Converting RoboHelp for Word to RoboHelp HTML (v8)

I have a RoboHelp for Word (started at v6, converted to v7, and now at v8) project that I want to convert to a RoboHelp HTML v8 project.
The RoboHelp for Word V8 looks good, works great and builds good looking WebHelp and MS Html Help finished outputs! But, I can't seem to figure out how to embed Captivate App Demos (SWF) into the project. Another post in these forums indicated that this is easy with RoboHelp HTML; and after some testing, indeed it is! Great.
Now - the question is, how do I get my existing (looks good, feels great) RoboHelp for Word V8 project imported into RoboHelp HTML V8?
I made a copy of my RHWord project directory (so as not to screw anything up) and then opened RHHTML and chose to import an existing HPJ project. When asked whether to keep the project file XPJ or go to HHP, I chose HHP.
During the conversion, I get lots of "images not valid; invalid chars" on GIF files that RHWord has no problem with. It will not display nor publish these GIF files. Actually, it does display some of the GIFs in the RHHTML dev env, but then doesn't publish them!
Also, during the conversion, it asks if you want a single CSS for each file or one CSS based on one of the WORD docs from the RHWord project. The default was the former, so I chose it. After the conversion, many of the topics have CSS data that appears at the top (e.g. long list of font names) that end up getting published also. So why did this happen?
Also, after the conversion, many of the topics have non-displayable characters that do not show up in the RHWord version; source or published version.
So - my question is, how do I correctly go from a RHWord project that seems to edit and publish just fine to a RHHTML project cleanly?
I have tried to be as detailed as possible on each of these issues, but if more is required, let me know.
Thanks much for your assistance,
Jeff
Message was edited by: jonestech

The original post included a complaint:
"After the conversion, many of the topics have CSS data that appears at the top (e.g. long list of font names) that end up getting published also"
I didn't spot an answer to this part of the problem. I may have missed it
I see this also in importig a RH8 WinHelp project for conversion to WebHelp. It's no big deal to just delete the font list in projects that have just a single original Word doc, but I have a number of projects that each contain hundreds of Word docs, and the font list is inserted tt the top of each converted htm file.
So I am motivated to find a solution...
Any ideas RH troops???

Similar Messages

Why Pick RoboHelp for Word vs RoboHelp HTML?

Getting started with RoboHelp. Everyone in our office knows
how to write in Word. Are there big advantages or disadvantages to
choosing to use RH Word vs RH HTML to work in? I want to avoid
kicking myself two months down the road.

Welcome to our community, WJohanRadGuy
I suppose I would counter that with:
Why drive a truck when you can drive a car?
Here's what I mean. Think of the output you are planning on
creating. Most of the output today falls into the HTML category.
Assuming that's the case for you, you would be well advised to use
a tool designed for working with HTML. So just as I wouldn't use my
car to haul plywood when a truck is more suited to the job, I would
opt for RoboHelp HTML over RoboHelp for Word.
I know it's seductive. Most everyone thinks they know how to
use Word. But if you are creating any type of HTML output, you will
likely find yourself hamstrung with making things behave as you
want using RoboHelp for Word where they are easy to accomplish
using RoboHelp HTML.
Also consider that the RoboHelp for Word user base is
shrinking daily as more folks move away from it (because it is the
only RoboHelp product that creates WinHelp systems) and toward
RoboHelp HTML. Vista prompted much of that exodus when Microsoft
announced WinHelp would no longer be supported in Vista. Yet it
lives on and I digress.
Hopefully I've not muddied the waters here.
Cheers... Rick

"RoboHelp for Word" vs "RoboHelp HTML"

Hi all,
I note there are two flavors for RoboHelp (wrt also working
with Word + importing + exporting):
- RoboHelp for Word
- RoboHelp HTML
Questions:
1. Am I right that it seems you can do everything with
RoboHelp HTML that you can do with RoboHelp for Word?
2. If not (1, above), what are the relative advantages and
disadvantages of each for starting a new RoboHelp project?
3. Is there a reason for ever trying to change application
for an existing RoboHelp project, and would there be expected any
particular conversion problems?
Tia,
- avi

