Macromedia RoboHelp HTML - 8.0 Instruction Manual

Using

ADOBE® ROBOHELP HTML 8

Last updated 3/1/2010

If this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement, this guide, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. Except as permitted by any such license, no part of this guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Please note that the content in this guide is protected under copyright law even if it is not distributed with software that includes an end user license agreement.

The content of this guide is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide.

Please remember that existing artwork or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected under copyright law. The unauthorized incorporation of such material into your new work could be a violation of the rights of the copyright owner. Please be sure to obtain any permission required from the copyright owner.

Any references to company names in sample templates are for demonstration purposes only and are not intended to refer to any actual organization.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe AIR, Adobe Captivate, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, ExtendScript Toolkit, FlashHelp, FrameMaker, Reader, RoboHelp are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, and ActiveX are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Java and Sun Microsystems are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the Unites States and/or other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States and other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. Arial is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Portions of this product utilize technology created by Gilles Vollant.

This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit. (http://www.openssl.org/).

This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com).

This product includes software developed by The Independent JPEG Group.

This product contains either BESAFE and/or TIPEM software by RSA Data Security, Inc.

Portions utilize RSA Data Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm.

Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA.

Notice to U.S. Government End Users. The Software and Documentation are “Commercial Items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of “Commercial Computer Software” and “Commercial Computer Software Documentation,” as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704, USA. For U.S. Government End Users, Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including, if appropriate, the provisions of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (38 USC 4212), and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the regulations at 41 CFR Parts 60-1 through 60-60, 60-250, and 60-741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference.

Last updated 3/1/2010

Chapter 1: Getting started

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Activation and registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Help and support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Services, downloads, and extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Introduction to RoboHelp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What’s new in RoboHelp 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 2: Exploring the workspace

Workspace overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Working with pods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Menus and toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Create or remove keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

iii

Chapter 3: Projects

Project basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Create and open projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Manage projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Manage files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Manage folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Authoring content in multiple languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Import PDF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Importing and linking Word and FrameMaker documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Importing and linking Microsoft Word documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Import FrameMaker documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Import a DITA map file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Import XML files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Import Microsoft HTML Help projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Import WinHelp projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Chapter 4: Working with topics

Create, save, and open topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Author in XHTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Import and copy topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

View topics and design elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Master pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Manage topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Manage resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Check spelling and find and replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Last updated 3/1/2010

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Contents

W3C compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter 5: Editing and formatting

RoboHelp editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Character formatting and fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Format paragraphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Borders, backgrounds, color, and sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Headers and footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Text boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

User-defined variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Single-source with snippets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Chapter 6: Styles and style sheets

Style types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Manage style sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Create styles for style sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Table styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

List styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Apply styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Edit styles in CSS files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Delete styles from style sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Use color and images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Inline styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Chapter 7: TOCs, indexes, glossaries

TOCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

TOCs and indexes in Microsoft HTML Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Glossaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Glossary hotspots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Chapter 8: Linking and navigation

Navigation basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Create text links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Link to a pop-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Bookmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Link images and multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Link View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Link maintenance and repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Link controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Text-only pop-ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

RoboHelp Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Browse sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

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Contents

Chapter 9: Multimedia and special effects

Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Adobe Captivate demos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Dynamic HTML and special effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Marquees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

HTML comments in topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Iframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Chapter 10: Conditional text

Conditional text basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Conditional build tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Conditional build tag expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Chapter 11: Context-sensitive Help

About context-sensitive Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Author and developer roles in creating context-sensitive Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Map files and map IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Information for developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

What’s This? Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Maintaining text-only topics (Microsoft HTML Help projects) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Working with text-only topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Testing context-sensitive Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Context-sensitive Help terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Chapter 12: Generating Help and printed documents

Single sourcing basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Work with layout types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Generate, view, and publish output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Distribute the project output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Printed documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Skins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Chapter 13: Advanced program features

ActiveX controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Applets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

HTML Help controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Information types (for HTML Help) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

About ExtendScript Toolkit support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Twisties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

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Contents

Chapter 14: Integrating with Adobe Technical Communication Suite

Importing FrameMaker documents into RoboHelp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Send PDF files for review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Start an online meeting using ConnectNow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Chapter 15: Default keyboard shortcuts

Index ...............................................................................................................368

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Chapter 1: Getting started

Resources

Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to read an overview of activation and the many resources available to you. You have access to instructional videos, plug-ins, templates, user communities, seminars, tutorials, RSS feeds, and much more.

Activation and registration

To review complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® RoboHelp® 8 software, see the ReadMe file on the installation disc.

Install the software

1 Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.

2 Insert the installation disc into your hard drive, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Note: For more information, see the ReadMe file on the installation disc.

Help with installation

For Help with installation issues, see the Installation Support Center at www.adobe.com/support/robohelp.

License activation

During the installation process, your Adobe software contacts an Adobe server to complete the license activation process. No personal data is transmitted. For more information on product activation, visit the Adobe website at

www.adobe.com/go/activation.

A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the product on a desktop computer at work and on a laptop computer at home. If you want to install the software on a third computer, first deactivate it on one of the other two computers. Choose Help

> Deactivate.

Register

Note: Register only once for RoboHelp 8.

❖ To register, follow the onscreen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install the

software.

If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

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Getting started

ReadMe

A ReadMe file for your software is available online and on the installation disc. Open the file to read important information about topics such as the following:

• System requirements

• Installation (including removing the software)

• Activation and registration

• Troubleshooting

• Customer support

Help and support

Community Help

Community Help is an integrated environment on Adobe.com that gives you access to community-generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments from users help guide you to an answer. Search Community Help to find the best content on the web about Adobe products and technologies, including these resources:

• Videos, tutorials, tips and techniques, blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.

• Complete online Help, which is updated regularly and is more complete than the Help delivered with your product.

