Variables not so variable

[Guest]

So I'm working on a document that uses variables for chapter names. Each chapter has a variable with the same name (ChapName), but with a different definition (e.g. "Introduction" for ChapName in Chapter 1, "Configuring the System" for ChapName in Chapter 2, and ending with "System Reports" for the ChapName in Chapter 6. After I imported the FM book into RH, the topics that use the ChapName variable are all titled "System Reports." Apparently, RH selects one of the ChapName definitions (in my case, "System Reports") and uses it for all ChapNum variables throughout the project.

So I thought, well, we really don't need to use variables for the chapter title, but now I'm worried about other similar types of variables used throughout our documents. After testing other variables, I witnessed similar results. This is unsettling, to say the least.

Does anyone else have issues with how their variables are converted into RH?

[JainVivek]

A variable in RoboHelp is defined at the project level which FrameMaker allows variables at document level. You can have multiple FrameMaker documents linked to a single RoboHelp project. RoboHelp does not allow multiple values for a variable. If you are imported multiple FrameMaker documents which use same variable name with conflicting values, it is likely to use one of the definitions.
What if you use variable names like ChapName_Chap1, ChapName_Chap2 etc.

[Guest]

Yes, I did change the variable names and that worked, but my concern is that users should be aware of this problem at the time the project is converted. Perhaps a dialog box could open during the conversion process to let them know that this conflict has been identified, rather than having to find out through happenstance.