Duplicate TOC topics are not really duplicates

[ccardimon]

Analyzer is telling me I have duplicate TOC topics. Well, it might LOOK that way, but it's a method of organization.

I have the TOC divided into books and these books contain the topics. I tried doing things without the books, but the TOC becomes long and messy very quickly.

I organize the TOC this way for the Online output. Users see only a handful of neat books and are not confronted by a grocery list of topics.

Analyzer is seeing this as wasteful, I guess. How do I tell Analyzer that I'm simply trying to be "neat."

How does everyone else organize their TOCs? I'm wide open here.

I'm willing to learn from those who have gone before me.

[LTinker68]

I don't think there's a way to tell Analyzer that it's not a problem, but it doesn't stop you from doing anything, right, so you can leave them as is.

However, as a suggestion... I have the synchronize TOC option enabled in my project and I use breadcrumbs. If the user does a search or in some other manner tries to select the topic under BookB, the TOC may instead synchronize to the topic under BookA, because that's the first instance of the topic. I've never tested to see whether it pops to the topic in the first alphabetical book or the book that I first added the topic to.

In any case, what I do is put the content of the topic into a snippet. Then I create two different topics, one that will go in BookA and one that will go in BookB. The topic for BookA will have the title line (the <h1> line) and the snippet file is inserted into the topic to provide the content. The topic for BookB will have the title line (which may be different from the other topic) and the snippet file is inserted into the topic to provide the content. So if the user clicks on the topic under BookA then the TOC synchronizes correctly and the breadcrumbs match the location. Likewise, if the user clicks on the topic under BookB, then the TOC again synchronizes to the correct spot and the breadcrumbs show what they should.

Depending on your TOC structure, you might want to disable one of the topics from being searchable so that the user won't get two identical responses. For instance, in one of my projects, there are topics for the Purchasing Dept., the Manufacturing Dept., and for All Depts. If I set up a topic for each category and each one has the snippet file for content, then I'll disable the topics in the purchasing and manufacturing department books from being searchable, so that the user only finds the topic in the All departments book.

Hope that helps. Sorry for the long post. Darn thing got away from me.

[ccardimon]

Hope that helps. Sorry for the long post. Darn thing got away from me.

Yeah, but I learn a lot that way. Thank you.

[ccardimon]

I have the synchronize TOC option enabled in my project and I use breadcrumbs.

Where is the synchronize TOC option?

I take it breadcrumbs are not what you feed the cats. GRIN.

[Richard Ferrell]

In the skins, on the basic tab

[ccardimon]

Thanks. Boy, was I in the wrong place. Glad I asked.

[ccardimon]

I need to create a Master Page so that I can use Breadcrumbs, correct?

Then I have to associate that Master Page with a Target. That's what I'm gettting, anyway.

[Richard Ferrell]

Yes your Masterpage will need to have the BreadCrumbs proxy on it

[ccardimon]

Yes your Masterpage will need to have the BreadCrumbs proxy on it

Someone will probably laugh, and that's okay. How badly does creating a Master Page hurt?

I know that with MS Word, Master Pages are bad.

Apparently with Flare, Master Pages are good. That's what we're saying here, am I right?

[Richard Ferrell]

Masterpages are Good, Realy easy to create, Click on Project and Add Masterpage, then add any proxies you need.

[RamonS]

And the default master page already comes with all these proxies in place.

[ccardimon]

And the default master page already comes with all these proxies in place.

As I discovered. A pleasant surprise.

[ccardimon]

I have the synchronize TOC option enabled in my project and I use breadcrumbs.

Can someone tell me why I should use breadcrumbs? I have not been able to find a good answer.

[RamonS]

It makes for an easier orientation for the customer and allows for speedier navigation, especially when the ToC panel is not shown. It also is a nice way to send a note to someone pointing to a topic. Copy and paste the breadcrumb line and you have the exact path on how to get to the topic.

[ccardimon]

It makes for an easier orientation for the customer and allows for speedier navigation, especially when the ToC panel is not shown. It also is a nice way to send a note to someone pointing to a topic. Copy and paste the breadcrumb line and you have the exact path on how to get to the topic.

Sounds good to me.

Is there a help topic on breadcrumbs that I have missed?

