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L
Limiz
Known Participant
June 17, 2013
Answered

TOC and Index not displaying in live Webhelp

  • June 17, 2013
  • 1 reply
  • 2137 views

I am working in a RH 10 project upgraded from a RH 9 project. When generating Webhelp, local output displays fine, but after compiling and uploading to our online app, the TOC and Index do not display - what I mean is that the tabs exist, you can click them, but they are empty. Search doesn't work either, plus the logo in the header doesn't appear, though it is in the images folder that is uploaded.

Some more details:

  • I am outputing the project to a folder external to the root folder of the project. To clarify, the project is in a folder named 'Help', and the output is in a separate folder named '9.1 Help' at the same level of the Help folder. When I provide the output, I only provide the '9.1 Help folder'. Could this be causing the problem?
  • After looking into similar issues, I find that the HCC project file doesn't exist in my output folder, nor do the .glo, .hhk, etc. I suspect that this could be the problem. However, as far as I understand, it isn't possible to output the final .htm file for the project to the same folder that holds these files. You have to publish to a different output folder outside the root path.
  • I tried to change the default TOC and Index under Webhelp settings  > Content Categories > Content from default to the specific TOC in my project (it's the only TOC and Index, so this shouldn't cause mistaked, but I'm not sure if this change means anything).

I'd be glad to provide any other details if needed.

Thanks!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Captiv8r

    Thanks for these suggestions.

    I tried Republish All, plus turning on Mark for the Web, which seems to have been turned off. After uploading and compiling, I still see the same - empty TOC/Index tabs and missing logo.

    The only thing I haven't tried is switching from DHTML to Pure HTML, however, I'm not sure if this is even related.

    I think it's definitly an issue to investigate with the development team to see if something is happening when the files are being compiled.


    Hi there

    Just a side note. The option for Mark of the Web is only going to apply when you view content from your local hard drive and you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser. If you are uploading this content to a server, the option may as well not exist. So it won't matter if it's enabled or not and would have no bearing on this situation.

    Changing the option from DHTML shouldn't really affect it either.

    @Colum - The package_xx.html files are certainly part of RoboHelp output. After you generate WebHelp, you should see them in the whxdata folder.

    I think we have established that the files display fine immediately after generating, no? That would then suggest that the issue is entirely in the lap of perforce and what the development team is doing. (or, more accurately, NOT doing)

    Cheers... Rick

    1 reply

    RoboColum_n_
    RoboColum_n_
    Legend
    June 17, 2013

    This sounds like you are missing some of the output files. How are you getting the files into the application?

    L
    LimizAuthor
    Known Participant
    June 17, 2013

    I check them in (using Perforce) and they're compiled with the application build. So you mean that something may be omitted during the compilation phase?

    L
    LimizAuthor
    Known Participant
    June 19, 2013

    Hi there

    I do suppose it's possible. But I don't think it's likely. Adobe simply changed the file naming conventions of those small chunks of data that make up the TOC and Index and Search. It's possible that your dev team may not know to include them in the build. And if that's the case, it would certainly explain why it works for you locally immediately after you generate but not after the dev team puts their hands on it.

    Essentially you just need to show one of them that it works on your PC before you commit the files to source control, and ensure ALL the output files are actually being uploaded to Perforce.

    I suppose one test would be to just grab a copy of all the files you are placing into Perforce and plop them on a machine. Try to open WebHelp. If it works, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your developers are doing something wrong or not managing to get all the files. But if it fails for you, I'd suspect that you aren't managing to get all the content uploaded properly into Perforce.

    Cheers... Rick


    Eurika! One of the developers simply helped me upload the folder holding the output files to Perforce, and after compiling the last application build, the help is displayed perfectly.

    So, I guess it really was a Perforce-related issue. Either something to do with how my workspace is configured as opposed to that developer's, or the fact that he didn't only override the files in the relevant folder, but also deleted the extra files that were probably there from previous versions (I didn't do this because I was afraid to lose data, etc., when in fact the old XMLs and JSs may have been the culprits).

    If anyone encounters this problem, think the best practice is to clear the entire folder on Perforce and replace it with the last version of fresh output every time a live update is needed for the help.

    Thanks for the help, @Column and Rick .

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