Printed Docs Not Following TOC

[RYBRN]

When you generate a printed doc (in this case, Word output), you are supposed to get output of topics in a sequence that follows the TOC as outlined on the TOC panel in RoboHelp.

Instead, I am getting a complete jumble, with some topics even repeated. I have tried every combination of settings and kludges known to man (I am pretty resourceful about this, usually), but nothing seems to have any effect on it. The one good thing I can say is that it is consistent in the way it scrambles the topics.

I am using the latest RoboHelp with Word 2003 on an XP box. At this point we are reduced to cutting and pasting about 366 topics to rescramble them in the correct order.

HELP!!!

[Peter Grainge]

Welcome to the forum

When you first create a print layout, it takes the TOC at that time as the default. Thereafter it is whatever you set up and is independant of the TOC. If what you want is the current TOC, in the print layout simply click the left arrow to remove all current topics and then click the right arrow to use the current TOC.

This is all described in much more detail on my site. See Printed Documentation.

[RYBRN]

I assume you are talking about the third panel of the PD Wizard, in which you can specify the exact topics to be included in the PD. I have done that and it did not work.

I also created a new PD layout, and got the same result with that one as I did before.

[Peter Grainge]

You are saying that if you clear the current layout, make sure TOC is selected in the dropdown and you then click the arrow to copy that left to right, you don't get the current TOC?

[RYBRN]

In RH7, on wizard panel 3, I clear the "Chapter Layout" panel by clicking the double left arrow. Then I refill it with the topics I want to print. Result: jumble.

[Peter Grainge]

I thought you wanted what was in the TOC? If you follow the procedure I described, it will copy the TOC into the layout. I just tested it again to be sure RH for Word works the same as RH HTML and it does.

If you are adding them one by one, then it must be something about the way you are doing it and I cannot see that. You will have to be more specific.

Try using the left to right arrows as I described, take some screenshots and email them via my site.

[RYBRN]

Peter:

THanks for your help. I have sent screenshots to your "site01" mail account with the Subject line "Screenshots you requested in Adobe Forum (RYBRN).

[Peter Grainge]

Please recheck. No email received.

Try the other address if necessary.

[RYBRN]

Sorry, hadn't hit the Send button (d*mmit). Check now.

[Peter Grainge]

Hmmm! I see what I see but there is something fundamentally wrong. Are you will to send me the project?

If you are, zip it up and send via http://www.transferbigfiles.com or a similar sender.

[RYBRN]

One thing I have noticed is that, in every case where it is picking up the wrong topic, it apparently is going to the right topic but then copying in the topic just above it in the actual word doc.

In the progress dialog while it is generating the file, it says that it is picking up and copying the correct topics, but in just about every case it is grabbing the one just above it in the actual Word doc sequence. I suspect this is a bug. I just wonder why it hasn't happened to anyone else.

[Peter Grainge]

I think if it was a bug, we would have seen this before.

Maybe in a copy of the project try deleting the RTF files and then reopening it. It's an old trick to force the creation of new RTFs.

[RYBRN]

Sad to say, that didn't fix it.

[Peter Grainge]

The only other thing to suggest is building another TOC. Which version are you using? RH7 allows you to create multiple TOCs.

Beyond that there's not much I can suggest without looking at the project, My offer stands.

[Peter Grainge]

Looking at an unrelated thread has prompted an idea.

Right click Single Source Layouts and create a new Printed Documentation Layout. Don't copy the old one.

See if that fixes the problem. The layouts can get corrupted.

[zizbarb]

We have the same problems when trying to generate printed docs (word). One common factor we have noted is that the missing or duplicate topics always contain a table. We've developed a cumbersome work around, but it would be great if we could find a solution to this issue.

[Peter Grainge]

Zizbarb

That is something to work on. If you could create a small project that exhibits this problem, I would be happy to examine it.

What is the workaround?