My Search doesn't work in AirHelp

Report · Aug 20, 2010

I am using RH8, windows 7, and generating browser based Air Help.

I have about 5 merged projects and 1 parent. When I generate browser based help on my pc Search works just fine. However, when I put it on a server, and try to search, nothing happens. Nothing displays.

I read some of the previous posts about searching. I checked to see that I have no .pdf files in my projects. I also deleted the .cpd files and ran Air Help again. Neither of these solutions worked.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

Pat

Report · Jan 21, 2011

I realize this is a five month old post, but I am new to RoboHelp and this is the same issue that I am currently having.

The only way that I have found to have the index, glossary and search box working properly with merged projects is through the WebHelp single source layout.

Merged projects will not work properly when generating an AIR Help application.

Merged projects work using AIR Browser based Help, but do not combine like terms on the glossary and index, and the search box doesn't work at all (unless the search term is in your parent project.)

If you found a workaround, or if anyone else knows a way, i would love it if you could share that here.

Thanks in advance!

Report · Jan 21, 2011

Brian

Please see Announcement 2 at http://forums.adobe.com/community/robohelp/airhelp

You don't indicate what version of RoboHelp you are using.

Locally installed AIR Help cannot be merged to work as one system where search and so on work across the whole output. Reference to merged help of this type is misleading. What you get is a dropdown that enables the user to select one of a number of AIR Help systems and the functionality is limited to that.

Browser based merged help should work in the same way as merged webhelp. Using the same projects, if you generate merged webhelp, does that work OK?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 21, 2011

Very Sorry. I am using RoboHelp 8 HTML. And in the future I will be sure and start a new thread for posts older than 1 month.

Merged WebHelp works like a charm thanks to you tutorial:

http://www.adobe.com/devnet-archive/robohelp/articles/merged_help.html

But if at all possible I would like the functionality of the "AIR Browser based Help" output. Everything works fine with merged AIR Browser based Help, except for the index and glossary which will list the same term more than once (as that term is in more than 1 child project), and the search field returns "null" for anything in the child projects.

Thanks for such a quick response.

Report · Jan 21, 2011

Not a problem re tacking onto a thread, as long as it is relevant.

I'll set up a test for browser based merged help and post back. I thought they worked OK when I last looked.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 21, 2011

Search is working fine in a merged browser based AIR help setup so I think index and glossary would too.

I noticed you referenced the article on Adobe's site. The one on my site is more up to date and the redirect method changed. I don't think that is the problem though but you will need to change to it sometime to avoid other problems.

To solve your current problems I suggest you remove the redirect in the parent project for now. If that fails, copy the current download from my site and try with that.

Post back if no progress.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 24, 2011

I downloaded your project files from your site, and created an AIR browser based Help system, and you are correct, the search box worked. I am not sure why this does not work in my current project. I will have to recreate the project I am guessing.

However, I went into the child_3 project, added the index word "one" and assigned that word to the Child 3 topicand when publishing the index word "one" shows up twice. Once for the topic "Child One" and once for the topic "Child Three". If creating a WebHelp system, this process works and only shows one term with all topics listed correctly. Is there a different process I can try?

Thanks again for taking the time to help me with this issue.

Report · Jan 25, 2011

Here's what I see.

What skin and template are you using?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 25, 2011

Multi-tab Accordian

and then I tried the Classic Help Ocean Blue

Am I creating the index wrong? It's very possible. I've only been using this software for about a month, so I still have a lot to learn. I have just added a new index word in the index. Should I be adding a keyword to the topic maybe?

Report · Jan 25, 2011

It should look like this. Not sure how you have managed your output as you cannot duplicate a keyword. Post back if no progress.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 25, 2011

HI all

Actually, it would be helpful if you could post a screen capture of what your index pod looks like as Peter did.

Cheers... Rick

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Report · Jan 25, 2011

Sure thing Captiv8r:

Mr. Grainge: I'm confused in how you are linking an external webpage (New Topic 1 if it is in a seperate project) to your index in Child One. There is no Link to: External File. How is this possible?

Report · Jan 26, 2011

Your AIR output images look desktop AIR help. That cannot be merged. Please confirm you are testing merged browser based help.

I'm not linking to an external page. I am creating an index in one project. In another I would do the same. If both have the same keyword, they are merged, "one" shows once.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 26, 2011

Are you trying to create the entire index in one project?

The method is that in Child 1 you create the index for just that project. So you enter a term, such as "one" and then link all the topics in the project to the keyword.

You repeat that in each project so that each project has the same keyword and its own topics linked to it.

When you merge, the keyword should only appear once and when clicked, all the topics in the merge will be listed.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 26, 2011

I have confirmed that the parent and child projects are all generating AIR Browser based Help output files.

I have created the indexes in the seperate projects, just as you have described in the previous post:

Peter Grainge wrote:
Are you trying to create the entire index in one project?
The method is that in Child 1 you create the index for just that project. So you enter a term, such as "one" and then link all the topics in the project to the keyword.
You repeat that in each project so that each project has the same keyword and its own topics linked to it.
When you merge, the keyword should only appear once and when clicked, all the topics in the merge will be listed.
See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips
@petergrainge

But for some reason the indexes do not merge when viewing the AIR output. The same for the glossary terms. Could this be an install error maybe? Is there a button I have forgotten to check? Are there any system settings that would affect this?

Thank you so much for your time and help. I really appreciate it!

BrianCCD

Report · Jan 26, 2011

Zip up your project and send as instructed on the Contact page on my site. Please include a link to this thread.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 27, 2011

OK I see what is different, I had not set things up quite as you want and I now see what you see. It is a bug and I have reported it. Sorry there is no solution using merged browser based AIR help.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jan 27, 2011

I'm sorry to hear that, but am glad to know that I wasn't doing anything incorrect.

Thanks again for your time, help and patience. It is most appreciated.

I will keep my eyes and ears out for an update to Adobe AIR, and I look forward to frequenting these forums and helping where I can.

BrianCCD