Table of Contents does not update when uploaded to application

[Richard31181694pqii]

New additions to our table of contents are visable when viewing in RoboHelp (first screenshot), but are not available in the contents section once uploaded to the application (second screenshot).

The framless output option gives us a secondary table of contents that displays updated information (third screenshot). How can we ensure that the main contents section is updated to match the table of contents in Robo Help. 

Thanks,

[Amebr]

The first screenshot shows you are using RH New UI. I don't know which version or patch number. Please always post the full version you are using (Help > About Robohelp) as any advice is heavily version dependent.

The middle screenshot shows a Webhelp frame. Webhelp is not available in New UI. Your output preset may be named "webhelp" but on upgrade this will have been changed to Responsive HTML You can tell by the icon next to the output preset. A shield with a 5 in the middle means Responsive. A globe indicates Frameless.

From what you have posted, this suggest that you have only just upgraded from Classic to New UI?

If you didn't know your output was changed to a different output, then your developers will need to check that the application is pointing to the right file and location on the server. If you use context sensitive help, they will need to change the help call. See Peter's site for information on the changes needed.

If the application is pointing to the right place, then I suspect a caching issue on the server, where your old Classic output files are being requested from the server cache rather than your new output. Can you ask the server admins to clear the server cache? That should ensure the proper output is requested next time anyone accesses the help.

You might also ask them to set the max-age http header for the whxdata folder only to a small number, so they aren't cached for a long time (setting it to 0 will turn off caching for this folder). Servers generally consider javascript files "static", that is, they don't change often. However, in Robohelp output, these particular javascript files change every time you generate and I've experienced issues with the table of contents and search with the default caching period for this particular folder.

[Richard31181694pqii]

Good afternoon Amber, 

How do I adjust the max-age http header for the whxdata folder? I found the folder in the output, but I don't see a way to edit it.

Thanks,

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I don't think caching is your issue - it's the TOC within a TOC that's the issue - the devs shouldn't be pasting in your new format; they should be replacing all the existing content with your new output folder & pointing to that index.htm page in there.

[Peter Grainge]

@Jeff_Coatsworth. I had missed the bit about pasting the content in.

@Richard31181694pqii The new output is frameless and you can't mix that with the old output. That explains your mixed image.

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

[Richard31181694pqii]

Developer tried deleting all files in the folder and pasting frameless output. Now the user manual does not load in our test enviornment. Error message says "page can't be found". Have you seen this error before? We reverted to back up before the change.

Thanks,

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Were you trying to launch the index page or a specific place in the help contents? Frameless has a new way to call specific topics - your devs will have to change their calls - see https://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/rh_tour/rh2020/outputs/calling_csh_help.htm

[Richard31181694pqii]

Start page is set to the index. I will provide the developers with the new call information and will let you know. 

Thank you!!

[Richard31181694pqii]

@Jeff_Coatsworth @Peter Grainge our developer is not framiliar with updating call settings. previously, she has just pasted files into the folder. Where would she update cal settings? Do you have an example of a screen or folder that would allow her to make the change?

Thanks,

[Peter Grainge]

In the software she uses to write the app. 

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

[Amebr]

I should also note that if you can, switching to Frameless output, if you haven't already, would be a good idea. It provides more skin customisation options than Responsive and Adobe seems to be focussing their development efforts on Frameless.

[Richard31181694pqii]

Hi Amber, 

Thank you for providing so much help in your previous response. I am using Robo Help Version 2020.7.46. You are correct, the problem is likely that we recently upgraded from classic to new UI. Our project is over a decade old and I have only recently downloaded RoboHelp to make edits on releases. I was given a zip file with the old online help files and opened them in the 2020 version. What is Peter's site? Does it contain instructions to update our files from classic to the new UI?

When generating my output I select the framless option and send over the created files to our development team. They do not modify anything. They simply paste the files into our help folder for the application.  I am confidant that they are pasting in the right location because new changes are visible in secondary orange table of contents that is only available using the frameless output option (second screenshot).

If we upgrade to the new UI will it remove the outdated "contents, index, search" sections (third screenshot)? We prefer the more modern looking frameless table of contents and would like the old one removed if possible. 

I really appreciate your help. Please let me know if there are any resources to have our application use the new UI.

Thanks,

[Peter Grainge]

Peter's site is below.

I'm not sure what you mean by Secondary TOC. You can have many TOCs but only one can be selected in the preset. I am wondering if you selected the correct TOC in the output that has Replace Contact missing.

Does it all look correct locally but not when called from the app? If so, then @Amebr has already explained the calls need changing.

________________________________________________________

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

[Richard31181694pqii]

Hi Peter, 

Our users see two table of contents right next to each other (see below). The orange Frameless table of contents automatically updates to match new additions in RoboHelp. The old webframe table of contents on the left side does not update when we add new topics / sections. We would like to have only one table of contents to avoid confusion or at least have the left side one update to include new information. 

It is hard for us to tell what the output would look like without uploading to the application first. When I click the view output option it looks nothing like what our users see (second screenshot). This tile format is not found anywhere after uploading. 

Thanks,

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Looks like you've got one set of help invoking another set - I'd create a new Preset and generate using that - then have your devs upload it as-is (not shoehorning it into anything else)

[Peter Grainge]

The classic. You have defined the start page as the default topic.

________________________________________________________

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

[Richard31181694pqii]

Hi Peter, 

I apologize for causing so much trouble, but I'm not seeing a section in Robo Help 2020 to update startpage. Please advise where to click to remove the default topic from the start page. Is this option in robohelp or is it somewhere in the generated files. 

Thanks,

Thanks,

[Peter Grainge]

What I suspect you have done is entered a topic in the Start Page field. Just type index.htm in it.

Then go to the Content options and browse to the topic the user sees when they open the help.

________________________________________________________

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

[Richard31181694pqii]

Start page was already set to index.htm. Is the index different from the Regular Table of Contents? Maybe I did not update index correctly when adding new sections. 

Thanks,

[Peter Grainge]

OK not what I thought and looking at the image in https://community.adobe.com/t5/robohelp-discussions/table-of-contents-does-not-update-when-uploaded-... it shows a frameless output (orange) within a responsive output.

You have indicated it is OK locally so it really does sound like what @Amebr has pointed you to, a messed up call in the application.

________________________________________________________

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

[Amebr]

Regarding the max-age, don't worry about that for now. From the other posts, you need to wait for the developer to make changes to the application to correctly call the new format help.

If you do decide to change the max-age later (if you discover further caching problems), that is a web server setting and you will need to get the web server administrator to make those changes using the administrator tools.