Greetings
I am new to Flare, but have worked with RoboHelp 7 for years. I am using Flare v8.1.2.
Flare seems to create two layers of structure which are redundant?
I am migrating a merged RoboHelp 7 WebHelp into Flare HTML5, and have got a squillion broken links across the projects. The project consists of a master project, which has a single static topic, and the TOC which links to 7 child projects. All of the child projects have cross-project links from within topics.
For example, my master project is 'payroll' which contains child projects such as 'home', 'payrun', 'utilities', and the like. I have a link on the 'calculator.htm' topic in the utilities project that points to the 'payrates.htm' topic in the payrun project. So, my calculator.htm topic has a link something like '../payrun/payrates.htm' .
But when i generate the output, Flare creates a structure something like 'payroll/output/html5/subsystems/output/html5/utilities/calculator.htm', which means that my relative path is out by two levels and all my links are broken.
1. why does flare create these extra redundant folders?
2. where can they be turned off in the master and child projects?
3. am I missing the point somewhere?
Brgds
Ron
HTML5 merged help: broken links
Re: HTML5 merged help: broken links
Unfortunately, that's the structure Flare will use for merged projects.
Generally speaking, it's best not to use project merging if you want a lot of links between the projects, as setting up hyperlinks is tricky and xrefs aren't possible. Project merging works best when you just want to combine a number of projects which are largely independent of each other.
Instead, it may be worth looking at using a project import (also known as global project linking). In your main project, you could use project imports to copy in files from each of your separate sub-projects. As the files are added to the main project, you can set up links or xrefs to the imported topics. If you change files in your sub-project, you just re-run the import file to keep the files synchronised.
See the help here:
http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare8/Default.htm#SingleSource_Publishing/About_Global_Project_Linking.htm
Generally speaking, it's best not to use project merging if you want a lot of links between the projects, as setting up hyperlinks is tricky and xrefs aren't possible. Project merging works best when you just want to combine a number of projects which are largely independent of each other.
Instead, it may be worth looking at using a project import (also known as global project linking). In your main project, you could use project imports to copy in files from each of your separate sub-projects. As the files are added to the main project, you can set up links or xrefs to the imported topics. If you change files in your sub-project, you just re-run the import file to keep the files synchronised.
See the help here:
http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare8/Default.htm#SingleSource_Publishing/About_Global_Project_Linking.htm
Re: HTML5 merged help: broken links
Thanks Dave
Not sure I'm getting the point here?
* I re-imported the RH7 master project - setting the skin, css and table css.
* I re-imported one of the RH7 child project, copied in the skin etc and set the project html5 properties.
* back in the master project i have used your suggestion. i can now see a single file in project explorer that lists the imported files - but now i have no way of adding them to the TOC.
Basically, the structure of my help is functionally-based according the the ribbon bars in our app, plus a few other headings (e.g. legal stuff, how to topics, appendices). the project i am working on is somewhere above 250 topics split over 7 projects. i am using this project as my first attempt at a 'complex' setup as it is not too big; however, I have two projects to migrate early next year that are both somewhere around the 1k topic mark. I need a solution that is manageable, and where I don't lose functionality.
In RH7 i was able to have the master with 6 children - the difficult bit was getting the links right, as you suggest, but the secret was to have the same structure for the source as in the output (e.g. a link goes up to the root of sub and then down two levels in another sub). The RH7 output is something like 'payroll/mergedprojects/utilities/calculator.htm'
The only issue I can see is these extra levels of structure in the output. I can't believe that I am unique in splitting my help over several subs? Am I going to have to merge all my child projects into one massive project?
Eeek. Better add a week (or month) or so to the project plan!
Not sure I'm getting the point here?
* I re-imported the RH7 master project - setting the skin, css and table css.
* I re-imported one of the RH7 child project, copied in the skin etc and set the project html5 properties.
* back in the master project i have used your suggestion. i can now see a single file in project explorer that lists the imported files - but now i have no way of adding them to the TOC.
Basically, the structure of my help is functionally-based according the the ribbon bars in our app, plus a few other headings (e.g. legal stuff, how to topics, appendices). the project i am working on is somewhere above 250 topics split over 7 projects. i am using this project as my first attempt at a 'complex' setup as it is not too big; however, I have two projects to migrate early next year that are both somewhere around the 1k topic mark. I need a solution that is manageable, and where I don't lose functionality.
In RH7 i was able to have the master with 6 children - the difficult bit was getting the links right, as you suggest, but the secret was to have the same structure for the source as in the output (e.g. a link goes up to the root of sub and then down two levels in another sub). The RH7 output is something like 'payroll/mergedprojects/utilities/calculator.htm'
The only issue I can see is these extra levels of structure in the output. I can't believe that I am unique in splitting my help over several subs? Am I going to have to merge all my child projects into one massive project?
Eeek. Better add a week (or month) or so to the project plan!
Re: HTML5 merged help: broken links
When you run the import, the files from your sub-project will be added to the master project. If you include TOC files (*.fltoc) in the list of files to import, then your sub-project TOC will be copied to the master project too, and you can place it in the master TOC wherever you want.RonM63 wrote:* back in the master project i have used your suggestion. i can now see a single file in project explorer that lists the imported files - but now i have no way of adding them to the TOC.
A project import doesn't change the folder structure (unlike project merging); the structure used in your sub-project will be exactly the same in the master project. So you basically just need to organise the files in your sub-projects exactly as you want them to be in the master project and ouput.RonM63 wrote:In RH7 i was able to have the master with 6 children - the difficult bit was getting the links right, as you suggest, but the secret was to have the same structure for the source as in the output (e.g. a link goes up to the root of sub and then down two levels in another sub). The RH7 output is something like 'payroll/mergedprojects/utilities/calculator.htm'
Re: HTML5 merged help: broken links
Cool. Thanks Dave. I'll try this out on Monday.
I have also figured out how to structure the links if I decide to keep the subs as merged projects ...basically the hyperlink is based on the naming and structure of the master toc, rather than the file structure (if master_toc is linked to merged One (child_1.flprj) and Two (child_2.flprj), the secret to link from child_2/topic.htm to child_1/target.htm is to use '../One/target.htm'.
This took me a while to get my head around, as it is very different to my experience, but - once understood - it is actually MUCH easier to do. You just have to keep your head in the output when you insert the link.
You can close this issue. Thanks for assist.
I have also figured out how to structure the links if I decide to keep the subs as merged projects ...basically the hyperlink is based on the naming and structure of the master toc, rather than the file structure (if master_toc is linked to merged One (child_1.flprj) and Two (child_2.flprj), the secret to link from child_2/topic.htm to child_1/target.htm is to use '../One/target.htm'.
This took me a while to get my head around, as it is very different to my experience, but - once understood - it is actually MUCH easier to do. You just have to keep your head in the output when you insert the link.
You can close this issue. Thanks for assist.