Importing MS Word into RoboHelp HTML / TOC Creation/ CHM output?

Hello,
I am a newbie to RoboHelp 8 and am trying out the Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2.5, and have a Windows 7 (64 Bit) OS.
At the moment, I have a single 40 page word document (MS Word 2010) that I would like to bring into RoboHelp 8.
With that said, I create a blank project, and then import the document. But, when I try to generate and view a help file, I am not seeing the table of contents. I have even done the AUTO TOC and verify that the links correspond to sections and sub-sections etc. - but still no TOC.
In addition, for some reason it brought in each of my figures twice, so that I have two figure 1s, two figure twos and so on.
Finally, it gave me an error message and was complaining about WidgetMax:
"Compilation failed while compiling http:\www.widgetmax.com."
I am not sure what that is about either.
Okay, one more question. Is there an easy way to break up all the sections/sub-sections into unique topics before or during inport into RoboHTML? It seems that RH 8 really needs to have multiple topics versus one long topic, containing what was formerly a MS Word document. What is the best approach to making that happen?
Overall, I am looking for a nice automated system, whereby I can take developer created documents (from protected MS Word templates) and bring them into RoboHelp HTML (version 8). Hopefully, I will not have to break apart the entire MS Word document first, before bringing it into RH 8.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions from a newbie.
-J

Hi there
My own guess is that you created a project using one of the supplied templates. Specifically, the Application Help template. This template already has a CHM window defined that contains a link to the WidgetMax.com site. When a link to a web site is defined in a CHM window, the compiler will squawk about it because it cannot resolve the link to a local HTML page. So you may safely ignore the message.
As for importing the Word content, you have some decisions to make. How do you want to edit the content after you get it into RoboHelp?
After you import you will abandon Word and make any changes to the documentation only using RoboHelp HTML.
You will continue to maintain the Word document using Microsoft Word and you will want to update RoboHelp HTML to reflect the changes
Depending on the avenue you wish to take, you will have different options for splitting the Word content into individual topics. Once we know which option you wish to use we can offer more guidance.
Cheers... Rick
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Import InDesign files into RoboHelp HTML

Hello,
My company is moving toward online help. We currently use InDesign to author our manuals and then export them to pdf for publication. I've been on the phone with Adobe trying to see if there's a way to easily import InDesign into RoboHelp. We're on an older version of RoboHelp, so I'm told this is possible, but I can't get any help until we buy RoboHelp9. I know that we can import our pdfs into RoboHelp--I'm just wondering if there's a way to import InDesign files directly into RoboHelp. Has anyone tried to do this? Anyone have any suggestions? It seems these two programs should play nice together, doesn't it?
Louley

Hi there
To my knowledge it is not possible to accomplish. I've been using RoboHelp since 1992 and I've never seen it done.
The only way I can fathom it working would be if InDesign could save as an HTML page. Then import the HTML. Or possibly produce a PDF from InDesign, then import that. But even importing the PDF may not give you the results you want.
Cheers... Rick
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Problems importing a Word doc into Robohelp HTML

I have a 116-page Word document with 13 chapters. When I
import this document into Robohelp HTML as a winhelp output file,
only two topics are created, rather than 13. On the Conversion
Options window, I select to have new topics created by Word style
"Heading 1" which are my chapter titles. Why doesn't Robohelp
create the topics, and what should I change to faciliate that?
Also, why don't my numbered lists from Word stay numbered in
Robohelp? Is there a way to automate numbered lists?

Thanks for your reply.
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With a word doc, JDeveloper does not give that message. No message at all regarding what the status of the process is. And the document is not added to the database. No error messages too. Could this be an issue with Oracle?

Importing pdf into RoboHelp HTML 8.

I get an "unsupported or corrupted file" error when trying to import a pdf as a topic into RoboHelp HTML 8. The file opens fine in Acrobat.

