RoboHelp Server and RoboEngine

Hi,
Has anyone used RoboHelp Server or RoboEngine to collect user
data from an OLH system? Are they the same tool?
thanks

Hi writer501
RoboEngine is what RoboHelp Server used to be known as. So
yes, they are both the same tool.
Cheers... Rick

Similar Messages

RoboHelp 6, XAML and RoboHelp Server 6

Has anybody used RoboHelp 6 or RoboHelp 6 Server to generate
.NET3 compatible XAML Help Files? Also, If I want to try a demo
copy, do I install RoboHelp 6, and then RoboHelp 6 Server? or does
RoboHelp6 Server have everything RoboHelp 6 has? Thanks!

Hi all
Hopefully Colum won't mind a teensy addition here. RoboHelp 6
all by its itty bitty self is quite capable of producing WebHelp
output that can also exist on a server. The key difference here is
the reporting ability and the ability to automatically index
content such as Word and PDF files.
Often folks misunderstand this. They desire to create output
that is placed on a server (like WebHelp or FlashHelp) and that's
as far as they want or need. But they end up purchasing RoboHelp
Server and it's wasted money. So unless you specifically desire the
features RoboHelp Server offers, you don't need it.
Cheers... Rick

Do I need Robohelp Server or Source Control? and RH installation

So, I'm still comparing authoring products and trying to filter down requirements.
I've been reading more about RH and have come across RH Server and source Control and wondering exactly if they are needed.
I'm the single author in the company, most likely publishing web help, or html help outputs for use online via our web application.
Is there any need to implement Server or source control, as far as I can see Server gives me reporting abilities and statistic reports, neither of which I really need. Is there anything else about RH Server that would be beneficial?
Also, source control, this is more needed when there are multiple writers accessing the same content at the same time so that problems dont crop up? Correct?
Also, how difficult, or time consuming is the installation process of RH on a single machine. Is it a simple program installation, or will I need to install server-side databases or anything else that could require the IT team to get involved?
Thanks for your help.
Nick

Hi Nick.
You have got it pretty much spot on. RoboHelp Server is mainly only required if you want the additional reporting functionality. There are some other minor differences between RoboHelp and RoboHelp Server but that is the main one. RoboSource Control is a application to get source files safe and backed up and is designed for a multi-author environment. It adds a layer of complexity for a single author environment although you can still use it if you wish. Personally I'd just ensure you have your source on a local drive (a key requirement of RoboHelp) and backup to a network drive.
The installation of RoboHelp is painless. It is just like any other application with a wizard to guide you. It has various options that you can choose, one of which is whether to install the RoboSourceControl client.
Click here for further reading on the difference between RoboHelp Server and RoboSourceControl.
Read the RoboColum(n).

Robohelp Server Reports - No Data with Webhelp Pro Output

We recently installed Robohelp Server and while the admin client recognizes our published project, the searched term reports return 'no data found'. Is there additional configuration that needs to take place?
Thanks!

Hi, snorshd and welcome to the forums.
Be sure you read this Blog post announcing a new "Update" patch to RoboHelp Server 9.
https://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2014/03/robohelp-server-update-9-0-1-is-here.html
This article also links to the update documentation found here:
http://helpx.adobe.com/robohelp/kb/robohelp-server-update-901.html
Also, make sure your admin follows all the steps in the install/config online help topics:starting here;
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/RoboHelp/9.0/RoboEngine/WS5b3ccc516d4fbf351e63e3d11c0aaa9fd7-8 000.html
See if that helps.
Thanks
John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor
Evergreen, Colorado
www.showmethedemo.com

