Loading time

[JudyWiessner]

I have a question about loading times for Webhelp.

I have a project made up of a lot of very small files.  If I launch it with a "#" bookmark to open one of the small files, but with the navigation pane open, will it load all the files, or just the one I'm looking at?  The same thing if I open the "top" file - will it load all the others, or just load them as they are opened?

We are going for speed above all in this, so this is very important.

Thanks for any help!

[Peter Grainge]

If you are opening the output with the nav pane and default topic, RH is loading the start page with its frames and the default topic. The start page knows to open the default topic. It's the same as any website in that respect, imagine if the browser had to load Microsoft's site.

If you open the output with the nav pane and a call to another topic using the # method, then I would guess it is either the same time would apply as the start page still has to load but it is being told to redirect to another topic. I guess in a lab it might be possible to prove that takes fractionally longer but I would think you are talking in split seconds.

The only thing that might be quicker is to open the CSH topic without the nav pane but that makes the help less friendly and discourages people looking more before they call support. If speed is more important than usability...

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[JudyWiessner]

Thanks, Peter. That's what I was hoping.

Good analogy with the Microsoft site. Yes, of course!

Thanks for the prompt reply!