Glossary from FrameMaker not appearing in RoboHelp output

Question

We are using FrameMaker 10 and RoboHelp 9.
We have user guides in FrameMaker that we want to publish to WebHelp from within FrameMaker.  The user guides in FrameMaker all have a glossary in its own chapter at the end of the guide.
In FrameMaker, with the user guide book file open/selected, we select File > Publish.
The Publish Settings window appears.
We select WebHelp, and specify an ISF file that breaks chapters down into individual HTML files by heading level, then click Publish.
RoboHelp opens and publishes the content from the user guide to WebHelp, then RoboHelp closes.
We navigate to the folder that contains the WebHelp files, and launch it.
There is a glossary node at the bottom of the TOC in the WebHelp, but it is always empty.
Can someone please explain how to get RoboHelp to include the glossary content from the Glossary chapter in the user guide when it publishes from FrameMaker to WebHelp?  We were hoping that the handoff from FM to RH was seamless, but apparently it is not.
Thank you!
Tim

Answer 1

Hi Tim –
I am using a different process for single-sourcing our documentation in the TCS – FrameMaker 10 and Robohelp 9. I am creating the files in FrameMaker as book files, with TOCs, Glossaries, and Indexes. I am also conditionalizing some text for online and some for print. However, my workflow, based on a lot of research and watching tutorials, is to link the FrameMaker files in a RH9 project. Then, I use Robohelp to apply the .isf file settings, a FrameMaker template to use for conversion of things like cross-reference formats, a RH master page for the online help, the customized Webhelp skin I want to use, and to do any other small tweaks as necessary since the conversion process is about 90% seamless but not perfect.
I found that when linking the files (rather than importing, which is a static process), I also get “empty” default TOCs, Glossaries, and Indexes. The solution that I found is:
1.       After generating html topics from my linked FramMaker book files, I right-click on the book file in the Project Manager pod and select Properties.
2.       On the Contents tab of the “FrameMaker Document Settings” panel, I check all 3 boxes to “convert FrameMaker” TOC, Glossary, and Index files.  For the TOC, I navigate to the FrameMaker TOC file of my book.
3.       I select the radio buttons to “Create new associated” TOC, Glossary, and Index and RH insists I name them, so I name them Contents, Glossary, and Index.
4.       Then, click OK to close this window.
5.       Back to the Project Manager pod, I right-click my new TOC, Glossary, and Index files (one at a time) and select the option to set these as the Default ones.
6.       I then have the option to right-click and delete the old (empty) ones (for simplicity’s sake). Everything is then right with my help files.
Yes, this is a lot of steps. It’s the only workflow I’ve found that produces the result I want (Webhelp versions of my FrameMaker generated files that contain all entries at the correct levels, and are automated). FWIW, I couldn’t find documentation on this process anywhere. I found it through trial and error and hair-pulling :o)
HTH!
Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer
TAKE Solutions, Inc.
O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323
[email protected]