Running RoboHelp 10 and RoboHelp 11 on the same system

Background
Windows 7, 64-bit operating system.
Upgraded RoboHelp 10 to RoboHelp 11 this week. Upgraded my RH10 WebHelp Proj project (released with our 2.0 application) to start editing for release with 3.0 application next June .
The upgrade did not uninstall RoboHelp 10.
I work from within Visual Studio 2010 Professional. (I know that this is not a Source Control thread, but my issues are intertwined here.)
I create WebHelp Pro (even though we are not yet publishing to RH Server, although we're working on it!).
I check the output into Release folders in Souce Control, and the build picks up the files for installation with our application.
Questions
If I need to update the 2.0 application Help, does anyone know whether I can still use RH10 to update that project? (I've posed the question to an Adobe consultant, but have not yet heard back.)
If I can't use RH10 to update the 2.0 application Help (and have to open the 2.0 project in RH11 and, therefore, upgrade it), are there new things in RH11 that could affect the WebHelp Pro output and, therefore, affect the use of the WebHelp Pro HTM files by the application? (Our release engineer believes that, for version control purposes, I must make changes to the 2.0 project in the same RH Client used to develop it.)
Thanks for any help.
Carol Levine
AIR Worldwide

Hi,Carol
First, (and to reiterate what Rick said) if you are not publishing to RoboHelp Server right now. Do NOT use WebHelp Pro. The Pro flavor is strictly for hosting on a RoboHelp Server installation.
The good news is that when and if you do decide to use RoboHelp Server, you simply take the Rh project (whether from Rh 10 or 11) and publish it with the WebHelp Pro SSL. It sounds like there is a some confusion between RoboHelp Server and Source Control. It is a common option to use RoboHelp Server and Source Control. But they are mutually exclusive. (While both may be used, they have nothing to do with one another.)
If you think about it, RoboHelp Server is output (by definition not "source")
So, you can continue using Rh 10 and 11 clients on the same computer, but as you note, you cannot open an Rh 10 project in Rh 11 because it is a one-way forward conversion (as Peter said).
As for publishing, be aware that when you move to RoboHelp Server, the publishing workflow is different. The web admin can't simply copy/paste WebHelp Pro output (from source control as you describe) to the Rh Server (or, as you said, "pick up files"). The project must be published from the RoboHelp 10/11 client directly to the Rh Server. This is because Rh Server is a database application and in order for the database to be "aware" of the new content, it must come from the RoboHelp client app (10 or 11). Also, in terms of Application Help and context sensitivity, there is a CSH API and a syntax that is used to call the Rh Server help topics from the application. This is covered in the online help. See the sub head "Access context-sensitive Help" in the Adobe RoboHelp Server 9 * RoboHelp Server Web Administrator tasks as well as Adobe RoboHelp 11 * Program Help for web pages
Thanks
John
John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor
Evergreen, Colorado
www.showmethedemo.com

RH7 - connection error when try to access RoboHelp Server 8 from Pod menu

I'm using RoboHelp 7 with WebHelp Pro layout to publish my project(s) to RoboHelp Server 8. I've got RHServer 8 set up and can view the Admin window when I access the server.
However, locally when I open my project in RH7, I get a "Connection to Server Failed" message below when I select View > Pods > RoboHelp Server and then click "Connect Now" on the RoboHelp Server tab.
Connection to Server Failed - The server you entered in the Properties dialog for the primary layout cannot be contacted. Please verify the spelling or contact your system administrator to verify the server is running.
This makes no sense because I'm able to view the project published to the server via File > View Primary Layout from Server.
I'm also able to publish my updated project files to the server without a problem.
FYI - I'm still testing RoboHelp 8 and when I select the RoboHelp Server option indicated above, I am able to view the Admin window prompts in RH8 on the RoboHelp Server tab.
So why can I see the Admin function in RH8 but not in RH7?

Hi,
Glad that somebody else too got this problem. Well, as I had mentioned in my previous posting too, I think there are some procedures in the package, dbms_lob, like the writeappend, createtemporary etc.. which is not found in my dbms_lob.sql file, I am using 8.0.5, but I found these procedures in the 8i, I think it is becos of that.
By the way if anybody got this solution and got any workaround, please help me too.
I am still waiting for the solution to that.
Shanthi

RoboHelp Server 8 - compatible with "source control system" ?

Greetings,
Using RoboHelp Server 8, is it possible to add in a "source control system," such as Subversion or Bazaar, to track updates and versions? Is there another "source control system" alternative?
Also, is there a hosted RoboHelp Server 8 option, where Adobe provides, sets up and maintains the server hosting the RH?