If you are connected to the Internet when you access Help, you automatically see the latest online Help rather than the set delivered with your product.

• All other content on Adobe.com, including knowledgebase articles, downloads and updates, Adobe Developer

Connection, and more.

Use the Help search field in your product user interface to access Community Help. You can search for content within the Adobe.com site and also in websites that have useful information about your product. Moderators continue to identify the most relevant web content for your product. You can add comments to online Help and view comments added by other users. For a video of Community Help, see

www.adobe.com/go/learn_community_help_en.

Adobe Help Viewer 2

Adobe Help Viewer 2 is an Adobe® AIR® application that seamlessly merges the online and offline experience. When online, you get the most recently updated product Help on the web. You can also access an Adobe PDF version of Help. When offline, you access Help installed with the product on your system. Adobe Help Viewer 2 has a user-friendly interface that supports advanced navigation features. For example, you can get overviews of topics through mini TOCs and bookmark local and online content.

The search feature supports both online and offline modes. Adobe Help Viewer 2 searches content in Community Help when you are online and the Help installed with the product when you are offline. Online search suggestions offer relevant results from product Help, Adobe.com, and other websites. Offline search uses indexes to return preferred topics for key terms.

You can use the commenting feature to post your comments to Adobe.com or add notes for your own reference. Your feedback on Help content is welcome.

Note: For a video of Adobe Help Viewer, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_air_viewer2_en.

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Getting started

Opening Adobe Help Viewer

Typically, you access the Adobe Help Viewer from a product by pressing the F1 key, or by accessing the Help menu on the product interface. In addition, you can access the Adobe Help Viewer, just like any other application, from the Windows start menu.

Adobe Help Viewer interface

Adobe Help Viewer includes a top navigation bar, a two-pane Help display, and a comments pane.

Adobe Help Viewer A. Back navigation B. Forward navigation C. Favorites D. Comments E. Search F. Product list G. Browse sequence H. Online toggle button

Navigation bar includes the following controls:

Browsing History buttons View next and previously displayed help topics.

Favorites Manage favorites.

Search A search bar where you can enter any term and find its occurrences in the installed Help (offline mode), latest

web Help and Community Help (online mode). Use Community Help search to find answers to your questions from across Adobe.com and identified resources for your product.

Comments Add and view comments on any topic viewed through the viewer. If you have an Adobe ID for accessing

Adobe website such as Acrobat.com, then you can post your comments to the Adobe Community Help server. Moderators can then respond to comments and use them to keep improving the product.

Product list Select the Help system for your product from the list of installed products that support Adobe Help

Viewer.

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Getting started

Note: If there is only one product installed in your system, then the viewer turns off the Product list options.

When you select the Help system for a product from the Product Name field, or launch Help from a product, the following information appears:

• A link to the online PDF file containing the Help system.

• TOC with the home page of the Help system, if you select the Help system from the viewer. If you launch the Help

from the product which has context-sensitive Help, the context-sensitive Help page appears. You can view the next and previous topics by clicking the arrow keys

on the upper-right part of the Help pane.

Browsing Help topics

You can navigate to Help topics in the following ways:

• Select a topic from the table of contents

• Select the mini-TOC, See also references, or cross-references in the right pane

• Click the link on a search result

• Use navigation buttons in the right pane to sequentially navigate topics

• Use the links in the Favorites pane or RSS feeds

• Use browse buttons to display last viewed and next topics

• Open a context-sensitive Help topic from your product

Based on the view mode, topics you view are fed from the online Help location or the installed product Help.

Toggle online/offline mode

1 Move the pointer over the Online/Offline toggle button at the right bottom corner of the Adobe Help Viewer.

2 Click Go Online or Go Offline.

Switch between online and offline modes

If you change the setting, the previously set preference is used when launching the viewer. While online, if the viewer loses connectivity, the viewer displays an error, and shifts to offline mode. When you toggle the online/offline mode, the viewer opens the previously viewed Help page. If this page is not available or if the previously viewed page did not belong to the Help system, the home page of the Help system opens.

The content browser history is reset when you toggle the online/offline setting. The viewer displays comments for that pane based on the selected mode. Favorites and RSS feeds are common to both online and offline mode. Pre-populated favorites and RSS feeds change across products.

Managing favorites

You can bookmark any Help page in the Help system or on the Internet as a favorite. Bookmarks help you build an information repository within the viewer without having to access a browser.

Bookmarks are listed in the Links section of the Favorites pane. You can also subscribe to any RSS feed and view it. When you select any RSS feed, the viewer updates the specified RSS feed in the right pane.

Note: Adobe Help Viewer supports RSS.92, .93, 1.0 and 2.0 versions.

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Getting started

You can add links and RSS feeds of your choice and view them in both online and offline mode. Some links are prepopulated. For example, you can quickly access links to the product page, or troubleshooting RSS feeds from the Favorites pane.

View the Favorites pane

❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the Favorites icon and select View Favorites from the pop-up menu.

• Click the arrow icon (available at center left of Help pane) to display the Favorites pane.

Add a link as favorite

1 Click Add Link at the bottom of the Favorites pane.

Note: The link to current open web page or topic in Help content is pre-populated in the Add New Link dialog box.

2 Enter the link name and the URL in the Add New Link dialog box, and click OK.

Add an RSS feed

1 Click the RSS Feeds tab in Favorites pane.

2 Click Add RSS Feed at the bottom of the Favorites pane.

3 Enter the RSS feed name and the URL address in the Add New RSS Feed dialog box, and click OK.

The new RSS feed is added in the selected folder. Unread feeds appear in bold face.

You can also add links or RSS feeds using the Add or View Favorites button.

Manage links and RSS feeds

From the Favorites pane, you can do the following:

• Delete, rename, or edit a link or RSS feed using the context menu.

• Create a folder to store links or RSS feeds. You can also drag-and-drop favorites across folders.