Welcome to our community, Avi
I see you posted the question here as well as the TechShoret
list. I further see you have at least one reply over on TechShoret.
Here are my thoughts. Yes, you can do most of what RoboHelp
for Word can do using RoboHelp HTML. I say "Most" here because
there are a couple of things you can't do. You can't easily create
a .HLP file using RoboHelp HTML. RoboHelp HTML doesn't offer tabs
like you can use with RoboHelp for Word.
Now I realize that may sound a bit as if I'm saying that
RoboHelp for Word is superior to RoboHelp HTML. I'm not. As with
anything in life, there are trade offs and things to consider. In
this case, I would say you should consider the output type.
Most everything is moving away from WinHelp (.HLP files) and
toward an HTML based format. I noted the TechShoret reply mentioned
that with RoboHelp for Word, everything is stored in a single Word
file, vs having multiple HTML files with RoboHelp HTML. While this
is true, I would say that if your output is going to be HTML based,
you should seriously consider using an editor that was designed
from the ground up to support HTML. Let's face it. Anything HTML
coming from Word is a kludge, as Word was designed for print. There
are also some things that will constantly frustrate you if you
elect to use RoboHelp for Word and are creating HTML output.
So while it may seem an attractive option to use, I'd suggest
avoiding RoboHelp for Word and going with RoboHelp HTML.
Sincerely... Rick

RoboHelp for Word in RoboHelp 9

I just upgraded from Robohelp X5 to Robohelp 9. After installing version 9, I am unable to find where the new version of Robohelp for Word is. All I can find is RoboHelp HTML. How do you work on existing Winhelp projects with version 9? We switched to this new version because X5 wasn't compatible with my current version of Word (2007) and we need to continue to be able to generate Winhelp.

Hi,
If you cannot see Robohelp for Word, then you need to run the installer of Robohelp once again and when you see the Windows which says Select the location where you need to install robohelp Click on Robohelp 9 and then in the right side you will see 2 options Check the Robohelp Word and then click on Install.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Priyank

Generating RoboHelp for Word with RH6 in HTML Doesn't Remove MSO styles

Here's the Word portion of the question, which I really
should post under a separate heading. (The WebHelp portion is under
WebHelp - DiMost, posted March 19, 2007)
In RHx5, I use(d) RoboHelp for Word to convert my documents
from an Information Mapping format (with tables) to a stripped-down
document that I converted to HTML without all the Word inline
styles.
- Applied a "conversion" template to the doc
- Imported the doc into the RH for Word file.
- Converted the styles and removed page breaks
- Converted ONE heading to the main topic
- Created WinHelp and checked to be sure there are no
corrupted tables and the topic converted
- Generated in WebHelp
- Imported the HTML document output to the main WebHelp
project. (The document arrives without all the MSO word inline
styles)
- Applied the CSS for the project.
Document conversion complete....all the inline styles were
removed.
NOW, RH 6 retains all the styles and converts every heading
style to a topic, even though RH5 did not.
Converting it in RoboHelp for Word x5 worked really well, but
doesn't appear to work now. And importing the Word doc directly
into RH6 for the WebHelp project is still the huge mess it was
before. It looks like it still requires hand-stripping all that
code out by hand.
Believe me, I have tried everything (including freestanding
apps) to get rid of the Word (MSO-whatever) embedded styles out of
the Word HTML.
I welcome any ideas. Thanks!
Diana

I don't think anything changed on defining what should be a
new topic. Check the options as you import as that can make such a
difference and of course your RH6 settings will be different
initially.

Convert RoboHelp for Word project to RoboHTML

I have a couple projects which are created RoboHelp for Word
in RH6. The projects now need to be converted to RoboHelp HTML
projects and Flash generated outputs. In conjunction with this I
have the following questions:
1) Can RH Word projects be opened in RoboHTML? If so, what
are the pros and cons and how is the conversion done?
2) These independently projects will be linked/merged with a
master project which in RH HTML. Will this cause some inherent
problems.
3) I know I can generate a Flash based output from RoboHelp
for Word, however, how differently will (if at all) RH HTML treat
these files if called from within an RH HTML generated project.
4) I will also need to generate Printed documentation in the
end. Any impact on that?
Thank you in advance. A detailed answer would be greatly
appreciated.

