HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

This forum is for all Flare issues related to the HTML5, WebHelp, WebHelp Plus, and Adobe Air Targets
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kevinmcl
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HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

Post by kevinmcl »

In the Properties window for ToC entries, the Advanced tab includes "HTML Help Icon:", which has a canned dropdown list of little icons that can be used to decorate/preceed each ToC entry INDIVIDUALLY. Apparently that appears only in the Flare ToC editor and in HTML Help output.

In WebHelp or HTML5 output, the cute little icons are overridden by the generic topic or book icons from the skin. All books are the same. All topics are marked with the same topic/page icon.

To me, it would be useful to be able to set a specific, eye-catching icon for one type of ToC entry (say, the little lower-case "i"-on-a-page
info-page-icon.png
for info/intro topics) and a different icon for another type of ToC entry (say, the little wrench
action-page-icon.png
for action/procedure topics)... and have those appear in the published project's ToC.

Is there a way to make that happen when my output is currently HTML5-only? I have no use for Microsoft HTML Help.

- kevin
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kwag_myers
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Re: HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

Post by kwag_myers »

I think what you're asking is really two separate things. You can change the TOC icons in the Skin Editor:

1. On the Project ribbon, click Primary Target.
2. On the General page, click the Skin Edit button.
3. On the Styles page, select TocEntry.
4. In the Properties window, expand TocIcons. I have Topic.bmp, Book.bmp, and BookOpen.bmp in the corporate color (which I PhotoShop'ed). I've also used the plus and minus icons in some projects (with no icon for TopicIcon).

As for dynamic icons based on content, I don't know of any editor that offers this feature. Personally, I try to distinguish action topics in the title, e.g., Change This, Edit That, Add Something. Same with concept topics, e.g., About Page A.
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kevinmcl
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Re: HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

Post by kevinmcl »

That gives TocEntry a single new icon for ToC Entries.
Been there.
Done that.
All my ToC books are preceded by plus and minus icons in the color scheme of my skin.
All my topics are preceded by that ubiquitous page-of-text icon... in an appropriate color, of course.

I was just wondering if a particular feature that says it is for Microsoft HTML Help had an easy/obvious equivalent for WebHelp / HTML5 Help, where the result would reflect differently on different ToC entries, not identically across all (from the skin).

Apparently not.

Not a big deal. I understand that it's a completely different implementation.

And since I didn't get any hits in the first five pages of forum search results, I'm guess it's never been a concern for anybody else, either. :-)

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whunter
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Location: Portland, OR

Re: HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

Post by whunter »

FWIW, I believe I have seen discussions in here before about creating different TOC entry classes (in the skin) and using different icons for each, but it's not something I do so I can't provide any info. You might get better search results for the forums using Google.
wclass
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Re: HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

Post by wclass »

kevinmcl wrote: <snip> ... result would reflect differently on different ToC entries, not identically across all (from the skin).
If I understand correctly, there is one more step - once you have set up the TocIcon classes you then have to apply them to the entry in your TOC.
Does this old thread help?
http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... f=9&t=9241

This is from an old version of Flare - I've not checked this at all in HTML 5 output.
Margaret Hassall - Melbourne
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Re: HTML Help feature to WebHelp?

Post by NorthEast »

wclass wrote:This is from an old version of Flare - I've not checked this at all in HTML 5 output.
Yep, this works for HTML5 help too.

Just add a new TocEntry class in the skin, set its icon; then appy that class to the item(s) in your TOC.

It's also mentioned in Flare's help:
http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... _Entry.htm


Note that will work for applying icons to individual TOC items; if you want to set the default icons used by all TOC items, you (confusingly) have to do that somewhere else in the skin, in: Navigation Panel > TOC.
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