Hi again
Well, sort of. Note that basic WebHelp and FlashHelp are capable of being merged. This allows a search to occur across the merged set. As I said earlier, merging can be automatically enabled or disabled in the RoboHelp Server. So theoretically, you could turn off merging at the server. Then you could publish ten projects. Perhaps you want two of those projects to be isolated islands where search only occurs in them individually. But for the other eight, you want a search to be performed across the eight projects. You could create a standard merge in this case and publish to the RoboHelp Server and have a search work across the eight merged files. You could also open each of the eight individually and search only that file set.
At least that's my understanding of how it works. Perhaps fellow Adobe Community Professional and fellow Adobe Certified Instructor John Daigle will pop in and offer some clarification if I've muddied the waters.
Cheers... Rick
Helpful and Handy Links
RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form
Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95!
Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training
SorcerStone Blog
RoboHelp eBooks

Upgrading from RoboEngine 3.1 to RoboHelp Server 9

Old-time user, new ID. My company recently upgraded from RoboHelp 4 to RoboHelp 9. (Yes, we're slow about some things.) I was recently asked to upgrade our WebHelp Pro output, which had been posted to an old RoboEngine 3.1 server. Of course, the new RoboHelp 9 output does not play well with RE 3.1, and I got a "RoboHelp Engine server is not available" message when I attempted to upgrade the output. After doing a little research, I discovered that this lack of backward compatibility began with RoboHelp 7.
Fortunately, I made backups of my old WebHelp Pro output, and our users can still access the Help files. But I've been tasked with researching the upgrade path from our old version to the new one. So here's what I'd like to know:
Is buying RoboHelp Server 9 sufficient?
Is the process of publishing the Help files to the server reasonably similar?
The server that hosts RE 3.1 is a Windows 2000 machine. Will I be able to run RH Server 9 on it?
Will I need to provide new URLs for the Help links inside our Internet-based software after the upgrade, or will the old links, which use the format http://machine.org/roboapi.asp?project=ProjectName, still work?
Thanks in advance for your help. Nice to see that Rick, Colum, and Peter are still firing the big guns around here. I feel strangely reassured, as if everything will work out just fine
Chet

Welcome back Chet. I nearly typed the obligatory "Welcome to the RH forums" greeting when I saw your single post but that doesn't seem right here
The issue here is that the underlying RoboHelp and RoboHelp Server code was completely rewritten in Java. Personally I'm surprised you managed to get RH9 output running on RE 3.1 at all. It just goes to show what a error tolerant application it is.
You'd be far better off upgrading both the client and the server applications. I think you'll be surprised at just how easy RHServer is to install and use these days. No more fiddling with permissions. As for publishing, you still have a WebHelp Pro SSL in RH9. It does have some additional options and the UI of the RH Server application will have changed also. There is a lot of new functionality. You may find that the URL for the help is different though. There is an excellent guide that is worth reading called the RoboHelp Server Reviewers Guide. You can find it here and it will answer a lot of your questions.
One thing you may want to consider is migrating the data from RE3.1 to RHServer 9. The new app has a migration tool that can migrate from an earlier release. However I am not sure if it could cope with data from RE3.1. You could try, and it is doesn't get the data into the new database with SQL.
Colum

RoboHelp Server 6 and MySQL

Is it possible to use an ODBC compliant database with
RoboHelp Server 6, such as MySQL? This will impact our decision to
upgrade or move to a new solution.
Thanks,
Sean

Hello Brian,
Adobe RoboHelp Server 6 should connect to ODBC sources just
fine. The minimum system requirements include Oracle 9i, Oracle
10g, or SQL Server 9.0. These minimum system requirements simply
mean that we have tested and fully support integrating Adobe
RoboHelp Server 6 in these environments.
In theory, all ODBC sources should respond the same way to
ODBC requests, so any ODBC compliant datasource should (again, in
theory) work. Adobe Technical Support will not be able to support
environments outside of the minimum system requirements.
If you would like to see MySQL added to the minimum system
requirements in the future, please submit a feature request via
this web page:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform.
Thank you,
Bobby Walker
Adobe Technical Support

RH 8 and RoboHelp Server 8

Hello Everyone,
I need some guidance on how to publish WebHelp Pro to RoboHelp Server 8. We received an error message: "Warning: Failed to Publish to "RoboHelp Server". reason: Cannot connect to server: XXXXXX".
We're able to access the RoboHelp Server Web Administrator so we're not sure what we need to do correctly to publish our WebHelp Pro to RoboHelp Server 8. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I notice that you do not appear to have any area specified in the New Destination dialog. If you click the Refresh button to the right of the Help Area dropdown and then select the area you wish to publish to. Let us know how you get on.
The RoboColum(n)
@robocolumn
Colum McAndrew

Comments and Moderators settings in RoboHelp Server is for AIR files? Or can it used for Pro outputs as well?

