In generated HTML output, are the files "Default.js", "Default.mcwebhelp", "Default_CSH.htm", "csh.js", and "HTML5.mclog" necessary if I only need users to open the help in a browser (Edge, Chrome, Firefox)?
I simply use "Default.htm" as the entry point.
I've removed the above files and the help system seems to work fine, but want to be sure that no functionality is lost before I deploy to our customer-accessible server.
All the files necessary in HTML5 output?
Re: All the files necessary in HTML5 output?
First, I'd ask why are you bothering to remove the files anyway?
It's not like they're particularly large, and uploading them does no harm.
I would say *.mclog is the only file that you can safely remove that definitely has no impact on your actual output. The log file is only used if you use the publish destination settings to only upload changed files or remove outdated files - so don't remove the log file if you plan to use those settings.
Removing any of the other files will have an impact on your output. I can't say exactly what will happen for each file since MadCap don't document exactly how those files are used. But for example, CSH will definitely not work.
It's not like they're particularly large, and uploading them does no harm.
I would say *.mclog is the only file that you can safely remove that definitely has no impact on your actual output. The log file is only used if you use the publish destination settings to only upload changed files or remove outdated files - so don't remove the log file if you plan to use those settings.
Removing any of the other files will have an impact on your output. I can't say exactly what will happen for each file since MadCap don't document exactly how those files are used. But for example, CSH will definitely not work.
Re: All the files necessary in HTML5 output?
We wanted to remove them in order to provide as clean a system as possible, and to get rid of any perceived clutter.
For the moment, our support teams and select customers will be able to access the system directly, hence the desire to provide a single htm file for access to the system. In the future, we will host the system on a server to which customers will have access with a redirect that does not expose the structure.
We're publishing an API guide the has lots of functionality, i.e., color-coded elements, dropdowns, internal links, etc., what you'd expect from an API guide.
The APIs were exported from Swagger as HTML2 files, then imported into Flare. I had to remove an offending character string, but after that all the colors, functions, links, etc., worked.
Someone on another board has said that the files I listed are used only for context-sensitive help.
Since our system is not context sensitive, I've removed all the files I've listed, and it appears that all the functionality is retained.
So fingers crossed! It's a rich system in which I can't possibly check each function, so my hope is that one of our customers doesn't find an important one at some point in the future.
For the moment, our support teams and select customers will be able to access the system directly, hence the desire to provide a single htm file for access to the system. In the future, we will host the system on a server to which customers will have access with a redirect that does not expose the structure.
We're publishing an API guide the has lots of functionality, i.e., color-coded elements, dropdowns, internal links, etc., what you'd expect from an API guide.
The APIs were exported from Swagger as HTML2 files, then imported into Flare. I had to remove an offending character string, but after that all the colors, functions, links, etc., worked.
Someone on another board has said that the files I listed are used only for context-sensitive help.
Since our system is not context sensitive, I've removed all the files I've listed, and it appears that all the functionality is retained.
So fingers crossed! It's a rich system in which I can't possibly check each function, so my hope is that one of our customers doesn't find an important one at some point in the future.