Topic missing in Word TOC only, but OK in document

[Guest]

Sorry for yet another print issue.. I know Peter Grainge's site and have also done some research but could not solve this problem. This applies to RH7.

Certain topics are always missing in the TOC of the printed documentation. If I delete the TOC and generate it new, then the topic shows correctly. If I only update the TOC without deleting, then the Topic does not show. It is generated in the actual document correctly with all its content. I have tried deleting a topic in RoboHelp and creating it new but without effect. There is no pattern concerning the topics missing and the file/topic names are short with characters and numbers mixed, but no spaces or special characters.

Cond. build tags are used in the project, but not applied to the concerned topics on content nor topic level. There is no special content in them, only plain text. No error message during output. I have tried wrapping them in books or placing them in various positions in the TOC, no luck.

Do you have any idea what the problem could be?

[Peter Grainge]

The TOC you see in the print layout shows the TOC as it was at the time you first used the layout. Thereafter it is not synchronised so if you change the TOC for the online help, you have to make the same edit in the print layout.

In the wizard, on the left is the current TOC, on the right is the print TOC.

It's not a bug as some people will want to have different layouts. If you always use the same layout for both online and print, it is as simple as clearing the print TOC by moving everything to the left, then move everything to the right. Try it, makes more sense when you see it.

This is covered in the page on printed documentation.

You can amend the print layout without generating. Right click the layout and select Properties, make the change and select Save.

[Guest]

Hi Peter, thanks for the fast and detailed reply but that was not the problem. I know the print layout window and that I have to update it after each change to the original TOC. I simply remove all, then add all as you wrote. I also checked that the concerned topics are in the print layout.

The topics are correctly generated in the word document, only the entires in the Word TOC are missing and if I remove the TOC in the Word document and regenerate, then all is fine.

[Peter Grainge]

Don't why that is happening but the easier workaround is simply right click next to the Word TOC and select Update Field.

[Guest]

> Don't why that is happening but the easier workaround is simply right click next to the Word TOC and select Update Field.

Yes, thanks for the hint but that strangely does not do the trick. Only after generating the Word TOC completely new the concerned topics are included. Robohelp just doesnt include the corresponding information in the Word TOC, so updating alone does not work. Oh well, I guess that repeating that procedure each time is the only solution.

[Peter Grainge]

Egh?

You amend the online TOC to include a new topic.

You go to Print Layout and amend the right hand pane so that the layout includes the new topic.

You generate the new printed document and the topic is included but not shown in the Word TOC.

If you update the TOC, it is still incorrect.

If you delete the TOC and insert a new one it is correct.

Is that the deal?

[Guest]

>Is that the deal?

Yep exactly. I really dont understand it but thats how it worked. The Word output is actually totally fine and the styles are assigned correctly, therefore generating a new TOC works. Just the original generated TOC is somehow screwd up concerning certain topics.

[Peter Grainge]

Can you please send me a Word document with the problem in it, that is one where updating the original TOC does not work? Please point me to a topic that is in the document but not the TOC.

[Guest]

Thanks for the offer, this is not my own project and the owner is now already gone. I will use the email link on your site if I can get a word output file and send it in attachment.

[dhilljhsph]

I have a similar problem...Peter thanks for your help previously. I am currently using RH7 and create FlashHelp Pro and PDFs, all using the exact same information. I have a couple of questions:

When I generate FlashHelp or Printed Documentation, I look at the process dialog very carefully, and find that the tool overlooks certain files and does not generate them. Or, the tool says that a file is missing, though it is plainly in my HTML files in the Project Manager. Why is that? I had the former problem particularly when I added a topic and the FlashHelp Pro simply would not generate that content.

Also, when I rename a topic file, why is the change not reflected throughout the HTML content of the file, such as in the title field? Also, when I rename something (usually because of a misspelling), the change is not reflected in the Print Document Content screen inside the Print Documentation process. Also, in the Print Document Content screen, deleted files appear in the TOC with an X over them. These are files that I have deleted and it's just irritating to have the files appear when they are not even in the project.

Never mind the fact that once I have generated a Word document, I have to go through and reformat the fonts and numbering because they were not generated correctly. I have one of my projects currently up on the Adobe share for Akshay to view, but I will gladly allow others to view it, if you have any suggestions. Why can't the font and numbering stay consistent. I know exactly how I want it to look, and that is how I have it built in the files, but I want to know how I can make sure it happens consistently. This is especially tedious with my current project, which is nearly 70 pages long as a Word document.

[Peter Grainge]

Welcome to the forum.

1] "...the tool overlooks certain files."

Online help and printed documentation generate in different ways. Online help includes all topics not excluded by a build expression. Printed documentation is the opposite. It only prints what you tell it to print in the print layout, and even then it will refuse if the topic is excluded by a build expression. For good reason the print layout can include an excluded topic (sometimes you generate the layout with the expression, sometimes without).

If it says a file is missing and it really is not covered by the above, I'm struggling to see how. It suggests a corrupt CPD at first glance but if that was corrupt, the file would not show in Project Manager in the first place unless the file is missing and the corruption is causing it display regardless. Have you checked the file is there, using Windows Explorer? Somehow I don't think this is it. Is there no other clue in the Output view?

2] Changes don't percolate through as not everyone wants that. Frustrating for those who do. Try Insert | Field | Title. That will at least keep your topics inline with any changes.

3] The online TOC and print layout TOC are again deliberately not the same. Many people don't want them the same. First time you get the online TOC but then whatever you save in print layout sticks.

If you always want them to be the same, simply click the Move All Left icon and then the Move All Right icon.

If you use RH7 you can have multiple TOCs and you could have one designated for print.

Bullets and numbering have always been a pain as you can see on my site but I think most of the blame is with Word. If you follow some Word forums, I have seen more than one guru with the opinion that bullets and numbering have not worked properly in Word since Word 2.

Working with bullets and numbering the way I describe, which I accept is limiting, I never have to reformat my documents for that reason.

[dhilljhsph]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

The files are there and I'm not employing build expressions for these topics. In fact, for the files that are overlooked, they are in the SSL folder where they are supposedly missing. Also, how are the topics found for the FlashHelp Pro, but not the Printed Document when the htm files are the source for both and I am telling them both to print the same content. I understand when you say that they work in opposite ways as far as how they are rendered, but I feel like I am telling the Printed Documentation exactly what I want, to no avail.

[Peter Grainge]

The SSL folder is for outputs only. Those files are not meant to be shown in project manager. What is in that folder is not a source file.

[dhilljhsph]

Okay, I understand. But is it fair that if the files and all their content are in the Project Manager, then the file should be generated in my Printed Doc?

[Peter Grainge]

If they are showing in Project Manager within the SSL folder, I am not sure how you managed it. Something is screwed up. Can you send me a screenshot showing SSL in Project Manager. Send it via my site.

[dhilljhsph]

I mean that the files are in the Project Manager, but still are not sent to Printed Documentation. I'm sending the screen shot that I think will illustrate what I mean.

[Peter Grainge]

yes but the point is, as I understand it, they shouldn't be so whilst they are showing in Project Manager, when RH comes to generate it will never look in SSL so then it says they are missing. Wait till I've got your screenshot.