• Delete individual link items or RSS feeds in a folder or move them to other folders before you delete a folder.

Search Help content

Adobe Help Viewer provides powerful search options. In online mode, which is the default mode, you can search across the community Help content for your product (select the Include Community Help option). Alternatively, you can search only in the selected Help system (select This Help System Only option).

Community search results include following information:

• The latest version of the complete product Help (including comments moderated by experts.)

• Community content hand-picked by Adobe and industry experts, including videos, tutorials, tips and techniques,

blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.

• Other content on Adobe.com, including TechNotes, downloads and updates, Adobe Developer Connection

tutorials, and more.

• A custom search on Community Help content. Adobe experts work to ensure that the top search results include a

mixture of content, including product Help.

• A product portal page called the Help and Support page to access all the components of Community Help for a

specific product.

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Getting started

Adobe Help Viewer supports search suggestions indexed by the author, Community Help moderator, and search engines. As you enter search text, you get search suggestions.

Keyword suggestions in the Search box

In the offline mode, you can search within local Help only.

Managing comments

You can use the commenting feature to add notes to any topic viewed through the viewer. You can view these comments for later reference. Alternatively, you can post the comments to the Adobe Help Community server if you are connected to the Internet.

You need an Adobe ID to post comments in the Adobe Help Community server. However, you can add comments in your local Help system in the offline mode without signing in.

View the Comments pane

❖ Do one of the following:

• Click the Comments icon.

• Click the dotted line icon at bottom center of the Help pane.

Add private comments in local Help topics

1 Click Add Comments in the Comments pane and enter your comments.

2 Select the Keep Private check box, and click Save.

Note: In the offline mode, the Keep Private check box is selected by default.

Post comments to the Adobe Community Help Server

1 Open any Help topic from the online Help system or content from a website URL for commenting.

2 Click the Sign In URL to sign in with your Adobe ID.

3 (Optional) Click the Create A Free Adobe ID link to create an account.

4 (Optional) Enter the details in Create An Adobe ID dialog box, and click Sign In.

5 Click Add Comments in the Comments pane and enter your comments.

6 Clear the Keep Private check box, and click Save.

Other resources

Online Help also includes a link to the complete, updated PDF version of Help.

Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support/robohelp to learn about free and paid technical support options.

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Download the documentation of older versions of RoboHelp from

http://www.adobe.com/support/robohelp/documentation.html.

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Getting started

Services, downloads, and extras

You can enhance your product by integrating various services, plug-ins, and extensions in your product. You can also download samples and other assets to help you get your work done.

Adobe Exchange

Visit the Adobe Exchange at www.adobe.com/go/exchange to download samples as well as plug-ins and extensions from Adobe and third-party developers. The plug-ins and extensions can help you automate tasks, customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.

Adobe downloads

Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, trials, and other useful software.

Adobe Labs

Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/labs gives you the opportunity to experience and evaluate new and emerging technologies and products from Adobe. At Adobe Labs, you have access to resources such as these:

• Prerelease software and technologies

• Code samples and best practices to accelerate your learning

• Early versions of product and technical documentation

• Forums, wiki-based content, and other collaborative resources to help you interact with like-minded users

Adobe Labs fosters a collaborative software development process. In this environment, customers quickly become productive with new products and technologies. Adobe Labs is also a forum for early feedback. The Adobe development teams use this feedback to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.

Adobe TV

Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com to view instructional and inspirational videos.

Introduction to RoboHelp

Adobe RoboHelp 8 software is designed for developing Help systems, eLearning content, policies and procedures, and knowledgebases. Its enhanced editing and layout capabilities enable you to create professional looking content. You can publish this content to multiple channels, including Adobe AIR for an integrated online and offline user experience.

Worldwide, Adobe RoboHelp 8 is a leader of online Help authoring tools through innovation. New features create a more productive experience for technical communicators and their audiences.

Last updated 3/1/2010

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Getting started

What’s new in RoboHelp 8

Authoring enhancements

XHTML support RoboHelp creates topic files in Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) and project-

specific files in XML. Structured authoring in XHTML ensures well-written code, closed tags, no overlapping of tags, properly quoted attributes with explicit values, and no proprietary attributes. RoboHelp upgrades all the old RoboHelp HTML topics to XHTML when it upgrades or imports them.

You can import an XHTML or HTML topic from the File menu and open the topic to edit in HTML view directly. For detailed Help, see

Enhanced editing support in Design Editor The enhanced Design Editor in RoboHelp 8 lets you use advanced list and

table styles, drag and drop text in tables, and merge and split table cells. It provides clean code with no proprietary tags. All the RoboHelp specific code is in the form of XML standard processing instructions (PIs). For more information on lists and styles, see

World Wide Web 3 Compliance (W3C) RoboHelp 8 provides an option to validate topics and projects for W3C

compliance. It displays error messages or warnings that appear for any noncompliance with W3C. See

compliance” on page 120.

List and table enhancements RoboHelp 8 supports advanced lists and autonumbering. You can apply styles to change

the appearance of lists. See

“Author in XHTML” on page 104.

“W3C

“List styles” on page 147.

Enhanced table support allows you to insert columns and rows in a table, and cut, copy, and paste columns, rows, and cells. You can merge and split cells and insert a table within a table. See

Enhanced language support RoboHelp 8 provides multiple-language support at the paragraph, topic, and project

level. The language defined at a paragraph level takes precedence over the language defined at a topic or project level. The language that takes precedence at a level is called the effective language. The effective language is used in spellchecking, the dictionary and thesaurus, generation of the smart index, and preparation of the full-text search, not only at a project level but also at a topic and paragraph level. See

Insert HTML comments, iframe You can insert an HTML comment at any location in a topic. These HTML comments

are added in a particular format and viewed in a pop-up window. See

You can insert an iframe in an HTML topic to include another HTML page or PDF file in it. You can also access URL links to view a web page in an iframe. See

“Iframes” on page 205.

