RoboHelp HTML 9 TOC link to Remote Topic

[deniseh47762385]

We're still using RoboHelp HTML 9 and have several combined/merged projects (I'll ref F and D).

I use Windows 10 and Chrome or IE11 to view chm files.

I've successfully linked from D REF project to an A.chm topic within a REF topic Page using Remote Topic. The remote page opens in the default frame, which is fine in most cases (I don't see a way to open in separate doc window, which I'd like to do in some cases but we can live with that; don't want to to WebHelp route).

My manager wants me to create numerous TOC entries (links) in D project REF project to open a D project COG topic (in frame). It's not working as expected.

I created a TOC entry and the Properties link shows as: COG.chm::/DWSCommonAssignCommander.htm

I've copied the COG.chm to the REF folder (actually forced to copy file over during Remote Topic creation); I also copied same chm to top level that contains all the project folders.

I generate REF project, do my merge procedure (helpmerger.txt has order of projects) to merge all projects into one D.chm, organize TOC, change Primary Layout to to Microsoft HTML Help etc, but the resulting TOC link works oddly.

1. When I open merged chm and click on TOC "topic" it doesn't work at all or

2. if may open the chm in another 2nd window and show topic briefly then display 'Can't reach this page'. If I click on the TOC in 2nd window, it refreshes topic in 1st window? or

3. it may say 'Can't reach this page' in main frame

This seems like a simple thing to do and I can't get it resolved.

Another option would be to create separate pages in TOC with a "redirect" to the Remote topic, if that's even possible.

Let me know if I'm explaining myself well enough. I can provide more details, if needed.

I'd appreciate any assistance you can offer me. I'm more of a "super user", not very high-tech on the interworkings of RoboHelp.

Thanks in advance! Denise

[Peter Grainge]

• The link below shows that RoboHelp 9 is not compatible with Windows 10.
• CHMs are not viewed in any browser, they open in their own viewer.
• CHMs have not worked since 2004 if installed on a network drive.
• WebHelp opens in a browser but I would not expect WebHelp created in RoboHelp 9 to work. Back then browsers were making regular changes that broke WebHelp. Since then more standards and have been applied but you need a later version for those.

It's rather like you are putting diesel fuel into a petrol (gas) car except there are more things against you here.

I don't know what you mean by helpmerger.txt.

There must be more to the setup than you have explained and some of what you have said cannot be right. Tell us more and maybe we can get somewhere.

---

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

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

The link I omitted is Versions of Windows and MS Word compatible with RoboHelp

---

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

@petergrainge

[deniseh47762385]

I've been using RoboHelp 9 with Windows 10 for over a year now so it works.

I'm trying to create TOC entries to link to topics in another RH project. They are both in the same merged/combined xpj and chm that's delivered with our software to customers. I can make a File or Remote Topic link from within a Page to the other project, but I'm unable to make it work from a TOC. I can do it but the final merged chm link doesn't work.

[deniseh47762385]

Is there some other way to do a "redirect" making actual pages? I don't see how though.

[deniseh47762385]

Don't worry about the helpmerger.txt. It's just our order of projects that are merged together to create a final chm in our software; here's the contents:

BookGS

OVS

WNS

SAS

USR

REF

COG

ENV

EQU

MSG

MISN

I drag the file on top of a helpmerger.exe file and it combines all the projects. Then I open that main xpj, move certain project/books to the right so they're tucked under others.... OVS is Overview, WNS is What's New...

[Peter Grainge]

I'll see if I can find anything tomorrow but first please confirm that this is a merge of CHMs only. If it is, how are you managing to view them in IE11.

On the Windows 10 bit, perhaps my wording should have been along the lines that RoboHelp 9 is not supported on that platform. Thus if things go bang, don't be surprised.

Also please confirm where the help is run from, is it installed locally?

---

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

@petergrainge

[deniseh47762385]

Sorry for the confusion over browsers etc. It is a merge of CHMs only. The only time I use the browser is to view an htm file offline.

If RoboHelp 9 cannot do what we need, can the latest version do so?

[Peter Grainge]

CHMs haven't changed since 2004 so I doubt the RoboHelp version will make

any difference.

The objective here is TOC entry that opens a topic that is in another child

project, correct?

Peter Grainge

www.grainge.org

@petergrainge

[deniseh47762385]

Yes, that's correct.

[Peter Grainge]

I just created a merged CHM setup and created a TOC entry in project 1 to a topic in project 2 and it has the same properties that you stated in your original post. It's working as it should.

I queried earlier your helpmerger.txt file and you said not to worry about it. However, you also referred to a helpmerger.exe file. That is not a RoboHelp exe so I am guessing it is a home brewed tool to help you. You also say that you then rearrange the toc. My thinking is that is where the link is getting broken.

See the contact page on my site and email me. I will send you the setup I created where you can see that set up using just the RoboHelp UI, such a link works.

I don't know why you use helpmerger.exe to arrange the order of the projects. Done through the RoboHelp UI it will be whatever you set up in the parent TOC. If helpmerger.exe only organises the order, it seems to be redundant.

---

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

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge · Accepted solution]

I have tried to work offline with Denise but hit some issues.

It would appear that the merge is not created in the usual way by inserting a child project placeholder in the parent project TOC. Denise confirmed that there are no such placeholders in her project. As far as I can make out, the helpmerger.exe referred to above creates the merge. I have googled that file and could not find anything so I am guessing it's a home brewed method of merging. It works for Denise except she could not create a link in the TOC of one project to a topic in another project.

I believe she was seeking a File option in the various ways that links can be created from a TOC, that being how she has creats cross project links in topics.

The answer is that in the TOC, a link to a topic in another project should be created using the Remote Link option in the dropdown. I believe that should also be used for cross project links but if File works in this setup, it doesn't matter. For the TOC though, it does matter.

---

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

@petergrainge

[deniseh47762385]

Thanks again Peter for all your efforts on this issue! You certainly go over and above a typical post response.

Since I couldn't use your test project without a newer Robohelp version, I created a simple project yesterday with the TOC Child Placeholders that you mentioned in your email (and also I found info at your Merged WebHelp and HTML5 Help).

The TOC "Remote Topic" link did work when I used the TOC Child Placeholders.

It did not "show selection" the topic in the TOC, like the "File" page links, but that's how "Remote Topic" is designed since it's most likely a link to another separate merged project in the first place. I just wish the "Link" method was available from the TOC as it is in the pages.

Since the child placeholders is not "our" method of combining numerous projects into one merged chm, I'll investigate why we've been doing this for over 15 years. We are software developers so we probably created the helpmerger.exe. I suspect it has something to do with common Copyright topics that are included in all projects for the "Print Docs" we deliver too but we don't want them in the merged project. I suspect we could eliminate them with Conditional tags or something.

FYI: Our method shows all the books in the merged xpj so that's helpful - not just placeholder links. I indent the child project books where I need to and it's worked very well until this TOC task was asked for.

Since we've decided not to use the TOC links to other project topics, the urgency has subsided and this can be considered closed.