Please explain how comments are enabled for Pro outputs in RH server. Is it only for AIR file, but i understand AIR output is not supported. Then how Moderators setting work for PRo outputs?

Hi, PraTha
If I can amplify what Peter has mentioned above. Actually it is just a wordy way of saying what Peter posted in one sentence! Hopefully it will help a bit.
The relationship of AIR output and how it relates to Rh Server is admittedly confusing. In fact both are mutually exclusive.
The AIR Help output does indeed support commenting as well as the moderation of those comments by designated people.
However RoboHelp Server *does not* support commenting at this time. This feature has been requested and perhaps we will see it in a future release.
Unlike a help system delivered by HTTP from a web server (like RoboHelp Server's WebHelp Pro), the AIR Help output (.air file) is an application which is installed on the end-user's local computer. For security reasons this works well for distributing and updating a help system. Optionally, it also supports commenting but because the comments must be "stored" somewhere outside the local computer, there are serveral options. One is to store them on an internal server (such as a network drive behind a firewall).
So where might RoboHelp Server come into the picture at all? Here's the answer. Some organizations deploy both output flavors (AIR and RoboHelp Server) for different systems and different audiences. IF the RoboHelp authors *coincidentally* happen to have RoboHelp Server in their organization, then this server can be used to authenticate (usernames/passwords) for the moderation and storage of comments that AIR Help requires.
The bottom line is that presently RoboHelp Server does not support commenting for its own output, though it can as a convenient "host" for the comments and moderation of a separate AIR Help system.
John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor
Evergreen, Colorado
www.showmethedemo.com

Differences between Robohelp and Robohelp Server

I am in the process of evaluatinf Robohelp. I have found out
there are 2 versions: Robohelp and Rohohelp Server. can someone
list the differences in these products or direct me to a
link/document where I can find this information?
Thanks in Advance
Rodman Veney

Hi, Rodman
You may find this article in the Adobe Developer Center
helpful as well. It refers to RoboHelp Server 6, but virtually all
information remains relevant for v7. As Rick says, "Pro" is simply
the same as WebHelp or FlashHelp, but the content is published to
the RoboHelp Server so that you can get the benefit of user
feedback reports and the other features described here:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/robohelp/articles/rhserver.html
Thanx
John

Search external files on RoboHelp Server

With the RoboHelp Server (previously called the RoboEngine)
installed on a server, you can add external files to your WebHelp
or FlashHelp project and have the Search tab also search the
contents of those files (PDF, DOC, XLS, PPT, and HTML). All you
have to do is create an HTTP or FTP link to the external files and
the RoboHelp Server will scan them and add them to the search
index.

Hi, rune1io
From what I understand, the (PPT, DOC, XLS, TXT, and PDF)
files would have to be included in the project, either in baggage
files or placed in the root of your project folder on the server.
Here is a snip from the online help regarding this:
<snip>
Enhanced indexing support for Search
In RoboHelp Server 8, for all the WebHelp Pro and FlashHelp
Pro projects, you can search for any topics and baggage files (PPT,
DOC, XLS, TXT, and PDF) included in a project. You can also add a
reference to these files in a topic, and the baggage files are
displayed in the search results.
For server-side indexing, you can copy the required baggage
files to the project folder. The RoboHelp server reads these files
and re-creates the index at the time of scheduled scanning. Also,
if you do not include these baggage files in the project, the
server still indexes them, provided they exist in the project
folder.
</snip>
So it seems that a link to an external file via HTTP or FTP
would not be indexed. I will try to seek further clarification on
this, but that's the way I read it.
Thanx,
john

