Anyway to fix text Format changes when I use WebHelp to CHM Converter?

[abigailb32739973]

Hello! Any help with this would be appreciated.

Currently I am using the WebHelp to CHM Converter function in RoboHelp so that I can apply a skin to my project. However, when I open the CHM file I noticed that the text format for certain topics have been overridden. For example, my headings appear as basic text, and bullet points and color fonts are gone as well. Images are missing as well in the project. When I generate the chm normally, the format is there, but images are still missing. Is there a fix to this? I really need to use this tool as our company is trying to update our online help by using skins and keeping the chm file. Can anyone think of a cause for the format changing like this?

Thanks

Abigail

[Peter Grainge]

I don't think I have seen this reported so it's going to be trial and error to find the cause. The fact that it is some topics only helps.

Double click one of the affected topics from Windows File Explorer. Does it display correctly or with the same error?

You say images are missing. Have you tried deleting the CPD file and then reopening the project?

Are the project and the folders you are generating to all on the same drive and is that local?

What version of RoboHelp are you using?

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring information

@petergrainge

[abigailb32739973]

Hi Peter Grainge! Thanks for responding! Trial and error is all too familiar for me and Robhelp, but hopefully you can help me further. I'll address your suggestions in order:

When I open the htm files for the affected topics, they display correctly format-wise. All the formats are correct, but in the chm they are not. The topics with images missing, are still missing when I open those topics from Windows File Explorer.

I deleted the cpd file, and opened the project, but the images are still missing when I generate the help.

I do keep my source files on a network drive. I never really had trouble generating online help with the files being on the network, except an occasionally missing image. I moved my files to my desktop and created a new project and linked the same files to a new project and generated the help the same way I did before. And the project wouldn't compile and this message was in the Output View:

I assumed that perhaps the file path was too long and shortened it a bit, and regenerated the project. The project generated this time, but the formats/images were still missing for the same topics so I don't think the network is affecting it as it does the same thing even when the source file is on my hard drive.

I'm using RoboHelp 10.

Thanks!

Abigail Bellman

[Peter Grainge]

That path does look very long. My next trial would be to move the project locally just to prove it is not a network issue.

If that does not succeed, make a copy of the project for the next trial and drastically shorten the folder name even if they are meaningless. The point here is to disprove that path length is the issue.

Post back and if no success, indicate whether you can share the project with me.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring information

@petergrainge

[Captiv8r]

Hmmm, in looking at the image supplied, I'm wondering if the issue isn't simply the naming of the image file. Note that it doesn't end in PNG, but PNGC.

Cheers... Rick

[Peter Grainge]

Good spot Sherlock.

[abigailb32739973]

Good morning!

I've tried shortening file paths of the topics as suggested, but the problem still persists. Again, the format is completely fine when I generate a normal chm file, but only acts up once the skin is applied. Could there be settings that need to be configured that I'm not aware of? At the moment, I'm just executing trial and error to try and solve the problem. Also, I am willing to send the files if that would be helpful!

Thanks!

Abigail

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Perhaps this has been asked already, but I don't recall seeing it. Apologies if it has.

Question at this point. Before you launch the script to generate the CHM and package the WebHelp inside it, does the WebHelp itself that you are planning on packaging generate properly? Does everything appear fine with no missing images?

My thought here is that if the WebHelp is missing the images, they certainly aren't going to end up inside the CHM as there is no image to reference.

Hence my question to take the baby steps and ensure the WebHelp is all correct before attempting to insert into the CHM.

Cheers... Rick

[Captiv8r]

Follow up question. What version of RoboHelp?

I'd be happy to take a look at things if you want to send files. rickstone1975 (at) gmail (dot) com

Cheers... Rick

[abigailb32739973]

I'm using RoboHelp 10.

Thanks so much, I'll send you the Robohelp Files and FrameMaker source files.

Abigail

[Captiv8r]

Frame files will do no good for me. I'm not a Frame guy.

[abigailb32739973]

Captiv8r, I'm not sure if it is the file type. When I shortened the file path it generated correctly, and the topic it noted the error in had its images and format appear before the error occurred so it wasn't one of the problem topics. Also when I go into the file and pull up the properties for the image, it says its a PNG, so I'm not sure why RoboHelp is displaying it as "pngc".

Peter Grainge​ I moved all files associated with the project to my local drive but the problem still persists. I'll look at shortening file paths of the topics that are appearing incorrectly and see if that affects it in any way

I'll post results. Thanks

Abigail

[abigailb32739973]

In working with Captiv8r​ we were able to resolve this issue! This issued was caused by the FrameMaker files having characters such as "&" in it. It generates fine when doing the simple chm, but I supposed when I applied a skin, Style Sheets became necessary. When RoboHelp was creating/updating the style sheets for these files it wasn't registering the "&" character and so the style sheet and the file names weren't matching, thus causing the format to be lost in the chm file. I eliminated all occurrences of  the "&" character in my file names, file infos, and even headings. When I updated the book and RoboHelp, the topics that were not displaying correctly now work properly.

As far as the issue with missing images, it seems that shortening the image names are fixing that issue. So in regards to images, it may just be an issue of long files paths.

Thanks!

Abigail

[Captiv8r · Accepted solution]

While I'm happy to see this has been sorted, there are a couple of things that need mentioning for clarification purposes so if others down the line find this thread it will make better sense.

The reason things looked fine when you generated a CHM file was because that process really doesn't modify the source HTML files. So your topic was referencing the CSS properly with the ampersand in the file name. But when WebHelp is generated, a vastly different process is used. Each source file is modified along the way. And that process was what was causing the actual file name of the CSS to be modified so it no longer had the ampersand. The process substituted the underscore for the ampersand. And actually, this would appear to be a bug to me. If the process causes the CSS file name to be changed, it should have also adjusted the CSS reference in any topic using that CSS. But seeing as how you are using RoboHelp version 10, it's possible that it's no longer a bug we need to be concerned with.

Certainly a skin changes the appearance of things. But it's a bit of a misunderstanding to say that because Skins were being used, Style Sheets became necessary. The thing is, Style Sheets are needed for the ability to format the text as authors hope to see it. Skin or no skin.

When Abigail made the changes to remove the ampersand, she did this using Framemaker, not RoboHelp.

I'm going to move this thread to the Framemaker section as it seems to make logical sense that it should be parked there.

Cheers all... Rick