Want to generate printed document with RHforWord X5

[John_Meidl]

This is an existing RoboHelp for Word X5.0.1 project that I inherited from the previous tech writer. It's time to update this online help, and I would like to generate a printed version of the current topics, so that I can apply Word's tracking feature and allow my SME to make her edits right in that Word document, which I'll later refer to as I make my edits back in the RoboHelp-Word application. Isn't that a great plan?!

Well, the problem is that RH's printed documentation that I generate includes only the table of contents and hidden "xe" tags (which I suspect are for the TOC or index) but NO CONTENT, neither text nor images. I've used RH HTML previously, but this RH for Word is new to me. I would greatly appreciate someone's solution!

Some more specifics:
This PC is Windows 2000, and Word is 2003
Also, I didn't create this project: it was created by the person who had this job before I.

Thank you very much!
Jan

P.S. I've already invested several hours researching this in RoboHelp's online help and in this forum and on Mr. Grainge's site.

[Peter Grainge]

Jan

Not ignoring your post. I will get back to you.

[Peter Grainge]

Let's look first at the output problem with the existing RH for Word project. That sounds like you might have Word up to display Field Codes. Check Tools | Options | View. However that would not account for the lack of content. Try with a new dummy project first and get that working. Sometimes that helps identify what is wrong with the production project. Post back if still in trouble.

If the idea of using RH for Word is just to produce a document for reviewing, I don't follow your logic given that you are familiar with RH HTML and there is much more support for that on these forums. If you got the project into RH HTML you could still generate the document for review. If you are thinking of taking the reviewed document back into your project, be very careful that tracking is cleared out of the document and turned off before you generate. Some of us are still making weekly visits to authors who tried that, sad cases.

[John_Meidl]

Peter, thank you for taking the time to consider this printing problem in RH-Word. Actually, the project is and has always been in RH for Word, and for this update effort will continue to be in RH for Word. (The reason that I mentioned RH-HTML in my original post was to let others know that I was familiar with some online development apps, just not the RH for Word app. Sorry for any confusion.)

A couple days ago I did, in fact, create a new, short project in RH for Word, and was able to successfully generate the printed documentation, so the printed doc problem seems to be specific to this project that I inherited from another tech writer. There are some unique components in the problem project, e.g., tables, images with hotspots, and three avi movies. I've read in some of your postings where you've suggested to reinstall RoboHelp in a situation similar to this -- Do you think I should attempt a reinstall?

And perhaps I should clarify regarding how I intend to use the printed output --
To answer your question -- No, I am not thinking of taking the the SME's reviewed (edited) document back into the project; rather, after my SME puts her edits in the Word document, I would use her document only as a working file, i.e., I would refer to the printed copy of her document, while I do my own updating to the RH for Word project.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Jan

[Peter Grainge]

If you are successfully generating from one project, the problem is most likely not going to be resolved by reinstalling. That's the route when every project has the same problem.

Try creating a new print layout in the errant project and include just a few topics. If that works try young Rick Stone's trick. Copy the layout so that you leave the original intact and then trash half the topics in it and print. Does that work? If it does then a problem topic in the deleted half is to blame so start again and use just those topics but delete half of them.

Repeat until exhausted or the problem topic is found.

Post back.

[John_Meidl]

Peter, thanks for the suggestions. I've tried several things:
- Generated the printed doc with just the first three topics (Result: still no content; only the hidden "xe" text for, probably index tags)
- Generated 3 topics when Word was in page layout view (Result: didn't generate)
- In Word pane, switched from the Dynamic WYSIWYG setting back to the True Code setting and generated (Result: stilll no content)
- Generated three different topics, and for the "conditional build" field selected WINDOWS (Result: stilll no content)
- Generated those three topics again, but changed the "conditional build" field back to None, and changed the Template field to Style Mapping.dot (Result: still no content)
- Switched the Macro Security in Word to "low" and generated the first three topics (Result: still no content)

So, no solutions yet.

Jan

[Peter Grainge]

How big is the project zipped up?

[John_Meidl]

The zipped prject is 10,482 KB.

[Peter Grainge]

Get my email address from my site. Send the file via http://transferbigfiles.com. You don't have to sign up and it's free. You just enter my email address on their home page and browse to the file you are going to send me.

Then email me with a link to this thread.