“Support for multiple languages” on page 45.

“Create and manage table styles” on page 146.

“HTML comments in topics” on page 204.

Import enhancement features

Project-based common import settings Create a standard set of conversion settings for importing Adobe®

FrameMaker® or Microsoft® Word content into RoboHelp projects and use these settings across multiple projects. These settings include FrameMaker or Word templates, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for RoboHelp projects, style mapping between FrameMaker formats or Word styles and RoboHelp styles, and all other settings specified in the Conversion Settings dialog box.

Direct import of HTML or XHTML files You can import HTML or XHTML files directly from File > Import >

HTML/XHTML File.

Enhanced FrameMaker document import In RoboHelp 8, you can import and link FrameMaker 8 and 9 books.

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Getting started

RoboHelp 8 maintains content integrity for imported FrameMaker content. RoboHelp retains lists, tables, images, SWF content, conditional text, variables, tables of contents (TOCs), indexes, glossaries, and user-defined markers as processing instructions (PIs). Enhancements in importing FrameMaker files allow for the following:

• Enhanced Add or Import settings from a common user interface

• New workflow

• FrameMaker template support

• Import styles for style mapping (table styles, list styles, and image settings)

• Enhanced import of vector graphics

• Import of alt text for anchored frames

• List conversion option for each style

• Import and export of settings

• Pagination on FrameMaker styles

• Custom HTML tag for each style

• Ignoring empty topics (after pagination)

• Project upgrade

Enhanced Word document import and linking RoboHelp enables you to include Microsoft Word document formats

(*.doc, *.docx, *.docm, *.rtf) as source files in RoboHelp 8. You can add Microsoft Word documents to a RoboHelp project, update them when the Word documents change, and generate different single-source outputs. The source documents as well as generated topics, CSS, images, multimedia, the TOC, the index, and the glossary are visible in RoboHelp. You can manage, preview, sync, and control Word documents from RoboHelp. You can link Microsoft Word documents in RoboHelp by copy or reference. See

“Importing and linking Microsoft Word documents” on

page 54.

DITA content import RoboHelp 8 allows for the import of a DITA map file or a DITA topic into an existing RoboHelp

project. You can also import a DITA map file to create a RoboHelp project and publish the desired output. See

“Import

a DITA map file” on page 84

Single-sourcing features

New CSS editor The style-editing interface is new, letting you change the most common properties quickly. The new

Style editor enables you to define new styles such as lists and table styles. You can define multilevel lists and autonumbering in the Style editor. Using the Style editor, you can change images in twisties, and in drop-down and expanding hotspots. See

Styles and Formatting pod The Styles and Formatting pod enables you to apply styles and lets you access the Style

editor to create a style or edit a style. See

Master pages support Master pages separate content from the layout. Master pages also act as a template for a

particular HTML topic. In RoboHelp 8, you can define the placement of headers, footers, and HTML text. You can add placeholders for breadcrumbs and mini TOCs in master pages. See

Resource Manager pod The Resource Manager stores all the common resources to use across projects and allows for

quick access and management of common resource files. See

Formatted user-defined variables A formatted user-defined variable is a single-sourcing inline element containing

styling information. Using the new Design Editor especially designed for editing variable styles, you can apply formatting on the text and insert images, multimedia, and FLA files. See

“Manage style sheets” on page 143.

“Create a style using the Styles And Formatting pod” on page 145.

“Master pages” on page 107.

“Resource Manager pod” on page 15.

“Format a user-defined variable” on page 139.

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Apply master pages or CSS in SSL Single-source layouts let you override master pages or the CSS when output is

generated. For different output results, you can apply different master pages or a different CSS to all the topics in a project. See

“Applying a master page or CSS at the time of generation” on page 110.

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Getting started

Publishing features

Adobe AIR The Adobe AIR output type allows you to generate Help in Adobe AIR format. The cross-platform Adobe

AIR Help format provides several enhancements, such as these:

• Easy navigation through breadcrumbs

• New templates and skins

• A rich branding experience, and the ability to insert corporate logos and an About box in Help

• Rich commenting and auto-updates

• Browser-based Help, with both offline and online content

• Ability to add and access RSS feeds

• Enhanced search

See “Adobe AIR layout” on page 269.

Search enhancements New RoboHelp search supports the following features:

• Ranking of search results

• Keyword search

• Synonym search

• Excluded topic search

• Multiple-language search

• Substring search

• Phrase search

• Customizable search results list

• Topic context in search list

• Baggage file search

See “RoboHelp Search” on page 191.

Enhanced printed documentation options Apply either a Microsoft Word template or a style sheet to the content

when you generate output.

Breadcrumbs and mini TOCs Use placeholders for breadcrumbs and mini TOCs in master pages and topics. Generate

or preview Help to automatically insert the breadcrumbs and mini TOCs. See

Glossary enhancements In RoboHelp 8, a topic always has the updated definition for a marked term. The Glossary

Hotspot wizard inserts markers for the terms defined in the glossary. It does not insert definitions. Instead, RoboHelp adds definitions when you generate previews or output. Thus a topic always has the updated definition for a marked term. See

“Glossary hotspots” on page 174.

“Insert a placeholder” on page 109.

Merged project enhancements Merged project enhancements introduce the concept of a child project referring to a

master TOC. Child projects automatically synchronize with the merged TOC, and you can see the merged TOC in the child projects.

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DHTML effects support in Safari and Firefox Some RoboHelp layouts support DHTML effects in Safari and Firefox

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Getting started

browsers. The supported DHTML effects include Spiral In, Spiral Out, Zoom In, Zoom Out, Show, Fly In, Fly Out, and Elastic.

Twisties Use twisties in the CSS editor to enhance glossary terms, drop-down text, and expanding text. You can

change images in twisties for open and close. RoboHelp displays glossary terms, drop-down text, and expanding text with images to expand or collapse them. See

“Twisties” on page 339.

