreamweaver. At least, that's my understanding.

    RoboHelp is way different, in that it has a database and some XML files that are used to manage projects. So you cannot simply copy files from one drive or folder and plop them into the RoboHelp Project folder and expect to see them in RoboHelp. They must be IMPORTED so that RoboHelp can update all these other files in order to be aware of them.

    In my earlier response, because you had mentioned "Importing CHM files", I mistakenly concluded that all you had to work with was the CHM files. So if that were the case, decompiling would sort of be a first step in order to get at the HTM files inside.

    Cheers... Rick

    1 reply

    Captiv8r
    Captiv8r
    Legend
    November 13, 2014

    Hi there

    If I were in your shoes, I'd be using the technique described on Peter's site (linked below) to decompile each of the CHM files. That would then give you the HTM as well as any images. You would then simply import the HTM pages into your new project.

    Click here to view

    Cheers... Rick

    K
    ktbFLAuthor
    Inspiring
    November 13, 2014

    Hi Rick,

    I have actually used that process for other purposes... but didn't know if it was the best way to do the import thing...

    One reason I didn't think it would be the best idea is because the previous writer somehow put CHMs inside CHM and there is a lot of duplication of files because of the way it's set up... I didn't want to be pulling in duplicates...

    However, I WILL try this method to see how it goes!

    thanks so much!

    Captiv8r
    Captiv8r
    Legend
    November 14, 2014

    yes... it was almost TOO easy the way you and Peter suggested! lol I'm

    worried I missed something! lol

    but this brings up another semi-related issue - and I didn't see anything

    this specific on the forum... but I really need to start organizing this

    project carefully as it's going to end up being huge... in my previous job,

    I was using another HAT that let me organize files and folders either

    inside or outside of itself.. .in otherwords, i could easly copy and paste

    files into folders and be able to see them inside the project.

    HOWEVER... with RH it's obvious I can't do this...

    I have folders that are showing up in multiple areas... and they are empty

    except in one location. Then I have other folders set up that I'm not

    seeing at all. Some things I see via the project, but can't see via

    Explorer and vice versa.. it's very confusing... as puzzlement as it were.

    What do you suggest as the best way to get my project reorg'd before it

    grows so large... should I delete all the stuff i can see in one place only

    and some how pull those into the project? how do i do that with folders?

    How do you go about keeping your files organized as you go? I know this is

    really basic stuff... I've done huge projects before, but not with RH....

    only with a competitor and it was very drag-n-drop friendly.

    HELP... AND THANKS AS ALWAYS... sorry to be so blonde... AGAIN!


    Hello again

    Sounds like we are taking the basic RoboHelp class via the forums, eh?

    Okay, about the folders. Years ago I created an article that touches on it.

    Click here to view the article

    The thing is, you also likely have your Project Manager pod configured in Classic view. And in that view, the project files are presented to you using folders that really aren't folders in the true sense, They are simply "filters" to present content that fits that "filter".

    Hopefully this helped more than confused.

    Cheers... Rick

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