All those questions and in detail too. This is a forum, not a
book shop. :-)
What we can do is give you some general guidance so that you
can experiment safely, then come back with specific questions.
You cannot open your RH for Word project in RH HTML. What you
have to do is import the underlying document(s) excluding the
footers as they contain RH for Word information that is not
relevant. Before you do anything, zip up the existing project and
keep it somewhere safe. Now you can use the project and blow it
apart without worrying. If anything goes wrong, you extract the zip
copy and start over.
There's a topic on my site about importing ordinary Word
documents (as opposed to RH for Word doc files) and that will be a
good starting point.
First get all the existing projects converted and running
properly as independent projects before you give any thought to
merging.
When you are ready, then look at the topic on merging webhelp
that is on my site. Just adapt as necessary for FlashHelp. I think
you need at least RH6 to merge FlashHelp, maybe 7. Not sure without
checking. RH6 FlashHelp has some indexing problems as you will see
in another thread.
RH generates files after which they go to development. What
do you mean by RH HTML treating those files? Do you mean will their
HTML be written differently? Almost certainly yes but why is that
an issue as long as they look how you want?
You will be able to generate printed documentation and that
is covered by yet another article on my site. Maybe now you are
getting the picture as to why nobody can provide the answer in
detail on a forum.
You have a massive task ahead of you and I think it would be
foolhardy to start with your real projects. Starting from where you
are, I would create some small RH for Word projects and then go
down the path you have to. With small projects like that, you will
be able to understand what is going on and the issues. It's the
same reason why most driving schools don't start you off in a
Ferrari!
Good luck. Glad its your problem. :-)

Robohelp for html project conversion to Robohelp for word

We have created our documentation using Robohelp for HTML v
5.0.1
We find that the html editor in the program is too
restrictive. We would like to convert the entire project into
Robohelp for word.
I cant find any way to do this. We're willing to buy a 3'rd
party utility of hire someone to do it.
Can anyone provide some suggestions...

Peter,
We are Amish when it comes to robohelp. :) So please excuse
our ignorance... You say:
>>As far as the printed document output is concerned,
neither version of RH
>>will give you that so you get much the same
>> document either way. What do you have in mind to
support the claim?
and
>> You put a page break in the Word source, the topic
loses the content after the page break
I was thinking that its easy in Word to put in a page break,
but did not actually try to generate a document from it!! Thanks
for clarification...
Our current work around idea is this: We will try to embed a
special line in the document, like "<replace with new page >"
then we can do a search and replace on the word document to insert
the page break. Then we can create a single macro that is run
everytime after the document is to be printed.
Does anyone have any thoughts about that possible work
around?
Im really glad to see this is such an active forum..
We did look at your site it was very helpful. Thanks.
Mitch

RoboHelp 7 for Word versus RoboHelp 7 HTML

RoboHelp 7 for Word versus RoboHelp 7 HTML
Can someone explain very simply when and why you use one but
not the other? I'm a little confused. We have RoboHelp 7 Server
installed and I think using RoboHelp 7 is the way to go, and I know
the server does allow to track usage, frequently viewed, etc. I
guess I just don't understand the purpose of RoboHelp 7 for Word -
what it is used for and it's capabilities when compared to HTML.
I have tons of pages of process documentation created from
Word. I need to make these available online thru RoboHelp, so am
just looking at different ways to distribute and explore all my
options. We're currently experiencing difficulties in publishing
RoboHelp HTML projects to the server.
Thanks!

Hi hughbetcha
If your output is going to be HTML based (and if you have
RoboHelp Server, it will be) then I would recommend RoboHelp HTML
hands down.
You might find the article linked below to be of value for
this:
Click
here and read
Cheers... Rick

RoboHelp for Word vs for HTML

Hi there,
I am currently evaluating RoboHelp 7 and am wondering what
the advantage may be to using the HTML editon over the Word
edition. We currently use RoboHelp x5 for Word, but that doesn't
necessarily mean I have to stay with it.
Part of me wants to stay with Word because I am familiar with
it, and because I think I will need to use its track changes
feature as a means of identifiying changes for reviews and for
translation purposes (i.e. identifying what has been changed).
Part of me wants to move to HTML though as I have dabbled a
little in that environment in the past and feel I am missing out by
remaining in Word. Also, (and I might be wrong here) but I think
from a source control perspective it is easier to identify changes
comparing HTML files than Word files.
I'm just wondering what others in this forum think. Why do
you use the Word or HTML edition? And if you have changed from one
to the other, what was your deciding factor in doing so?
I appreciate your time in helping me decide which way to go.
Cheers
Heather

Hi Heather
I'd say that it depends a bit on your output. If your output
is anything HTML based, RoboHelp HTML hands down. After all, Word
does horrible HTML. Why not use something designed with HTML in
mind?
If you stick with Word, you aren't doing yourself or anyone
else any favors. There are things that Word will do that will
frustrate you.
Then again, that's just my opinion. Personally, I would have
voted long ago to banish the RoboHelp for Word application.
Cheers... Rick