"What They Are," "How You Enable/Apply Them," "How Clients Use Them" -- anything like that?

Breadcrumbs seem like they would be really useful, but I am unable to find much on them.

[LTinker68]

If you go here in the Flare help -- Features > Master Pages > About Master Pages -- then you'll get a short paragraph describing breadcrumbs and a screenshot of what a compiled topic looks like with breadcrumbs shown.

[ccardimon]

If you go here in the Flare help -- Features > Master Pages > About Master Pages -- then you'll get a short paragraph describing breadcrumbs and a screenshot of what a compiled topic looks like with breadcrumbs shown.

Cool. Thank you.

[ccardimon]

Yippee! I got the breadcrumbs working, inspite of my ignorance. I love when that happens. Thanks, guys.

[RamonS]

Now, here are some warnings about the breadcrumbs:
- always tie a topic to any book in a ToC
- do not add the same topic multiple times to a ToC (use that ol' snippet trick)
- make sure that you adjust the breadcrumb level depth to the depth of your ToC, otherwise portions of the breadcrumb path are omitted

[ccardimon]

- do not add the same topic multiple times to a ToC (use that ol' snippet trick)

I think I will have to learn the "snippet" trick before I can use it. Any suggestions? What they are, how to use and enable them, and so forth?

[LTinker68]

I think I will have to learn the "snippet" trick before I can use it. Any suggestions? What they are, how to use and enable them, and so forth?

Here are the steps:

1. Go to Project > Add Snippet.
2. In the Add New Snippet screen, give the snippet a name and click Add.
3. The snippet file looks like a normal topic in the XML Editor, but it doesn't have a heading line (which you don't want for this) and it has a different file extension. Enter content into this snippet file like you would a normal topic and save the file.
4. Create a new topic file, name it whatever you want, and enter a title (first heading).
5. Remove the "Delete this text..." text.
6. With the cursor on the now blank paragraph, go to Insert > Snippet. Select the snippet that you created in step 3 and click Ok.
7. The content from that snippet will appear in the topic as a solid (uneditable) block, kind of like you inserted a picture of text.
8. Save the topic.
9. Copy that topic and give the new topic a different file name and title (if desired), or repeat steps 4-8 to create the second topic.
10. Add each of those two topics (but NOT the snippet file) to the TOC in the appropriate books.
11. Compile the help and test it. When you click on the two different topics, you'll see the same content, but the breadcrumbs will change to match the path to the book containing the topic you clicked on.

NOTE: By default, both topics will be returned in search results. I recommend either you modify the titles of the two topics slightly so that the user doesn't think it's returning the same topic twice, or open the Properties screen for one of the topics and set it to not be searchable.

[ccardimon]

Thanks, Lisa. I'm working on it.

[ccardimon]

Now, here are some warnings about the breadcrumbs:
- always tie a topic to any book in a ToC
- do not add the same topic multiple times to a ToC (use that ol' snippet trick)
- make sure that you adjust the breadcrumb level depth to the depth of your ToC, otherwise portions of the breadcrumb path are omitted

I am working on snippets, but I'm not sure I really need them.

1. My topics are tied to books. Each topic is tied to a book.
2. My TOC depth is just one level, so I shouldn't have to adjust my breadcrumb depth, should I?
3. How would a topic be added multiple times to a TOC? (I may have forgotten something we discussed previously.)

[LTinker68]

2. My TOC depth is just one level, so I shouldn't have to adjust my breadcrumb depth, should I?

I think the default is 3 levels, so if you only go down one level, then you should be fine.

3. How would a topic be added multiple times to a TOC? (I may have forgotten something we discussed previously.)

Depends on your work methods, but I drag my topics from the Content Explorer to the TOC Editor to add them to the TOC. The alternative method is to create a TOC entry in the TOC Editor and link it to a topic.

[ccardimon]

3. How would a topic be added multiple times to a TOC? (I may have forgotten something we discussed previously.)

Depends on your work methods, but I drag my topics from the Content Explorer to the TOC Editor to add them to the TOC. The alternative method is to create a TOC entry in the TOC Editor and link it to a topic.

You're saying both methods result in topics being added to TOCs more than once, correct? And Analyzer doesn't like this.