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

Similar Messages

Converting RoboHelp 7 HTML Project to RoboHelp 9 for Word Project?

Due to complications in localization, I've been asked to evaluate authoring in doc files instead of HTMs, since the tool we use for localization (Across Server) seems to work better (or so we're told) with doc files.
I've only authored in RoboHelp HTML with a CHM output for the last several years, so I'm unfamiliar with RH for Word. But I have used Doc-to-Help many years ago, so I'm somewhat familiar with the implications of using doc files.
How would I go about doing this conversion? Is there some utility that does this, or is the best way to export to a printed output and then import that output into a new project?
I'm also going to evaluate this using RH 9 since I'm considering upgrading from RH 7. I only have Word 2003.
Thanks in advance,
Jared

RoboHelp for Word has only had minimal changes for the last two versions. Take a hint. Also enhancements to RoboHelp HTML outputs have not been mirrored.
I suggest you do some work in RoboHelp for Word and see how much you enjoy it.
As for conversion, open RoboHelp for Word and see the import options. Your idea seems to be the way to go, if you really really have to.
Oh, one more thing, you will not get much help in the RoboHelp for Word forum because there is hardly any user to user support.
See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips
@petergrainge

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

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.

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???

"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

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 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

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.

RoboHelp 8 for Word not installed with RoboHelp HTML?

My workplace just upgraded from RoboHelp Office 5x to RoboHelp 8. Come to find out, *all* that was installed was RoboHelp 8 HTML. The RoboHelp 8 for Word part of the application was not installed.
The department responsible for software installations says that they don't have the RoboHelp 8 Word program--that it didn't come with the RoboHelp download. They are insisting that it's not available, and will probably have to be purchased separately.
Has anyone else installed a volume license from a download?
If so, were the HTML and Word portions of the program both available?
Did both parts of the application install (HTML and Word)?
If one installer was used, was the the RoboHelp 8 for Word portion missing? (I.e., is this a bug?) Or did you get the whole thing?
If more than one installer was used, were the components downloaded in separate installation files? (Could someone have missed an installation file, in other words?)
FYI, please, I don't need all the advantages and reasons why I should use HTML Help or WebHelp instead. I work for a government agency, and need to just generate WinHelp to replace an existing Help file, not make everyone change a whole bunch of stuff to use WebHelp or a CHM file. I need WinHelp output from Word. And, one more thing: I do not have administrator access on my PC either.
Feedback, experiences, and suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance for your help!
Di

The licence you bought was for RoboHelp Office which includes both the RoboHelp for Word and RoboHelp HTML applications. Each of these three has it's own installation file so I suspect that they have installed just the RoboHelp HTML application. They should have the details for the RoboHelp for Word application, or better still the RoboHelp Office application which gives you the options of what to install according to your needs.
The RoboColum(n)
@robocolumn
Colum McAndrew

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

Can't open X5 projects in RoboHelp 7 for Word

After upgrading from X5 to 7, I tried to work on some
RoboHelp for Word projects sent by a colleague who created them in
X5. He and I are both working with Word 2003. The Explorer stops
responding when I try to open one of these projects or one of their
source docs.
I have uninstalled and reinstalled Robo 7 and installed both
patches & Robo seems OK. I can create and compile new, small
test projects.
But it will not work with the legacy projects. I noticed in
the Task Manager that when Explorer stops responding, it appears as
two Explorers in Task Manager. Is this expected behavior or a sign
of an installation problem? I did not troll through the registry
and delete every RoboHelp key before the most recent install. Do I
have to do that?
I tried deleting all the rtf files. No use. I tried importing
one of the old docs into a new project. Explorer promptly stopped
responding.
Anyone know how I can either massage the old docs so that
Robo will work with them or how I can fix the install?

Go to either
http://transferbigfiles.com
or
http://www.acrobat.com and use
your Adobe ID to access Share.
Upload the file and enter my email address. You can get that
from the Contact page on my site.
When it is uploaded, email me with a link to this thread.

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

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

Robohelp 8 for Word: Problem with the Hotspot Topic

Hello Everybody:
I'm a beginner user of Robohelp 8 for Word trial version. My project is a WinHelp 2000, imported from a version X3, and I have a problem with Robohelp when I save the value "Topic" of the property "Jump" of the tab what is called "General" at the window "Hotspot Properties". This Hotspot is part of a Shed Image (accesible from Help Image Properties > Shed ... > Image Workshop > Properties button). After edit the topic, I press the "Aceptar" (OK) button (note that I use a Windows XP SP3 Spanish Version and some buttons are located) and close the Hotspot Properties window, and I close Image Workshop window too.
If immediately after I open the Image Workshop window and the same hotspot property window edited before, Robohelp lose the new value "Topic" and only it puts one letter. When I make the compilation they are multiple errors like this: HC3025: Warning: ESTA0058_2.SHG : Jump to undefined Topic ID: "A".
Please, help me. Thank you very much.
P.D.: This image shows the problem:

The licence you bought was for RoboHelp Office which includes both the RoboHelp for Word and RoboHelp HTML applications. Each of these three has it's own installation file so I suspect that they have installed just the RoboHelp HTML application. They should have the details for the RoboHelp for Word application, or better still the RoboHelp Office application which gives you the options of what to install according to your needs.
The RoboColum(n)
@robocolumn
Colum McAndrew

Robohelp for html project conversion to Robohelp for word

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