Productivity features

Scripting support In RoboHelp 8, you can create your own scripts to automate repetitive tasks and key workflows.

The Script Explorer pod enables you to execute and manage scripts, and you can execute your scripts using the command-line parameters.

RoboHelp provides a set of sample scripts that you can use right away or customize for your needs. You can access these sample scripts, such as Word Count, UDV Converter, EclipseHelp.jsx, SaveAsProjectTemplate.jsx, or Link Converter, or create your own scripts using the Script Explorer pod. See page 338.

Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit 4.0, included with RoboHelp 8, enables you to author and debug scripts.

Integration with Adobe Captivate 4, RoboSource Control 3.1, and RoboScreenCapture® Create and edit Adobe

Captivate® 4 demos and simulations from within the RoboHelp HTML application.

“About ExtendScript Toolkit support” on

While installing RoboHelp HTML 8, you have the option to install RoboSource Control™ 3.1 to control the versions of projects.

You can open and edit images using RoboScreenCapture from within the RoboHelp HTML application.

Custom To Do list RoboHelp 8 helps you manage a To Do list, facilitating addition and deletion of To Do items from

the project. By default, RoboHelp 8 supports 11 To Do list items. See

“Using the To Do list” on page 39.

Usability features

Project Manager enhancements In the Project Manager pod, you can customize the ordering of topics in folders to

define a chapter layout for the project. The Auto-Create TOC feature uses the ordering to create a logical TOC. You can sort the order of folders and topics alphabetically.

Option to install RoboHelp for Word The RoboHelp 8 installer gives you the option of installing RoboHelp for Word.

By default, the option is not selected.

File type mapping In RoboHelp 8, you can associate various file types with applications installed on your system. See

“Map file types” on page 40.

Re-create the project cache The new Re-create Project Cache option re-creates the project CPD file before opening

the project. This option ensures that you don't have to delete the CPD file manually.

Windows Explorer support Locate files and folders on your system using Microsoft® Windows® Explorer. In the

Project Manager and Project Set-up pods, right-click and select the Explore option to locate files or folders.

Desktop icons during installation You can opt to create desktop icons during installation.

Support for Adobe® Flash® content In RoboHelp 8, you can insert FLV files and play them in Flash® Player, which is

provided with RoboHelp 8.

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Additional browser support In RoboHelp 8, you can open web-based Help in different browsers such as Firefox,

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Getting started

Safari, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. This support is improved for Firefox and Safari browsers.

Change default TOC, index, and glossary In RoboHelp 8, you have an option to set any TOC, index, or glossary as the

default.

Topic tab support You can close a topic from the topic tab by choosing File > Close, or by pressing Ctrl+F4.

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Chapter 2: Exploring the workspace

Workspace overview

The RoboHelp workspace includes pods, panes, and customizable toolbars and menus. Expanding menus track commands you frequently use and display them on a shortened version of each menu. You can also customize keyboard shortcuts and add new toolbars.

Multiple Document Interface (MDI) support lets you edit multiple topics concurrently. You can paste objects and selections across multiple topics. You can select horizontal or vertical tiling of topics.

RoboHelp workspace A. Design Editor B. C. D. Clubbed pods

Working with pods

Pods are workflow panes that you can float or dock anywhere in the application window. They provide quick access to logically grouped features from one location. For example, you can select and generate various layouts from the Single Source Layouts pod.

RoboHelp provides access to your most frequently used pods and projects, with flexible options. You can move a pod anywhere on the screen or to a different monitor. Use the auto-hide feature of pods to show or hide them on the desktop.

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Exploring the workspace

View a pod

❖ Select View > Pods > [pod name].

Types of pods

Starter pod

The Starter pod provides links to common commands and product information.

Open A Recent Project Open recently used projects (up to ten recent projects are listed) and other projects.

Create New Select the Help type you want to generate.

Import Import a Help project, such as an HTML Help project, Word document, and all other available types.

Resources Access forums, developer centers, knowledgebase articles, and other online content.

News Announcements Access information about Adobe products.

View Online Help Access the complete online Help.

Quick Tour Of RoboHelp Link to the RoboHelp product page on the Adobe website.

Project Manager pod

The Project manager pod contains various folders where you create and delete project files, or edit their properties.

More Help topics

“Project Manager folders” on page 42

Project Set-up pod

The Project Set-up pod contains the following folders:

Windows folder Containers for output. Custom windows for projects are stored in this folder. Modify window

properties by double-clicking a window icon.

Master Pages folder Use master pages to reuse information and create a standard appearance across topics.

Skins folder Use skins with WebHelp or FlashHelp projects to change the appearance of the Help system. You can

match the appearance of a company website or add interest and style to the output. Use skins to customize colors, buttons, text, fonts, icons, backgrounds, multimedia (FlashHelp projects), images for TOC icons and navigation buttons, and more.

Context-Sensitive Help folder Container for the Map Files folder and the What’s This Help Files folder.

• Use the Map Files folder to access map files and perform most window-level context-sensitive Help tasks.

• Use the What's This Help Files folder for field-level context-sensitive Help in HTML Help projects.

More Help topics

“About context-sensitive Help” on page 212

“Map files and map IDs” on page 213

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Exploring the workspace

Snippet pod

Add custom HTML code snippets to a project for insertion later into desired topics. When you modify a code snippet shared by different topics, the changes are reflected in all the associated topics.

Snippets are stored in a Snippet library as separate files with the .hts extension and always appear in a sorted order in the Snippet pod. You can drag snippets to desired locations in a topic. You can also select snippets and then copy, duplicate, or delete them. Select the Preview option from the context menu to preview a snippet.

More Help topics

“Single-source with snippets” on page 141

Styles And Formatting pod

Use the Styles And Formatting pod to apply styles quickly. Select a style in the pod and apply it to the selected text in the topic. You can create and edit a style directly from the pod. Right-click the name of a style to rename, delete, or preview that style.