Compiling Robohelp for Word project as MS HTML Help

I am compiling a RoboHelp for Word X5 project as a Miscrosoft
HMTL Help file (.chm) and on the first page of each one of my
projects books is a paragraph of all the different font names (see
below). How the heck do I get rid of this?
i.e. ...Arial;Courier New;Symbol;Wingdings;MS Sans
Serif;Times New Roman CE;Times New Roman Cyr;Times New Roman
Greek;Times New Roman Tur;Times New Roman (Hebrew);Times New Roman
(Arabic);Times New Roman Baltic;Times New Roman (Vietnamese);Arial
CE;Arial Cyr;Arial Greek;Arial Tur;Arial (Hebrew);Arial
(Arabic);Arial Baltic;Arial (Vietnamese);Courier New CE;Courier New
Cyr;Courier New Greek;Courier New Tur;Courier New (Hebrew);Courier
New (Arabic);Courier New Baltic;Courier New (Vietnamese);

Hi jfullington
Check out the following link. I think it may answer your
question.
Click
here I believe you are interested in Snippet number 56.
Out of idle curiosity, is a compiled .CHM only one of several
outputs you are creating and you still need WinHelp? If it's the
primary output, you should really consider moving away from
RoboHelp for Word and toward RoboHelp HTML.
Cheers... Rick

WinHelp Project in RoboHelp for Word v7.0

I inherited a WinHelp 4 RoboHelp project and have worked with
it successfully for a few years, converting it to various versions
of RoboHelp. I was able to open it recently in RoboHelp for Word
v7.0, after getting MS Office 2007 installed on my machine, but it
won't save any edits I try to make to the Word docs. My choices to
Save are: "Yes", "Yes to All", "No", and "Cancel". The only way to
get the Word doc to close is to choose "No", and then my changes
are not being saved.
When I opened the WinHelp 4 project in RoboHelp for Word
v7.0, after getting MS Office 2007, there was no prompt to convert
it to Word 2007, and the Word side displays "Compatibility Mode" at
the top. (When I opened a WebHelp project in RoboHelp for HTML
v7.0, after getting MS Office 2007, I was prompted to convert the
project).
Also, when I click "Generate Primary Layout", nothing
happens. No error message, no popups, nothing.
I read on another page where someone suggested re-instaling
RoboHelp v7.0 for someone who had these issues with a project that
had been opened before receiving MS Office 2007, but I did not open
mine until after getting this. If anyone else is having these
issues, I would appreciate your thoughts.

I think the point in the thread you read was that RH has to
be installed after Word. It's not about the opening of the project.

Adobe RoboHelp for Word 8.0 - Issues

Hi
I am using a Trial version of RoboHelp for Word 8.0, and would like to receive comments on the following issues:
It would appear that Manual Page Breaks in the middle of a long topic (inserted for printing purposes), are causing the data from beyond that point on to be ignored.
Links (hyperlinks) in the Word document "appear" to be links in the generated HTML ... but are not links.
All Tables in the Word input are set at 100% ... but the generated HTML is "fixed width".
Images in the Word input are links to an image library (absolutely mandatory in this application) ... but it appears that the generated HTML is using the Word version of the image, rather than the image in the image library. This results in poorer quality and differences in size when compared to the images in the library.
Any comments greatly appreciated.
MBarryH

For 1, Peter is correct. You will need to remove the page breaks in your document within a page. RH uses hard page breaks to indicate a new topic is there.
For 2, Word uses a different method to insert hyperlinks like mailtos. RH needs to use its own code to make these links (i.e., Insert html and mailto:). You will need to remove the hyperlink, then insert the link using RH. If you have many of this mailto links to replace, use Word's copy and paste to copy the RH code for the link and paste it where needed.
For 3, I believe HTML code only supports fixed width tables. It will not automatically make the table wider when the window is maximized. I find the best width for tables to be 6 inches.
For 4, images placed in Word docs are often created in different graphics programs. RH uses more simplifed graphics programs such as Paint. I suggest you open each imgage in Paint, then save as a bmp file using a more familiar name than image001.bmp, etc. During the compile, RH will convert the bmp to a good gif file and use it in the topic. Then, in your doc, delete the image and then select to insert the graphic using this function in RH. This makes a direct link to the image file. You can also modify the image directly and changes will appear in the pix when you compile it. It is easier if you are viewing the doc in true code in RH rather than WYSIWYG. If the image is in the doc itself, the imagennn.bmp is ignored. Note, if you must use the WYSIWYG, these images show up as blank areas in your doc when you are in draft view. Word 2007 only makes them show up when you are in print view. So, you may want to consider putting a border around the image so you can see it in draft view.
I have used RH for Word for over 15 years. Word adds more quick editing features than RoboHTML does. For example, paint, search and replace -- all in terms of something you already use when working with Word. The only adjustments you may have is when MS comes out with a new version of Word itself. As MS makes Word easier for the novice user, they sometimes cause problems for the powerusers. However, there are always ways to work around these issues. RH for Word is easier to use if you use the show formatting marks in Word so you can tell what is happening. You will be able to see the code used in the RH links and the paragraph marks to see what Word is doing. Be aware to spellcheck your doc, choose to hide these marks and spell check will ignore text formatted as hidden.

