RH 2019 classic, links to external updated topics. looking for a confirmation

[oliviert5031601]

Hello, I've a merged chm project. all outputs are directed to a dir output, one level higher than the main project. (that's ok?) When I place a relation to a chm file in my main project (via toc,  remote topic), it is copied automatically to the root of the main project (one level lower). In the subproject I link one topic of a subproject to another topic of another subproject via the remote topic link feature. I'm just wondering...

what happens if I compile one of these remote subprojects afterwards. that new subprojects target is NOT in the root of the main project...I suppose I have to copy them manually to the main, if I don't make modifications? Is that right?

best regards

Olivier

[Peter Grainge]

The best solution with Classic is similar to the only one that works in 2019 New UI.

Generate all the outputs to the same folder. That can be a folder within one of the projects in Classic but I think it is easier to create a folder such as CHM_Merge outside all of the projects.

Then you should only have to regenerate whichever projects you have changed.

See http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/merging_webhelp/merging_method_chms.htm

[oliviert5031601]

Hello Peter,

excuse my ignorance 🙂 but the example files from your website (for classic it is rh9merge) store the final chm's aswell for the subprojects as for the main project in a subdir at the same level as its source: !SSL!\Microsoft_HTML_Help

is there a peculiar reason to do this? SSL stands for secure socket layer, if i'm right...

so not in a central place as I planned to do, or as you write hereabove (:-))

in my setup the routine would be

change something in subproject, generate chm to centralized folder

open main project, import freshly made subproject in bagage (will overwrite old ones), adapt toc if needed,  compile main.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Nope, SSL in RH-speak is "Single Source Layouts"

[oliviert5031601]

And why would that be the default place for output files, at least in the previous versions? I cannot see the logic here. Hiding away the result of your work 3 directories deep in the projectdirectory under a 'coded' name?

Nevertheless, thank you for your reply, I suppose it makes no sense to put energy in past decisions 🙂

output directories for my project are NOT there. I hope this will not make a functional difference.

level1 projectdir and output dir

level2 mainproject and folders of subprojects

level3 subprojects

all outputdir (main and sub) settings point to the folder in level 1.

Everytime I 'touch' a chm file, it get's duplicated in the appropriate level automatically. Can someone tell me why it is designed like this? It forces us to recompile the main project....

is this ok?

best regards

[Peter Grainge]

I am not sure what you mean by coded name.

it was the way it was because it was set up that way over twenty years ago by a different company. I have no idea why. All that matters is making it work now.

When you generate in Classic the first field is Output Path and File Name. Set the path to a folder you designate for all the outputs. Obviously unique file names.

To the best of my recollection I set it up with one folder containing sub-folders for all the projects and another folder at the same level as the project container folder. If you also merge online layouts, then the different structure there will work as well, it's just that you don't need it for CHMs only.

• Projects - all projects here
• Outputs - all outputs here

Yes duplicates get created in the projects but how is that a problem? Are you saying that generating all the CHMs to Outputs folder is not working?

[oliviert5031601]

Hey Peter

with coded I mean that the name is not representative for its content.. It could have been any chinese name 🙂

But I understand it is historical and that nobody questionned this for 20 years 🙂

regarding the project. Does it matter if the output folder is one level up from the project folder? I suppose not. Problem is that I have a project folder per language...but group all the chm to one folder above, as this has to be collected for inclusion in our software program (all 3 languages in one dir there too)

[Peter Grainge]

The CHM name is whatever you give it so uncode it. 🙂

In the Outputs folder you create could you not have German, French, English or whatever subfolders? The key thing is just not to generate within a project sub-folders. Beyond that, it's your choice.