RH9: Can't create a new RoboHelp Style for tables

[cvgs]

I'm using TCS3 (FM 10, RH9) in a Windows XP environment.

I have some tables in FM10 that I want to map to a RH style.  I'm on the Conversion Settings dialog box, and don't have a RH style to map to.  In RH7 I was able to create a new RH style and then map my FM style to it.  I don't see where that is possible in RH9.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Peter Grainge]

Open a topic In RoboHelp and go to Tables > Insert > Table.

You will be offered a variety of ready designed tables, choose the nearest to what you want.

That table will now be in the Style Pod so that you can edit it to your exact requirements.

I am assuming that table will then be available to you to map to when you import / link to FM.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Peter,

I did exactly as you said and created a topic and inserted a table and then customized it to look exactly as it does in FM.  I called them both MultiColumn. However, when I did a Force Update I didn't get a table.  In fact, when looking at the HTML, there isn't even any code for a table.  However, in FM there is very clearly a two-column table with a heading.

Any other ideas?

[Peter Grainge]

This one is difficult for me as I don't work with FM or do any such linking. I do have some knowledge though from linking Word docs, very occasionally.

If you right click the FM doc in RH you should see Properties. Does that offer any mapping opportunities?

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Peter,

Actually, you map the styles by selecting File>Project Settings. There is a Styles dialog box where you can map the FM styles to the RH styles. I have done that with a table called MultiColumn that I have in FM. Using your earlier suggestion, I created a similar table in RH and then linked the two. It should work, right?

But id doesn't because there is nothing in the HTML code to indicate that there is a table. It would be one thing if it was looking for a table, but it doesn't appear to be doing that.

I am having the same problem with xrefs. I'm not finding much in the way of help on the Adobe site. I have spent the entire day trying to figure these two things out and have not moved an inch in the right direction.

Frustration level= high.

[Peter Grainge]

In Project Settings there is a field for the CSS to be used. Is that the same one in which you created the table in RoboHelp? If not copy the table definition from the project CSS into the CSS in the dropdown. Or you could try using the topic CSS but I suspect that may not have things the conversion needs. However as a test it would let you see if the table style is showing there.

If that doesn't help, post back and I will ask someone else to take a look.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Peter,

Yes, the CSS that I am using is the one that I used to create the table. I use Dreamweaver for my CSS. Here is the HTML that was created in DW when I created the table in RH:

table.MultiColumn {

font-family: Tahoma;

font-size: 11pt;

border-left-style: Solid;

border-left-color: #000000;

border-right-style: Solid;

border-right-color: #000000;

border-top-style: Solid;

border-top-color: #000000;

border-bottom-style: Solid;

border-bottom-color: #000000;

x-border-spacing: 0px;

border-left-width: 1px;

border-right-width: 1px;

border-top-width: 1px;

border-bottom-width: 1px;

padding-left: 2px;

padding-right: 2px;

padding-top: 2px;

padding-bottom: 2px;

}

table.MultiColumn td {

padding-left: 2px;

padding-right: 2px;

padding-top: 2px;

padding-bottom: 2px;

Please note that MultiColumn is one the FM table paragraph tags. When I created the table in RH, I named it MultiColumn and then mapped the FM style to the RH style. Here is the topic HTML:

<a name="XREF_id09AND0Z0DHS"></a>Deployed Version field descriptions

Following are field descriptions for the

Deployed Version page views.

There is nothing that indicates that there is a table in this topic. We didn't have this problem in RH7. All the tables came over beautifully.

Thanks for your persistent help.

[Peter Grainge]

I did indicate editing the table in RoboHelp. The CSS will not be the same and that is potentially why the conversion is not seeing it.

Create a test project and work on this problem in that.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Peter,

The table was edited in RH and given the style name MultiColumn. This created it in the Styles pod. My understanding is that any changes made to the Style pod are also made to the CSS;what is in the CSS is the same as what is in the style pod. Is my thinking flawed?

[Peter Grainge]

In your previous post you said it was created in DW.

I think it would be a whole lot simpler if you created a test project so that I can look at the linking in a RH project. See the Contact page on my site.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Okay, so in the test project, should I create the table in RH and save it as a style? Do I create this project without a CSS? Should I then link a book to the test project? I want to be sure I get this right before sending it to you.

[Peter Grainge]

Create a folder called FM_Link_Test with an FM and a RH sub-folder.

In FM, copy the FM document.

In RH create the new project. Copy the existing CSS into it with the table you have defined and attach it to the default topic.

Then create the link and check you are still having the same problem. Assuming you are, zip up FM_Link_Test and send it as instructed on my site.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Peter,

I followed your directions exactly and guess what - it works! But I don't know why. If I'm using the same CSS in the test project as I used in the real project, why would it work in one and not the other?

What I did differently:

Linked an FM chapter file (.fm) instead of linking the entire book (.book).

My book file was in Eclipse (a CMS system), whereas my test .fm doc was not.

I did not use the .isf; instead I manually mapped the few styles that were in my document.

Where do you think my problem is?

[Peter Grainge]

One or more of the above.

Sorry it could be any and you would have to eliminate them one by one. If forced I would opt for linking to the FM rather than the book but that's a guess. It would need someone with more knowledge of FM integration to answer for sure.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cvgs]

Peter,

Thank you so much for all of the time you spent trying to help me solve this problem. I am trying to eliminate things, but what a tedious process. It appears that the .isf file contains both the CSS and the mappings. So if you are happy with the existing mappings, but have made a few tweaks to the CSS, you can't use the settings.isf. You have to remap all over again.

Thanks again.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Just export to a new .isf file.

[cvgs]

Tried that. Something in the .isf scrambles the table. The table works fine until the .isf is applied.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

How could that be? If you've tinkered with your linked project until you are happy with everything, exporting the .isf and using it in a new linked project should work fine - otherwise, what's the point in being able to export & import them?

[cvgs]

The great mystery is solved! I had no tables because I had selected the Table Anchor to be excluded from output on the Project Settings dialog box. (Doing the happy dance and eating chocolate.)