Upgrade from RoboHelp 8 hlp/hpj files to current day RoboHelp, preferably chm

[dmbhlep]

I have a set of help files in .hlp and .hpj format that were made using RoboHelp 8 For Word.  We would like to switch to .chm format so that the current version of our software can send users to it.  I just installed RoboHelp 2022, which can seemingly only open .rhpj files or can upgrade from .xpj files.  The RoboHelp 8 For Word software is on an old computer, and opening RoboHelp 8 HTML on that machine to save as .xpj has not been very successful.  We have tried using Help&Manual to convert the old files to .chm but this requires a ton of manual editing.  We were hoping that going the RoboHelp 2022 process would be more effortless.  What are our options?

[Amebr]

I *think* the subscription license for RH2022 allows you to download and install the RH2019 version, which ships with a Classic and a New UI version of the application. The Classic version should be able to open and upgrade a .hpj file (do makes sure you work with a copy of the project, and have a zip backup for the RH8 version as well, just in case.) I suspect the upgrade process will not be entirely smooth, just because of the age of the version you are using and all the code changes behind the scenes. But hopefully it will be smoother than using the chm output files.

[Peter Grainge]

@Amebr has given you good advice on how to upgrade to the XPJ format and you will be able to install 2019 Classic with your subscription licence. However, it is no longer on Adobe's site so you will have to go to Adobe Support for a download link. See https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/enterprise-support.other.html#robohelp for your Adobe Support options. The email link tcssup@adobe.com is recommended as it reaches a team dedicated to Technical Communication Suite products including RoboHelp. 

I have to ask what is your current format and why you are wanting to switch to CHMs? They are a very old format and Microsoft have long since stopped supporting them. The compiler can no longer be downloaded from their site. The compiler is used by any help authoring tool such as RoboHelp. CHMs have to be installed on each users machine as since 2004 they cannot be installed on a network for security reasons.

The modern outputs are Frameless and Responsive HTML5 with Frameless being the better option as that is what Adobe now focusses on. It is much easier to customise. These outputs can be installed locally but are best on a webserver, not a fileserver. Note though it is not a single file like a CHM, there is no single file output any more.

A problem I do see is that RoboHelp for Word used a lot of proprietary code that is likely to cause problems and will need cleaning up. Maybe that's why you had problems with Help&Manual.

RoboHelp 2019 Classic has the interface that you are used to. 2022 as you have seen is very different. Also it is strictly HTML5 and CSS3 compliant. That should be taken care of during the upgrade from 2019 Classic but with your content from RoboHelp 8 for Word I wouldn't be too sure.

You certainly have a task ahead. Let us know about why you want to convert from whatever to CHMs. 

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