Heading Numbering for PDFs

[madgedeepers10]

How do I create incrementing Heading numbers? Currently, I have resorted to adding the Heading numbers manually and then conditionally tagging them as print_only.

This is a laborious workaround, and when I add a new topic, I have to go in and increment the numbers manually.

In Madcap Flare, there are autonumbers for styles that automatically increment when the PDFs are built.

Does RoboHelp have something similar?

[Peter Grainge]

It's not in any version I have seen but there is a workaround that's easy and that I have deployed in the past.

Generate your printed output using a Word template rather than the CSS option. In Word, set up the styles so that they are numbered. That way you don't have to tag them out and you don't have to keep manually updating them.

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[madgedeepers10]

Thanks for the reply. I will try that.  However the lack of proper numbering a la Madcap Flare does emphasise that Adobe are coming at RH from a HTML5 point of view rather than a single-sourcing engine.

[madgedeepers10]

Peter, where is the option to "...Generate your printed output using a Word template rather than the CSS option..." ?  I can't find what you are referring to in RH 2019

[Peter Grainge]

You didn't say you were using 2019.

That's not an option as you cannot generate a Word output in the new version at the moment. See the RoboHelp Reimagined sample project or the RoboHelp Tour on my site for more about that.

It is an option in 2019 Classic but if your project has been done in 2019, you cannot switch back.

You could convert your PDF to Word but all the programs that do that do not created true styles. What looks like a heading is Normal with inline styling.

The last time I looked at Flare, what look to be Word headings are not, they are just formatted to look like them. That makes any subsequent editing of them tricky.

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@petergrainge

[Amitoj]

Just an update, we are working on Word output and hoping to have it available in an update next month. We have an upcoming exciting update with a new frameless sometime next week.

Thanks

Amitoj Singh

[madgedeepers10]

I believed I was in the RH 2019 forum

[Peter Grainge]

No worries but none of the forums are specific to any version that's why the sticky topics ask for posts to include that. As you can see, without that information, it took longer to give you the right information.

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@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

@MadgeDeepers10 Are you talking about the numbers incrementing through the whole PDF or within a topic only?

In 2019 you can easily add numbering to any style using the CSS editor. Across topics you can reset the numbering on the first instance of any style and the rest will follow.

If that would work, tagging would not be necessary. You would create a copy of your CSS so that one has numbering and the other does not. When you generate you would use master pages with the appropriate CSS.

Would that give you what you want?

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@petergrainge

[madgedeepers10]

Hi

I investigated numbering, increment and resetting counters in CSS which worked in a topic but not across topics.

How would you reset the numbering across topics?

Thanks

Michelle

[Peter Grainge]

One topic will start at 1 for each level. In the topic.

Where you want things to start at 2, go to Properties > General and there is a restart numbering field. Set that to 2 or whatever for the first instance of each numbered style. In the third, restart at 3.

You only need to do this for the first instance of a style in each topic. You will also need to redo it if you add new topics.

It's not perfect but it seems as if it is better than what you are doing now.

Consecutive numbering throughout has been noted as a feature request.

Meantime does this solution help?

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[madgedeepers10]

I am still having problems as I have chunked the information into multiple topics

For example

How would I achieve the following over 2 topics?

Topic 1

Heading 1

     Heading 1.1

     Heading 1.2

          Heading 1.2.1

Topic 2

Heading 2

     Heading 2.1

     Heading 2.2

          Heading 2.2.1

I understand that Adobe will be releasing an update that addresses numbering in the next month or so, but I need a workable solution sooner than that.

Your thoughts are gratefully received.

[Peter Grainge]

What you are wanting there is multi-level list style headings. Right now I can't see that heading styles can be set to work that way. I have also played with setting a multi-level list to look like headings but I am having an issue with that too.

Let me see if I can come up with something but it might not be today.

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

It seems that what you want is possible but not within the CSS editor. It will require adding some definitions within your CSS.

This is going to be given to me by Adobe and I will set up a basic demo.

I will shortly post a private message to you so please check.

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

With a lot of code help from Adobe, I set up a demo project with instructions.

You can see how it works at AutoNumbered Headings

You can download the project from http://www.grainge.org/zips/AutoNumbered_Headings.zip

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See www.grainge.org for free RoboHelp and Authoring information.

@petergrainge

[madgedeepers10]

Thank you for Peter and Adobe's help in this matter. They have both been fantastic