RoboHelp Server 6

Hi,
Can everyone tell me what is the difference between RoboHelp
Pro X5 and RoboHelp Server 6 ? Is RoboHelp Server 6 just a new
version? Does RoboHelp Server 6 include RoboHelp 6 functionalities
plus Server aspects?
Thanks in advance for your Help,
Br,
Bernie

If I could chime in here and add to what Craig and Colum
said. I am writing an article for the Adobe Developer Network
describing RoboHelp Server 6 and assorted changes. There are many
improvements which I will outline. There is also a major change for
those who are upgrading from the old RoboEngine to the new that
they should be aware of.
The RoboHelp Server 6 installation is much easier because
"permission scripts" have been created for the web adminstrator.
Also an author no longer has to pester the web administrator to
make certain configuration changes. The author can make
administrative changes from within RoboHelp 6 client app or a web
browser interface, which is really cool.
Also, it no longer costs extra to substitute the more robust
SQL Server or Oracle as the Database instead of a less capable
Access database. In other words the ODBC Data Connector comes built
in instead of an add on.
Another item that formerly cost extra but is now included for
free is an API for .NET users who want to tie in their .NET web
applications to the WebHelp Pro system as a web service.
The user can also search the text contents of any Acrobat PDF
or MS Office document (Word, Excel, etc.) and those documents will
actually come up in the results along with the html topics.
NOTE: There is a major change however and something upgraders
need to plan for. "Natural language" based search capabilities have
been replaced by keyword based search. Because of Google, Yahoo,
etc., over the last few years, keyword search has become more
popular and customers are more comfortable typing a few keywords
rather than typing a complete question.
This means users should no longer type in a natural language
phrase, but more traditional keywords to get a better search result
similar to other popular search engines. The results will depend on
the match between the keywords entered and the published content.
RoboHelp Server is a great way for authors to answer the
age-old question, "Am I being helpful" because of the feedback
reports. It is an innovative feature and I'm not aware of anything
quite like it in any other tool.
Thanx,
john
John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp Instructor

Documentation for RoboHelp Server 8

The site is behind a version. Is it the same as 7? I know there is one accompanying the exe installation, but I do not have access to a server yet. I am trying to write a business case and to show a proof of concept in a sandbox environment.
Thank you.
JC

Hi. jCoria.
I just looked at the main product page you are referring to. There is a separate heading titled, "Did you know?" This section is meant to introduce other products including Adobe's Technical Communication Suite of which RoboHelp Server 8 is not a part. I agree that the inclusion of Adobe AIR on that page is confusing, though I would not say misleading, if you follow the links provided. From that same page it is mentioned that RH Server 8 supports both WebHelp Pro and FlashHelp Pro as output. It does not support the browser-based AIR Help at this time as I understand it.
I am not an Adobe employee but I can say that as an instructor/consultant I have taught three RoboHelp classes in the past four weeks for major firms where we also installed Adobe RoboHelp Server 8. Two of those clients had previously used the old RoboEngine (the old eHelp/Macromedia version of the server.) The installations went smoothly and the IT people were very happy to see that the new RH Server 8 does not require the IIS server and .NET Framework as in the past (though it is supported if that is desired). I don't use Madcap's Feedback Server, but my understanding is that it does require IIS.
The new Java-based RoboHelp Server 8 uses the free and open-source Apache Tomcat Server with Apache's powerful Lucene Search engine. I found it to be very easy to install and configure. This is the first iteration of the Java-based application and at first I found the documentation to be limited. This is because there are many network architectures and platform technologies that are used around the world. The initial documentation did not cover all combinations. However, there have been many improvements since the initial release. I also found Adobe engineers were most helpful in answering my questions where I hit a gap in the documentation. For example, there has been valuable information on this forum offered by Adobe engineer Tulika Garg along with our peers on this forum including the excellent blog offered by Colum McAndrew.
Another major benefit of this new version is enormous flexibility in restricting access to content. So the author can set up what are called "Areas" which can either be unprotected as normal or set up as protected which requires authentication. It's like having separate websites on the same server without having to buy licenses for each.
Regarding your comment about coming from a Flare environment, I would mention that I have a Flare-to-RoboHelp project converter which you may find useful. It is free and available on my website.
Thanks
John
John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor
Evergreen, Colorado
http://www.showmethedemo.com

RoboHelp Server and RoboEngine

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