I've done that also. However, one of my help projects consists solely of pdfs from other sources. I've found that the print method works best for me.
Thanks for the tip, however. It's good to know that someone looks at the responses.
Holly
Holli Angell
Business Analyst II
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Madison Park Operations
336-201-4520
>>> NorBec <[email protected]> 11/6/2009 4:27 PM >>>
What about importing the pdf in your baggage files? The trick here is getting the project manager to display the Baggage Fle folder. Toggle the icons at the top of the Project Manager window until they display. See this thread below for the import instructions.
http://forums.adobe.com/message/2068543#2068543

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???

Adobe Technical Communications Suite - Importing Framemaker Files into Robohelp

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How can I import .pdf forms into RoboHelp 11.0.3.268 without garbling fields?

When I try to import .pdf forms into RoboHelp 11, the fields get garbled.
Is there any way around this?

Hello again
Okay, you first open or give focus to the Project Manager pod. Once there, you will either be in Global View (where you see all files combined - CSS, Images, HTM and others) or you will be in Classic view. Classic View has separate folders, One for HTML files, another for CSS, another for Baggage, etc. See image below for reference.
If you are in Global view, just right-click somewhere inside the Project Files and choose New > Baggage File. If you are in Classic view, right-click the Baggage Files folder and choose New > Baggage File.
Then you navigate to where the Baggage File exists and you add it to the project. When you generate, the Baggage File should be automatically copied to the output folder with the other files.
To link to the Baggage File, you generally select the text or image the user will click to display the file, then click and drag the file from the Project Manager pod to the selected image or text.
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Importing Adobe Captivate into Robohelp 6

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Any ideas?

Hey Colum,
Thanks for your help, but I still seem to be having
difficulty.
I am using RoboHelp HTML 6 for my project.
Here is what I have done:
Created my Captivate file & saved it.
Imported the Captivate file in my Baggage Folder.
Problems are:
When I double click on the file in Baggage it opens up
Captivate.
I then tried to import the same clip into a New Topic, but
again all I get is a text box saying Flash Movie File. I compiling
the porject, but when I try to click on the topic with the
Captivate file, but the page freezes. When I mouse over the text
box it says "Click to activate & use this control."
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Missing spaces between words after importing Word document into RoboHelp HTML version 8

I created a 400+ page document in Word 2007 and imported it into RoboHelp 8 (HTML, not RoboHelp for Word). In many places, the space between a bold word and a non-bold word is no longer there. I would like to avoid having to go through the entire RH document to replace the spaces manually. Did I import incorrectly?

Looks perfect, works terribly...
Things to consider:
Chances are, the different treatments of the space are due to whether the space was included in the bolding of the word in MS Word.
Additionally, since Word files contain much underlying binary code (macros and such), your security settings might or might not be playing well with the Word stuff.
Are you importing the Word file from a network location, or from your local machine? Network traffic might be partially impacting the import, too.
Bottom line? You'll probably need to clear all formatting in the Word file and redo the formatting properly. To test this, cut a couple of pages into a new Word file, clear and redo the formatting in Word, import the Word file into another RH project, and see what results you get.
To clear the formatting:
Select text.
On the Home tab, in the Font group, click Clear Formatting.
Redo the formatting, being careful to not format the spaces.
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Import word into Robohelp

Hi,
I am using Robohelp for the first time. I want to generate help pages for an application. I have all the contents prepared in Word document. I tried to import the word document into robohelp, however the whole content gets inported into single page. Is there any way this gets separated out in separate pages, or is it that I would need to prepare separate documents so that they are imported accordingly. Has anybosy faced this issue. I am using the 30 day trial version of Robohelp 8. Has anybody an idea about this and the possible solution for this.
Thanks,
Pallavi

You need to click the Edit button when you import, as shown in the first image.
The document will then be scanned and the next screen will be displayed, as in the second image.
One by one, highlight the styles on which topics are to be created and tick the Pagination field.
When you import, you will then have separate topics.
See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Importing Word into RH HTML

