Create static TOC key number

[Gefasoft]

Hello to all!

I'm trying to find a way to define the TOC key. The goal is to enable our customers to save own files in a defined folder (e.g. "External") that I provided with a sample file in the output we deliver. The customer then shall be able to 1) add own files to this folder and 2) adjust these files as "topics" so that they are displayed in the overall TOC of the help.

We are providing a HTML5 help, created with Robohelp 2015 on a Windows 7 system, in case this is of interest here.

I figured out the following: to achieve what I want, I simply have to add the new items to a file in the following folder of the output directory: whxdata. The additional folder "External" is referred to in the file toc.new.js, which leads me to the file toc40.new.js (the number here depends on where in the TOC the folder is located). In the file toc40.new.js, all elements of my folder are stated with display name and file path. I'm now able to simply add files to the folder "External" and add items to the file toc40.new.js. They will then be displayed in the main TOC and can be called up from there.

My question now is, if there is any way that I can define the "key" or "number" of this tocxx. file. Currently, this file has the highest number, as the folder "External" is the last item in my TOC. As far as I can see, this number will change, if any other topics are added to the projects TOC before this "External" folder. To make it more easy for the customer to backup his own files and restore the content of "his" toc file (in the above example the toc40.new.js) after an update of the help, it would be good if this file always was named the same. Therefore I'm searching for any way to statically provide this number.

I hope I was able to explain my question properly. If not, please let me know what is missing. If anyone has an idea how to proceed here, please let me know.

Otherwise, I'll try it with a workaround like running a routine that will rename the tocxx.new.js with the highest number to something specific and will also adjust the "link" in the toc.new.js

Thanks in advance for any help!

Best regards

Karin

[Amebr · Accepted solution]

Possibly a way to avoid the new js files each build is to set up a child project that you only compile and distribute the one time. Then they can update the js files in the child to their heart's content.

(Oh, and I don't believe files added by updating the toc js files will be available in search or index, but I'm certainly not an expert in this area.)

[Gefasoft]

Hi Amebr,

Thanks for your quick reply! This seems to work fine. I only added the "external" folder as "merged project" to the overall projects TOC - now, the number of the "external folder" still changes, if I add elements before it, but the reference in it always remains the same.

You are most likely right that the files won't be available in search or index, but that should be okay.

Thanks again and kind regards
Karin