Headers in Page Layouts and Master Pages

[ChoccieMuffin]

I'm trying to single-source for webhelp and PDF outputs.

When I edit the header frame in my Page Layout, which I want to use for my PDF, the content of that page layout is copied over to the header frame in the Master Page, which I want to use for my WebHelp. Both outputs are using the same TOC.

I don't want them to be the same - for the PDF I want it to say [Title of book] [Heading 1] [Heading 2] and for my WebHelp I just want it to say [Product name] Help.

I also noticed that I couldn't get any breadcrumbs etc in my WebHelp - is that because it's actually using the page layouts?

Could someone please give some suggestions, as I'm sure I shouldn't have to manually edit headers in the Page Layouts and Master Pages to generate the two outputs.

What have I done wrong?

[LTinker68]

Online outputs use masterpages. Print outputs use the page layout. They're two different files so you can set them up differently. Masterpages can contain proxies (e.g., breacrumbProxy), static text, variables, images, etc. Page layouts can contain variables, static text, images, etc. You can do more, but that's a general intro.

[ChoccieMuffin]

Thanks Lisa, I got that and I have the different files. My problem is that when I edited the page layout associated with my PDF output, the master page that I thought I'd associated with my webhelp also changed.

I'm sure it's something I've done but I don't know what and I definitely have two different file types.

[LTinker68]

I don't see how changes you make in the page layout could affect the masterpage. The only thing that could be the same between them is if you change the content of a variable that's used in both files.

Make sure your WebHelp target is pointing to the masterpage file (in the Master Page field on the Advanced tab), not the page layout file.

And when you're looking at the changes, are you looking in the compiled output or just the Preview window? The Preview window by default uses the file specified in the target selected as the primary target. So if your default target is PDF output then the Preview window will default to a print view using the page layout file you specified in that target. Even if the XML Editor is set to Layout (web), the Preview window will show the print layout, in this case. So if your primary target is PDF output, you'd either have to build the online output to see how it really looks, or you'd have to make the online target the primary target and then you could use the Preview window to see how the online output would look without building it.

[ChoccieMuffin]

I don't see how changes you make in the page layout could affect the masterpage. The only thing that could be the same between them is if you change the content of a variable that's used in both files.

Make sure your WebHelp target is pointing to the masterpage file (in the Master Page field on the Advanced tab), not the page layout file.

And when you're looking at the changes, are you looking in the compiled output or just the Preview window? The Preview window by default uses the file specified in the target selected as the primary target. So if your default target is PDF output then the Preview window will default to a print view using the page layout file you specified in that target. Even if the XML Editor is set to Layout (web), the Preview window will show the print layout, in this case. So if your primary target is PDF output, you'd either have to build the online output to see how it really looks, or you'd have to make the online target the primary target and then you could use the Preview window to see how the online output would look without building it.

I've got my fingers crossed, I think you've cracked it. It was pointing to "default" rather than the specific Master Page file I'd created. There, I said it was a user error, I just couldn't figure out what error this particular user had made!