Hi all,
In the past when importing a word doc I was able to select to
import each topic as a seperate html file. I'm not seeing that now
and I am also missing the option to create topics based on
Heading3. Which is funny because it has Heading 1,2,4 and 5 listed,
but not 3? Any thoughts as to why this may be happening or how to
fix?
Thanks,
JR

Hi JR
Nah, looks like the right area to me.
Besides, most of us that participate here already watch ALL
the areas, just in case. So the odds of a post not being answered
because they are in the "wrong area" are lower than whale poop. And
that's about as low as I can think of.
Well, aside from the bottom of the Dead Sea.
Cheers... Rick

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

Trouble incorporating Captivate movies into RoboHelp HTML projects

This is for RH 7 HTML.
I have been trying for quite a while now to add some Captivate tutorial-type videos to my help projects. I have recently been able to do this, however, the video additons greatly increased the size of my help file (it went from probably 7 or 8 MB up to 29 MB).
Here's how I added the movies.
Created a new topic just for the multimedia movie
Inserted the video (which was saved as an .SWF - Flash - file, since this is what the help file instructs you to do) and added it to the new topic
Created a link to this new topic in the topic from which I wanted to launch the video and chose to have the video open in a new window
Saved everything and tested it out to make sure the video would run when called
The video runs OK, though it is a little on the large side and is still a bit blurry/fuzzy. I've also had to provide special instructions to any users who wish to view the videos (maximize the RH display window, make sure the resolution on the monitor is set to at least 1024 x 768, choose to allow blocked content if prompted, etc) So, the main questions I have are,
What's the best way to add these videos to a help file without having the file size go through the roof and so they'll still display properly (clear and legible)?
Is there a smaller, more compressed format that can be used that will still allow for a clear display?
Should I embed the videos in the actual help file or place them somewhere else and link to them externally?
I would greatly appreciate any insight, advice, and expertise in this area, since my manager is a huge proponent of having these videos incorporated into the help files.
Thanks very much in advance for any guidance you can provide.
Sincerely,
Dave

Hi Dave
Hopefully Willam won't mind my chiming in here.
When you publish a project from Captivate as SWF, you also have an option to allow Captivate to create an HTML page for you. In fact, the option is typically enabled by default and you have to specifically disable it. At that point Captivate warns you that the movie may not display correctly if you do this.
So if you want the HTML page all set up, you just leave that option selected in Captivate. Then in RoboHelp, you import both the Captivate created HTML page as well as any files such as SWF or FLV you need.
Hopefully this helps... Rick
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Importing .htm files into RoboHelp project

In my project in RoboHelp, when I go to File > Import > HTML File… to add a .htm file to my project, it locks up on me instead of providing a directory listing allowing me to select files to add to my project. The only way to get out of it is to go to the Task Manager and killing the process.

Hi there
Your use of "The Vault" would seem to most certainly describe some form of a Source Control system. Source Control systems offer a combination between a Librarian and a Traffic Cop. Typically you log into these systems with a user ID and a password. That way the system knows who you are.
Typically with these systems the data resides on a coroporate network. And also typically you will have a "working folder" on your hard drive where the files exist. When everything is checked into the Source Control system, the files on your hard drive are flagged as "Read Only".
When you need to work with a file, you perform a process of checking out. The Source Control system then changes the Read Only status of the file on your hard drive to Read/Write. But it also makes a note of the date/time stamp. If the file stored in Source Control is newer than the counterpart on your hard drive, it copies the newer file to your hard drive before allowing you to make changes.
I'd begin with a simple sanity check. Create a totally separate and new project. Add a topic or three. Add an image. Generate. Do things work okay? If not, you have some form of issue with RoboHelp that needs to be resolved before you attempt to troubleshoot what is happening with your project in Source Control.
Perhaps try copying the content from Source control to a different folder and see if you are then able to make edits.
Hopefully something here either helped directly or sparked a thought that does.
Cheers... Rick
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Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95!
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Importing MS Word into RoboHelp HTML / TOC Creation/ CHM output?

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