Note: Select Format > Styles to view the Styles And Formatting pod. You must open a topic to view the Styles And Formatting pod.

More Help topics

“Create a style using the Styles And Formatting pod” on page 145

User Defined Variables pod

From the User Defined Variables pod, you can accomplish these tasks:

• Create, edit, or delete variables.

• Create, edit, or delete variable sets.

• Provide and modify run time values uniquely for different variable sets while generating the output.

• Format variable values.

More Help topics

“User-defined variables” on page 138

Error List pod

The Error List pod shows buttons for errors, warnings, and messages which are displayed when you try to validate a topic or a master page. You can click these buttons to display the relevant information in the Error list. The caption of buttons shows the number of errors, warnings, and messages. You can click all of these buttons to display the relevant information.

Resource Manager pod

The Resource Manager stores all the common resources to use across projects and allows for quick access and management of common resource files.

Root folder Stores all folders or files in the root folder.

Category The Category folder is in the root folder. The contents of the Category folder, including the subfolders,

appear in the Resource Manager pod. If the Category folder is not present in the root folder, the Resource Manager pod is empty.

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File Type Lists the extensions associated with a category. (Each category has its own file type.) From the file type, you

decide which category the file belongs to.

You can preview the following files in the Resource Manager pod:

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Exploring the workspace

• Snippets

• Images

• HTML

• XML

• TXT

• Multimedia

RoboHelp Server pod

The RoboHelp Server pod enables you to connect to RoboHelp Server. You can configure the setup for the server by selecting WebHelp Pro or FlashHelp Pro as the primary layout. You can enter the

name/server and connect to it to publish your projects.

Servername:port/context-

Environments

A RoboHelp environment refers to the arrangement of various workspace components, such as pods, in the main application window.

Create and save an environment

You can create multiple environments for a project. Only one environment is loaded at a time.

1 Arrange pods.

2 Select File > Environment > Save Environment.

3 Type a filename, including the .rhs extension.

4 Specify a location for the environment. The default location is C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\My

Documents\My RoboHelp Projects.

Note: You can exchange an RHS file with other authors.

Load an environment

1 Select File > Environment > Load Environment.

2 Browse to an RHS file and select it.

3 Click Open.

Note: The last environment you used before closing RoboHelp is used the next time you open RoboHelp.

Restore the default environment

❖ Select File > Environment > Load Default Environment.

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Exploring the workspace

Menus and toolbars

Customize menus

1 Right-click a toolbar and choose Customize.

2 Click the Commands tab.

3 Choose New Menu from the Categories list.

4 In the Commands section, click New Menu and drag it to the location where you want it to appear on the menu bar.

5 Right-click the New Menu item on the menu bar and click inside the Name field.

6 Type the desired menu name and press Enter.

7 Choose different categories and drag the desired commands to the menu.

8 Click Close.

9 Restart RoboHelp HTML to preserve changes.

Customize toolbars

1 Select View > Toolbars > Customize.

Note: You can also right-click a toolbar and choose Customize.

2 Do any of the following:

• To create a toolbar, click the Toolbar tab. Click New, type a name, and click OK.

• To add an item to a toolbar, click the Commands tab. Select a category, and drag a command to the toolbar.

• To edit a newly added toolbar item, right-click its icon in the toolbar and select options, such as Delete and

Name. The Begin Group option inserts a separator bar to the left of the item.

You can use an ampersand (&) in the name to add keyboard shortcuts. For example, for the Format menu, an ampersand precedes the letter "o" in “Format”. To access the Format menu using the keyboard shortcut, press

Alt + O.

• To edit menus and toolbar items, click the Options tab. Set the following options as needed:

Always show full menus Select this option to show all the available menus.

Show full menus after a short delay Select this option to show few menus on starting the application and few

after a short delay.

Reset menu and toolbar usage data Click this button to delete the records of all the new or modified commands

you have used and restore the default settings.

Large icons Select this option to show large icons for the menus.

Show Screen Tips on toolbars Select this option to show Screen Tips on the toolbars.

Show Shortcut Keys In Screen Tips Select this option to show keyboard shortcuts in Screen Tips.

Menu animations Select an animation type from the pop-up menu.

More Help topics

“Create keyboard shortcuts” on page 18

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Exploring the workspace

Enable and disable smart menus

Smart menus display only the most frequently used commands. To access the hidden commands, click the down arrow at the end of the command menu.

1 Right-click a toolbar.

2 Select Customize.

3 Click the Options tab.

4 Select or deselect Always Show Full Menus under Personalized Menus And Toolbars.

Create or remove keyboard shortcuts

Create keyboard shortcuts

1 Select View > Toolbars > Customize.

2 Click the Keyboard tab.

3 Select a command category.

4 Select a command to assign to a keyboard shortcut.

5 Type the keyboard shortcut in the Press New Shortcut Key box.

6 Click Assign.

Remove or reset keyboard shortcuts

1 Select View > Toolbars > Customize.

2 Click the Keyboard tab.

3 Do one of the following:

• To remove a keyboard shortcut, select the category and command for the shortcut to remove. Select the shortcut

in Key Assignments, and click Remove.

• To restore all shortcuts to their defaults, click Reset All.

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Chapter 3: Projects

Project basics

Basic workflow

1. Create a project.

Every Help system has at least one project. The basic element of the project is the topic.

2. Author the content.

Create topics. You can add multimedia now, or later when you customize the output. Work with the application developer to start planning which topics to also use for context-sensitive Help. Context-sensitive topics appear when the user clicks a Help button in the user interface or presses F1.

3. Import files.

You can import HTML files, Microsoft Word files (.doc, .docx, .docm, .rtf), FrameMaker books and documents (.book, .bk, .fm, .frm, .mif), XML files (.xml), and Adobe PDF files (.pdf).

