Outputs in Robohelp 2019

[mkelly735]

I am new to Robohelp 2019 and developing help for a web based application. Can you please tell me the difference between a Responsive HTML5 output and a Microsoft HTML help output? I do not want my help file to look like a website. I want my help to look like a .chm format with the topics on the left. I will be providing this to my developers with a Map ID file. 

Thank you very much. 

[Amebr]

Microsoft HTML Help generates a chm file while Responsive HTML is a bunch of htm, img, css and js files. 

CHM is Microsoft format and hasn't been updated since about 2006.

The same as chm, Responsive HTML provides a toc on the left and topic on the right. In New UI, some of the skins provide a tiled home page a lot like a website, but they also provide a toc side panel when you click down into a topic. There are also skins that don't have a tiled home page at all.

I can't remember if you can turn off the home page for responsive skins, but Frameless output definitely allows you to turn off the home page.

Frameless is very similar to Responsive HTML5, but is where Adobe is focusing their development and also provides more comprehensive customisation options.

[mkelly735]

Thank you so much for the clarification. It definitely sound like Responsive HTML is the correct output for my project. 

[Amebr]

Also, chm won't work from the web (or network servers) due to Microsoft security patches decades ago, so if your application is on a web server, rather than installed on end user computers, you cannot use Microsoft HTML Help output.

[Peter Grainge]

I agree with @Amebr that CHMs are not a good way to go. The RoboHelp Tour Introduction (grainge.org) works the way I think you want and that is a frameless output. I'm guessing what you don't like is the home page with its tiles. Amber has explained they can be deselected.

________________________________________________________
See www.grainge.org for free Authoring and RoboHelp Information

[mkelly735]

Peter - Yes, I have used the Robohelp Tour introduction and that is what I am looking for. Thank you so much!  

[Peter Grainge]

Responsive or Frameless. Going forward frameless will get more development that responsive and the skin editor is significantly better for frameless.

________________________________________________________
See www.grainge.org for free Authoring and RoboHelp Information

[mkelly735]

I have to provide my developers with a sample help system with Map IDs so they can figure out how to call it from ASP.net. When I generate a Responsive or Frameless project, do you know which of the output folders I provide my developers? I see approximately 9 folders in the output path. 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

You should just have one folder with the project name (or whatever you renamed it in the preset) in the output folder - within that there will be lots of sub-folders and files. Can you show us what you see by posting a screenshot using the image icon in the web interface?

[mkelly735]

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

That's the RH project folder - where's the Output folder?

[mkelly735]

Jeff - Sorry about that. I have attached the output file. 

[Peter Grainge]

You send the developers the whole output folder for whichever preset they are going to work on. If you have created a map file, the IDs will be built into the output. The developers will also require the map ID file. That can be found in the publish folder shown in your first image.

________________________________________________________
See www.grainge.org for free Authoring and RoboHelp Information

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

So, give them all the files & folders within that \Responsive HTML5\ folder.

[mkelly735]

Thank you for the information regarding the Output files.