RoboHelp 2019 - Generate output more than once and nothing displays.

[chelluvsGod]

I created a test guide. I generated Responsive HTML5 and was able to view output. I made a change to a topic and generated the Responsive HTML5 output again and when I go to view the output, nothing displays. An explorer window opens but displays nothing. I have to close RoboHelp then relaunch it.

I will note that if I generate the output in a different way, I am able to view it. But if I generate the out put using the same steps to view again, nothing displays.

What causes this and can it be remedied?

Thank you,
Michele

[Amebr]

Where are you generating to? If it's to a network drive, I'd recommend changing to a local folder such as C:\RHOutput.

I personnally avoid the Documents folder or anything inside C:\User\<username> as in corporate environments that can also be a network location, even though it looks local.

In my own experience with RH2019 Classic, even on a local drive it can be quite slow to display the help and navigate between topics, but I'm blaming that on my work's antivirus software being overly aggressive.

[chelluvsGod]

Hi Amber. 

When I generate Output it opens in a new explorer window. It has always worked this way on my system. Is this not correct?

I moved the RoboHelp files to be under my C drive as you explained. The same issue is occuring. If I do not make a change to the files, the output is blank. 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

What flavour of RH2019 are you using - Classic or New UI? Are you all patched up? Check Help > Updates to check. Where is the RH project located? Where are you generating to? The output folder won't be in the project folders the way it used to in previous versions of RH. How are you checking to see what the results are - using the "view" option after generating or browsing manually to the folder & opening up the index.htm file in your browser?

[Peter Grainge]

I will note that if I generate the output in a different way, I am able to view it. 

Also if you can expand a bit on "in a different way".

[chelluvsGod]

What flavour of RH2019 are you using - Classic or New UI?  I am using the new UI.

Are you all patched up? Check Help > Updates to check. It shows my app is up to date. I have version 14.1.14.

Where is the RH project located? I moved from My Documents as Amebr suggested so now it is: C:/My RoboHelp Projects

Where are you generating to? The output folder won't be in the project folders the way it used to in previous versions of RH. Oh!!! Now I see an Outputs folder. I generated again, and I do see things in that folder.

How are you checking to see what the results are - using the "view" option after generating or browsing manually to the folder & opening up the index.htm file in your browser? I am using the "view" option after generating. But when I go into the Output folder, I think I changed the Index.htm to Welcome.htm. When I click it, it does open the guide, but I cannot get the Welcome topic to be the first procedure shown. You can see that Mission Statement is what is in focus.

Now that I know the generated files are going to an Output folder, how do I manage this folder? Do I have to manually create folders for each guide I create and then manually set up the path when I generate?

[Peter Grainge]

What I have found easiest is to create a folder and put the project in a sub folder. Then I create another sub folder in the top folder called Outputs. That gives me Project and Outputs in one folder.

Then in Outputs I create folders for each output. That way you have everything in one "parent" folder.

[Amebr]

Regarding your "Welcome.htm" file.

There are two file names you specify in the output preset: Start Page (on the General tab), and Default Topic (on the Content tab). These need to be different file names.

Typically Start Page is called 'index.htm'. It can be called other things, but it's convenient to use index.htm because of some assumptions webservers make about websites. It is used to open your help. Your developers would probably link the Help menu to the file listed in Start Page. You can't see 'index.htm' in your project as Robohelp creates this file when generating the output.

Default Topic is the topic in your project that you want users to see first when they open the help. This field has an icon next to it which lets you browse the topics in your project. From what you've said, you'd select Welcome here.