4. Develop the navigation.

Based on the hierarchy, or organization scheme, of the content, create links among topics and to external content if necessary. You can also link text or images to other content. Create a table of contents that reflects the content hierarchy, and include an index that users can browse. You can also create browse sequences, paths a user can follow through Help topics. For example, if a user must read several related topics to understand a feature completely, you can link them in a browse sequence.

5. Customize the output.

You can apply layouts (which determine behavior and appearance) and formatting. You can also use conditional text to show or hide content, depending on user interest, application being used, skill level, and other factors. Add multimedia to make your Help more compelling and richer.

6. Create, test, and distribute the Help package.

Create the output so you can view the Help and check links, formatting, and so on. Test every output you intend to distribute, including printed documentation.

About projects

Projects contain the source files that become the final Help system. Help authors work with the project files, and Help users view the output. For CHM output, the project contains the content you create and the properties you set up, such as what the output window looks like. The developer determines the window for webhelp and flashhelp output formats, or leaves them to run in your browser window. Create folders in the Project Manager to organize topics and structure the Help system.

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Projects

Projects are collections of files. The project file (XPJ file) contains information about the content and properties of the project. Whenever you change the project, this file (and any other affected file) is updated automatically. Project files consist of the following:

Content Project files contain topics with content and information about the location of topics, images, index, TOC,

and other files.

Properties Projects contain setting information, such as project title, language, and windows. When you first create a

project, the basic (default) settings are used. Modify these settings according to your design needs.

Navigation Projects include a table of contents, index, and full-text search.

You can view the elements that make up a project in several places, including the Project Manager, Single-Source Layouts pod, and Project Settings dialog box. You can also generate various reports (Tools > Reports) that identify project status, duplicate topics, files distributed with Help, and so on.

Help project components

Help systems are made up of different components that vary according to the Help format you deliver.

Projects RoboHelp HTML creates a main project file (with the extension .xpj) that contains the information about

your topics, images, and other files. (Open this file to open a project.) Project files also contain the settings that affect the appearance and functionality of a Help system.

Topics The basic unit of a Help system is the topic. Topics communicate the message of the Help system, mainly

through text and images. You decide the content, format, and organization of your topics.

Table of contents If a table of contents is included, users see a Contents tab or button when they open the Help system.

The table of contents presents a hierarchical outline of what the Help project contains. Users can browse and select topics to view from the Contents tab.

Indexes If an index is included, users see an Index tab or button when they open the Help system. The index displays

a multilevel list of topics and keywords or phrases that you’ve specified.

Full-text search Full-text search allows users to find specific words and phrases that occur in the content.

Links and navigation Users navigate a Help system by clicking links. You design the strategy that connects your topics

together. The most common links are from one topic to another. Links can also go to topics in different Help systems, different output formats, and even to a website or an application.

Styles You format topics using styles. Styles are named formats that you design and apply to control the layout and

appearance of text.

Image and multimedia files Images and multimedia files enhance Help by adding graphics, sound, video, animation,

and more.

Windows Windows are the frames that display topics. In certain output formats, you can customize the appearance

and attributes of windows. You can also design new windows to suit your content. You can open multiple windows and from the Windows dialog box, select a window and click Activate to bring it to focus. Click Save to save the displayed window in focus. Using the Windows feature, you can rename the project title to display in the output.

Compilers The Help compiler isn’t part of the final Help file, but you sometimes need a compiler to create the Help

file. For example, in Microsoft HTML Help projects, the compiler aggregates the source files and other project components. The compiler then creates one Help system file that you distribute to end users. (WebHelp and FlashHelp projects are not compiled.)

Viewers and browsers Users access the Help system from within a viewer or browser.

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Projects

Files in a project

Main project file (XPJ)

The project file (.xpj) is XML-based. You can open project files with the .mpj extension, the format for older versions of RoboHelp, but they convert to XPJ files.

Folder files (FPJ)

Each project folder has an FPJ file that lists the folder contents. RoboHelp displays only those subfolders and topics that are listed in the FPJ file of a folder.

All the subfolders have their respective FPJ files. The name of an FPJ file except the FPJ file for the project folder is same as that of the folder.

The name of the FPJ file for the project folder is root.fpj. The root.fpj file is modified if you add, delete, or rename a topic or subfolder inside the respective folder. The root.fpj file is also modified if the order of topics or subfolders is changed in Project Manager.

Single-source layout files (SSL)

A single-source layout file (SSL) is used for each single-source layout. An SSL file stores the properties of the respective single-source layout and is modified when you edit the properties. An SSL file does not get modified on generating, viewing, or publishing a single-source layout.

Auxiliary project files (APJ)

The following components have corresponding APJ files, which get modified when you edit the components:

• Baggage files

• Colors

• Conditional build tags

• Font sets

• Information types

• Map files

• Pop-up note topics

• See Also keywords

• Skins (when adding or removing skins only)

• Single-source layouts (when adding or removing single-source layouts only)

• Topic keywords

• Topic templates (when adding or removing single-source layouts only)

• Windows

Other types of files

When you modify the following components, the respective file gets modified:

• Browse sequences (BRS)

• Topics (HTM)

• TOC (HHC)

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USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Projects

• Index (HHK)

• Glossary (GLO)

• Image and multimedia files (filename extension varies)

• Style sheets (CSS)

About output types

RoboHelp can generate the following output types. These types have common basic characteristics but different features and viewing and platform requirements.

WebHelp Adobe WebHelp format works with virtually any combination of browser and platform for web-based or

desktop applications, online Help, and online books. WebHelp also provides customizable navigation panes and quick downloads.

WebHelp Pro WebHelp Pro is used for web-based applications, with features available only in server-based Help.

WebHelp Pro provides feedback on the use of your Help system. Authors can work on separate projects and publish anytime, and projects are merged on the server at run time. RoboHelp Server is required to generate WebHelp Pro.

FlashHelp Adobe FlashHelp® uses Adobe Flash® to provide an interactive navigation pane, customizable navigation

controls, Flash animation, streaming video, audio, and graphics. Users need Flash Player.

