RoboHelp replacing FM markers with spaces

Report · Jul 27, 2009

I have frame files linked in Robohelp. When RH generates the final output, it correctly creates cross-reference links, but it inserts a space wherever a marker is, so that a heading of Order Entry .becomes Or der Entry, os somesuch.

Surely there is a way around this problem that does not entail moving every marker to the very end of the relevant phrase--that's particularly annoying because if the marker is at the end of a paragraph, it won't display when "Text Symbols" is selected. in the View menu. It seems ridiculous that RH can't process a marker correctly.

Report · Jul 27, 2009

Are you telling RH to exclude the marker in the properties screen? I don't think any of my markers are coming across from FM as spaces.

Report · Jul 31, 2009

Jeff--

To which Properties screen are you referring?

There's nothing like that in the project properites or in the conversion settings screen.

Report · Jul 31, 2009

I was thinking of when you import or link the FM book/doc into the RH project, there's an "Edit conversion settings for FrameMaker documents" button that opens up a "Conversion Settings" screen. I use a Character Tag to identify my different types of cross-ref markers, so I check off "Exclude from output" so that they don't show up. I haven't noticed an extra space where they used to be in my output (webhelp). Maybe I'm off track with this one...

Report · Jul 31, 2009

I'll play around with it. I'm just starting w/ Robohelp, so I'm flailing about a bit.

Thanks,

Jim

Report · Aug 04, 2009

That looks like it will work...

You wouldn't happen to know an easy way to add a character style to every marker in a set of 600 Framemaker files, would you?

Thanks,

Jim

Report · Aug 04, 2009

Sorry, no idea - I set mine up fairly early in the process before the number of .fm's got too large. I was having a hard time distinguishing between the marker "T" for cross-refs, index markers and context-sensitive help markers, so I made them all bigger & more colorful so it was easier to pick them out.

Report · Aug 05, 2009

It's starting to look as though I will have to use Jeff's solution, which, though workable, is hardly desirable, as it will entail editing some 700 files.

But really, why is this even necessary? The very nature of markers should make them non-printing characters by default. IMO, this is a major bug.

Report · Aug 05, 2009

Then again, maybe it won't work. Spaces still showing up, even though the "exclude from output " box is checked for that particular character tag.

ADDITIONAL INFO: It appears that this is only happening with Filename markers.

Yet more clarification:

within Robohelp, a cross reference marker appears as a flag. when help is generated

Index markers and filename markers do not display (they are like an infinitely small space; if you backspace over them or otherwise delete them, they are deleted, but the text does not appear changed;). within Robohelp, but are converted into spaces in the output. you only know they are there if the marker breaks up a word--it's underlined as mispelled.

Progress is being hindered by the fact that RoboHelp crashes every 45 minutes or so..

Report · Aug 12, 2009

Have done additional testing. It appears that the problem occurs only with custom FrameMaker markers. Applying a character format to the marker and then telling RoboHelp not to include that format in the output does not work. Looks like the only solution is to delete the marker from all of the FrameMaker source files. That's gonna be a load of laughs. Sigh.

Still, thanks to those who sent me suggestions.

Report · Aug 31, 2009

I'm experiencing the same problem. I'm trying to create a hypertext link using Specify Named Destination and Jump to Named Destination. Works fine within FM, but RH adds a space before the hypertext marker. There even appears to be an extra space afterthe word selected as the hypertext link. Initially, I wanted to create an image link, but RH can't convert that from FM as well. Where is the QA on this product? Surely someone at Adobe should have witnessed these issues during development and testing? And why haven't I seen a patch for months now (running TCS V1.3)? It appears Adobe hath forsaken us TCS users. Lately, I've seriously considered kicking TCS to the curb and asking management to purchase WebWorks. Sad.

Report · Sep 01, 2009

I feel your pain. When I was at the STC Conference in Philly last year, I was there specifically researching HATs. The thing I noticed at the Adobe booth was that while there was always someone there who knew Frame and someone who knew RH, there was NEVER someone there familiar with both.

I recommended that we go with MadCap, but upper management decided that since one of our divisions was already using a older version of RH, that we should go to RH as well.

There's a lot I like about RH, but there a lot of mind-numbing problems that I can't believe did not turn up in QA.

Go with God, my friend.

Jim