Upgrade from Robohelp for Word 6

Our company is planning to upgrade the RH that we are using due to the issue on Chrome browser not displaying the TOC and search function not working.
We have been using Robohelp for Word in version 6. I know it's outdated but it was working for us and as they say "if ain't broke don't fix it" or some such things. The chrome related issue might have been there for a long time but it just came into out attention recently.
I am trial testing RH 11 and my main issue is the link in TOCs to most of the topics are missing. I've posted 2 discussion but not fixed yet.
Can anyone please advise the best way to tackle this scenario? Do I convert the Word to HTML in RH 6 first before upgrading to RH 11? Is there a list of task to do to prepare my projects in the upgrade to RH 11?
Any help would be highly appreciated.

Hi awu10 and welcome to our community
While I have no answer for you on this issue, I'm wondering
why you are using RoboHelp for Word if you are interested in
WebHelp output? RoboHelp HTML is the more logical choice here.
Additionally, you will find a wealth of folks that know how
to assist with questions like these for RoboHelp HTML, while those
using RoboHelp for Word are a diminishing group.
RoboHelp HTML has a very "Word Like" interface. The big
difference between the two (aside from the fact RoboHelp HTML was
specifically designed for creating HTML Help and WebHelp) is that
instead of working on a document with many topics inside, you work
on individual topics as you go.
Just a thought... Rick

This is a bit of information for folks that use Robohelp for Word.

I know this is all a day late and a follar short but for those folks that still use Robohelp for Word:
If your company is going to Windows 7, X5 will not work. You need to bump it up to at least RH8.
Even after you upgrade, if you use the tripane (winhelp_2000) view in RH for Word, it will not work on Windows 7 even with the microsoft patch. With the patch it will look like an older version of RH in winhelp_4. At least I have not been able to get it to display.
What will work is if you compile it in Webhelp. You will loose some links. I know I should be moving to Robhelp Html and I tried, but when I did that I got a lot of garbage at the top of all my topics, I lost all my external links and I would have to retrain my partner...
Now about links. My only complaint about Robohelp for Word was it's limited external linking capacity. If you use RH for Word you know you can only brouse to the net or to an htm or html document. It doesn't mean you can't link to a PDF or an excel spread sheet. You just can't brouse to it. You can manually enter the path. I just changed 740+ htm links to pdf links (pdf in same file as htm and the names were the same except for extension) and it worked. If you intend to try this back up.
Anyway, if this helps anyone great..if not thanks for letting me babble. I like my Robohelp for Word in Webhelp format.
Peggy Theo.

Thanks for posting this Peggy.
It is worth adding that there is another way of continuing to work with Word - using Linked Documents in RoboHelp HTML. You create Word documents entirely independent of RoboHelp and then create topics by linking those documents in a RoboHelp HTML project.
You cannot create WinHelp that way but WinHelp is on life support and requires users to download a viewer, you cannot distribute it. It really is time to move on from WinHelp.
RoboHelp for Word is not getting much development and does not get the new features being added to RoboHelp HTML.
Linking is covered on my site.
See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips
@petergrainge

Is RoboHelp for Word packaged with RoboHelp 11?

Is RoboHelp for Word packaged with RoboHelp 11?

No. The last version to include Rh for Word was Rh10. Is there a specific reason for wanting to stick with Rh for Word? There is a learning curve with Rh HTML but it shouldn't be too difficult.
See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips
@petergrainge

Converting RoboHelp for Word to RoboHelp HTML (v8)

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