FlashHelp Pro FlashHelp Pro is used for web-based applications, with features available only in server-based Help.

Authors can work on separate projects and publish anytime, and projects are merged on the server at run time. RoboHelp Server is required to generate FlashHelp Pro.

Microsoft HTML Help Microsoft HTML Help is used as application and stand-alone Help for Windows 98 and later,

using Internet Explorer 4.x or later, and provides unique features.

Note: Due to Microsoft security changes, Microsoft HTML Help is now used where the Help has to be run on the users PC; it cannot be installed on a server without registry changes. WebHelp and FlashHelp are used where the Help is to be run from a server. WebHelp and FlashHelp can be run locally, but it is not recommended.

XML XML output exports to Extensible Markup Language (XML) format, used to structure, store, and send

information. XML files use style sheets, as well as handler files. Handler files determine how RoboHelp imports or generates the XML files, associated style sheets, and related components.

JavaHelp JavaHelp, from Sun Microsystems™, works with Java applications and is a delivery system, not an authoring

tool. JavaHelp features (TOC, index, searches, controls, global search and replace, pop-ups) are created automatically, along with HTML features (links, Related Topics buttons, and image files).

Oracle Help Oracle Help for Java™ is used with applications written in any language. Oracle Help and the ICE 5

browser provide TOC, index, full-text searches, pop-ups, context sensitivity, and customizable windows, through the Oracle Help viewer.

Printed documentation RoboHelp enhanced printed documentation provides control over structure, content, and

appearance of printed documents. You can organize the content as needed, format using CSS or Word template styles, and produce formatted and structured Word documents or PDF files.

Adobe AIR The Adobe AIR output type allows you to generate Help in Adobe AIR format. Generate your content in

the cross-platform Adobe AIR Help format that brings a host of enhancements, such as these:

• Easy navigability through breadcrumbs, and more

• New templates and skins

• A rich branding experience, and the ability to insert corporate logos and an About box in Help

Last updated 3/1/2010

• Rich commenting and auto-updates

• Browser-based Help, with both offline and online content.

• Ability to add and access RSS feeds

• Enhanced search

End-user viewer requirements

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Projects

End-user system WebHelp/Pro FlashHelp/Pro Microsoft HTML

Windows XP SP4 or later, XP, Vista

Mac OS, Linux®

Web browser Web browser

with Flash Player

8.0 or 9.0

Web browser Web browser

with Flash Player

8.0 or 9.0

Help

Built-in viewer JavaHelp viewer Oracle Help

Not available JavaHelp viewer Not available AIR Help Runtime

JavaHelp* Oracle Help AIR Help

AIR Help Runtime

viewer

* Requires JavaHelp viewer, Sun Java 2 JDK or later, and JavaHelp 1.0 or later components.

Create and open projects

Create a project

1 Do one of the following:

• Select File > New > Project.

• In the Starter pod, click More under Create New.

2 On the New pane in the New Project dialog box, double-click a project type. You can change the project type after

your project is created.

Blank Project Customize and publish a project in any output. You can modify the window settings for WebHelp,

FlashHelp, and HTML Help outputs.

Application Help Create a Help system that you can install locally. The Application Help project has sample topics

with notes on how you can customize and modify the information. For example, you can create a Help system to document information about a company product.

Note: By default, the Application Help does not use master pages or snippets but you can always add them.

e-Handbook Create a project for an electronic handbook, such as an employee handbook for a company. The e-

Handbook project template provides the relevant folders and topics for you to place company-specific information.

e-Learning Integrate and organize Captivate demos into a project. Using the layout and recommendations

provided, you can create computer-based and web-based training.

Knowledge Base Create a knowledgebase that has an interface similar to a wiki page. The knowledgebase project

template contains master pages that you can customize. You can also create self-updating pages.

Web Application Help Create a Help system that you can publish on a server. The Web Application Help project

has sample topics with notes on creating online Help for a software application.

Last updated 3/1/2010

Department Guidelines Create a Help system to outline guidelines for a department in a company. For example,

USING ROBOHELP HTML 8

Projects

you can create Help for a human resources department, outlining guidelines on recruitment and selection, flexible working hours, and so on.

Disaster Recovery Plan Create a Help system with samples on how to write a disaster recovery plan.

Online Manual Create an online manual for a company product or software application.

Policies And Procedures Create a handbook or a document listing policies and procedures specific to an

organization.

Custom Customize a Help project template.

3 Specify options in the New Project Wizard dialog box:

• Leave Language as English or select another language to localize the project. Spell checking, indexing with the

Smart Index Wizard, and parts of the user interface are localized.

• If you select Save As Default, the selected language is used for all new projects.

4 Click Finish.

The first topic opens in the Design Editor on the right. On the left, the Project Manager opens. The first topic is selected in the HTML Files (Topics) folder.

More Help topics

“Change project settings” on page 29

Create a project by importing documents

1 Do one of the following:

• From the Starter pod, select a new project type from the Import list.

• Select File > New > Project. Click the Import tab and select a new project type.

2 Follow the prompts. The new project opens in RoboHelp.

Create a project using FrameMaker or Word documents

You can create new projects by importing FrameMaker or Word documents. While importing, you can map the styles of these documents to styles in RoboHelp.

1 Select File > New > Project and click Import.

2 Select FrameMaker or Word documents and click OK.

3 Select from .book, .mif, .fm, .bk, and .frm files for FrameMaker and .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .docm files for Word. You

can import multiple FrameMaker or Word documents at the same time. You can import .book and .bk files one at a time.

Note: For any FrameMaker format other than MIF, FrameMaker 8 or later is required. If the correct version is not installed, you cannot import the file.

4 Enter the project title, filename, and location of the project.

5 Click Finish.

A new project wizard prompts you to select options to map the TOC, index, or glossary.

6 Select the required options, and click Next.

7 Click Edit.

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