RH2022Build 5 - Generate step does not detect changed topics

[LMardenTyler]

This is driving me bat crap crazy.

I have a project that no matter WHAT I do, will not add changed topics to the Output folder for a Responsive HTML Generate step. This project is about ten years old, and had been working fine up until maybe two weeks ago. Can't pin it for sure to the .5 update, but that might be part of it.

• Have made no changes to build tags or build expressions. 
• Have tried using Republish All selected and not selected (not that that usually makes any difference at all, which is fun when working with large systems... but that's another issue to address at another time).
• Have tried renaming topics, folders, subfolders that contain the topics I need to see hit the Output folder. 

What am I missing? Is there a cache file somewhere in my project (on my laptop, not on the server) that controls what the Generate step recognizes as changed topics?  I want to blow that sucker out of the water if there is one. Or what else could be interfering?

And if you have any info on why Republish All happens regardless of my selection (or not) of it in the Preset, that would be cool.

- Laurin, Tyler Technologies  

[LMardenTyler]

should also add that I made a backup and brought it to my other office laptop and tried there - it's where I am now. same disappointing results. 

[Peter Grainge]

Hi Laurin

Are you aware of the change in the new UI versions re what gets generated? In Classic versions everything got generated unless you tagged it out. Now only what's in the TOC gets generated plus anything linked to those topics. That doesn't mean the user has to see them in the TOC. 

See https://www.grainge.org/RoboHelp_Tour/rh2022/toc_index_glossary/toc.htm

________________________________________________________
My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[LMardenTyler]

yup - very much aware. checked the Unreferenced Topics report, the topics aren't there. I also publish a hidden file called Unreferenced Topics Dump and I added the topics to that - it pubs but is hidden.  It didn't make a difference.

I have overview pages that list these topics too. 

[LMardenTyler]

the project has been publishing fine until just very recently. it really feels like a switch somewhere in a cache-like file won't reset. 

[Peter Grainge]

Generate to a different folder. 

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help .

[LMardenTyler]

did that too - no joy

[Peter Grainge]

Are you generating to the same drive as the project? 

It's late here and I can't readily think what else it might be. Can you share the project? If you can, then see the Contact page on my site and send the project as instructed there. Do make sure you include a link to this thread and please do not email the project direct.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help .

[Peter Grainge]

Any source control here? 

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help

.

[Amebr]

I want to confirm it's the generate step, rather than the puiblish step that is experiencing the problem. You have used both terms, but they do very different things.

[Peter Grainge]

On Republish All...

The theory of the difference is obvious. The practice I'm not so sure. When the new UI came out it made no difference whether the option was selected or not, as I and others pointed out, maybe you as well. It was allegedly fixed along the way but it seems to make little difference. When RoboHelp publishes, it puts a file on the server that the publish process looks at next time and only uploads the changed files. However, that process takes time so there is little apparent difference in the process.

Let me know if I can help more on the core problem.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[LMardenTyler]

updates and clarifications:

No, no source control. 

No, project Generate step goes to a local folder on my laptop, while the publish step goes to the server. I understand the difference.

The problem is that topics I need to publish to the server are not being added to the GENERATE output folder on my laptop, regardless of whether I select Republish All or not.

I have tried creating a new Preset - no, did not just duplicate. Created it new.
I tried defining a different folder on the server AND a different Generate folder on my laptop.
Made changes to the topics that will not GENERATE. 

THey still do not hit the OUTPUT folder on my laptop - so therefore is nothing to PUBLISH to the SERVER.

Seriously guys, have been using RH since the early 90s. This is not a rookie problem. And it only just started a week or two ago, on a project in active status for over ten years. Have been generating / publishing this project along with too many others in RH2022 for about a year now.

The only thing that has changed, I think, was installing the update.  No change to the workflow at all.

I'm going to have to contact support.  But thanks for throwing suggestions out there.

[Peter Grainge · Accepted solution]

Hi Laurin

I know you are no rookie, you've been on the forums longer than I have and that's all this century and a bit more! What I wasn't sure of is whether you knew your way around the new UI or had stayed on Classic.

One more thing you can try is to delete the .rh folder and then reopen the project. It's not like the old CPD file that Clears Project Disorganisation but it can fix some issues. I have told that by Adobe. If in doubt, create a copy of your project and delete it there. Close the project before both steps.

Also

1. Sorry this one is rookie but it has to be asked. Is there only one TOC?
2. Open the TOC. Any red crosses there?
3. Create a new TOC and use the auto-create icon. Select that TOC in the preset and generate again. The order will be rubbish but it will see if the new topics then get generated. 

I would add that it's not worth publishing until the generation is good.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[LMardenTyler]

updates - deleted the .rh folder, no difference in generate after going back in. 

BUT - the other suggestion to use a different TOC worked. The current one has no X errors, and the Unreferenced Topics report shows me no issues. However, when  I added a new TOC and let it auto create, then ran the Generate step in the preset with that new total TOC, the folders and files that had been missing now appear.

This is all on my secondary laptop, where I was troubeshooting until the answer bubbled up, and now it has. Will go back to the primary laptop, create a new TOC, groom it, and  try to generate.

There has to be a bug in the current TOC somewhere, or a corrupt file - this issue isn't happening on any of my other projects.  YET.

Thanks Peter - I'll leave the support ticket open in case they have some additional explanations or suggestions, and share that info back here. 

[Peter Grainge]

Good news.

I think if you open the non-working and working TOCs in a text editor and look at the entry for one of the rogue topics, you should find some difference Try it and let me know.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Peter Grainge]

Going back to your first post in the thread...

What am I missing? Is there a cache file somewhere in my project (on my laptop, not on the server) that controls what the Generate step recognizes as changed topics?

When you generate there is no such cache. Everything in the target folder is deleted first and everything in the TOC or having a link to such a topic gets generated afresh. Thus in your case something is telling RoboHelp not to generate the missing topics.

I have covered publishing in another post in the thread and the fact that if a topic is not in the generate folder, it will not get published.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[LMardenTyler]

rebuilt the TOC, with exactly the same settings / contents as the original - and it generated successfully. Publishing now.

couldn't see any cause for the original to fail, so going to assume a file corruption somewhere. I don't like knowing that the Unreferenced Topics report didn't point out any issues. But, looks like crisis is resolved. On to the next one.