This user guide is protected under copyright law, 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.
This user guide is licensed for use under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. This License allows users to copy,
distribute, and transmit the user guide for noncommercial purposes only so long as (1) proper attribution to Adobe is given as the owner of the user guide; and
(2) any reuse or distribution of the user guide contains a notice that use of the user guide is governed by these terms. The best way to provide notice is to include
the following link. 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, AIR, Dreamweaver, 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
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Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Updated Information/Additional Third Party Code Information available at http://www.adobe.com/go/thirdparty.
Portions include software under the following terms:
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
MPEG Layer-3 audio compression technology licensed by Fraunhofer IIS and THOMSON multimedia (http://www.iis.fhg.de/amm).
Portions utilize code licensed from Nellymoser (www.nellymoser.com)
This product includes software developed by the OpenSymphony Group (http://www.opensymphony.com/).
Certain trademarks are owned by The Proximity Division of Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc., and are used by permission. Merriam-Webster is a trademark
of Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Sorenson Spark™ video compression and decompression technology licensed from Sorenson Media, Inc.
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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
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60-250, and 60-741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference.
Adobe RoboHelp software is designed for developing Help systems, e-learning 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. With the support for the ePub format, you can now take your content authored in RoboHelp,
FrameMaker, or Microsoft® Word to mobile devices, e-book readers, and tablets.
Worldwide, Adobe RoboHelp is a leader of online Help authoring tools through innovation. New features create a
more productive experience for technical communicators and their audiences.
For latest information about Adobe RoboHelp, visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_robohelp_product_en
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.
1
Activation and registration
To review complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® RoboHelp® 9 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.
Register
Register your product to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services.
Note: Register only once for RoboHelp 9.
❖ 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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Adobe Product Improvement Program
After you have used your Adobe software a certain number of times, a dialog box appears, asking whether you want
to participate in Adobe Product Improvement Program.
If you choose to participate, data about your use of Adobe software is sent to Adobe. No personal information is
recorded or sent. The Adobe Product Improvement Program only collects information about the features and tools
that you use in the software and how often you use them.
You can opt in to or opt out of the program at any time:
• To participate, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click Yes, Participate.
• To stop participating, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click No, Thank You.
Adobe provides more information about the Adobe Product Improvement Program in a frequently asked questions
(FAQ) list on the
Adobe website.
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
2
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. Online Help also includes a link to the complete, updated PDF version of Help.
• 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.
Note: To restrict search within the product documentation, expand Search Options and select Local. Filter results by
selecting the documentation from the drop-down list. You can use Ctrl + F to search within the contents displayed in the
right pane.
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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 and see various resources to 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.
3
Adobe forums
To reach out to experts in the Adobe RoboHelp community, visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_robohelp_forum_en.
Adobe TV
Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com to view instructional and inspirational videos. The Technical Communications
channel features videos relevant for technical communicators.
RoboHelp sample projects and output
Visit the RoboHelp resourcespage and download sample projects created with RoboHelp and other resources, such as
workspaces and applications configured for implementing context-sensitive Help.
RoboHelp Developer Center
Visit RoboHelp Developer Center for articles written by internal and external RoboHelp users on various user-
requested topics.
RoboHelp Help and Support page
Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support/robohelp to learn about free and paid technical support
options.
Previous RoboHelp Help
Download the documentation of older versions of RoboHelp from www.adobe.com/go/learn_rh_previous_docs_en.
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Troubleshooting tips
Before you call Customer Support, try the tips collated on www.adobe.com/go/learn_robohelp_forum_tips_en to
troubleshoot RoboHelp problems.
ProblemSolution
RoboHelp X5 activation does not work.Run RoboHelp X5 without activation.
For more information, see ts_kb403696_en-us
4
Some of the third-level TOC entries are missing when
publishing a project to RoboHelp Server.
The Adobe RoboHelp 9 uninstaller exits with an error and does
not uninstall Adobe RoboHelp 9.
Follow the steps listed in ts_cpsid_90498_en-us
Manually uninstall (remove) Adobe RoboHelp 9.
For more information, see ts_cpsid_88189_en-us
What’s new in RoboHelp 9
Authoring enhancements
Shared and linked resources Save time and boost productivity by reusing assets across authors and projects. The
enhanced Resource Manager in RoboHelp 9 lets you add shared resources in Copy or Linked mode. RoboHelp
supports the auto-update of linked resources if the resources are modified in the shared location. Using linked
resources helps you maintain consistency and conform to organizational and industry standards. See
resources” on page 123.
“Managing
Statuses of linked resources help identify need for update
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Enhanced User Defined Variables and Snippets pods The User Defined Variables pod and the Snippets pod include
many usability enhancements in RoboHelp 9. Both pods are now search-enabled. You can now organize snippets in
categories and expand and collapse each category. Support for sorting, and enhanced preview helps you insert, edit,
and manage UDVs and snippets with greater ease. Capabilities such as organizing snippets into categories and
converting them to text provide you with flexibility and speed.
B
A
5
A. Search-enabled User Defined Variables and Snippets pods B. Snippets organized in categories
Paste rich HTML content Copy and paste tables from Microsoft Word, Microsoft® Excel, and browsers. RoboHelp
pastes rich HTML content with text formatting, tables, lists, hyperlinks, and images intact.
Automated CSH authoring From within RoboHelp, open the application for which you want to provide context-
sensitive Help and map dialog boxes with new or existing topics. Dependency on developers is minimal because
RoboHelp extracts the context-sensitive Help IDs automatically. Updating or remapping topics is also easy because of
the seamless integration of RoboHelp and the application. See
“Dynamic editing of context-sensitive topics” on
page 232.
Note: The application needs to implement context-sensitive Help using the RoboHelp 9 CSH API. Currently, only C++
APIs on Windows are supported.
Include external content in search Specify URLs for content available outside the Help system (for example, in blogs)
and map them to terms that users are likely to search for. By curating relevant content in this way, you can optimize
the search experience for users and provide easy access to user-generated content. See
“External content search” on
page 204.
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Implementing external content search
6
A
B
C
Preview Web output in multiple browsers Preview a topic or the WebHelp, WebHelp Pro, FlashHelp, and FlashHelp
Pro output of a project with different browsers. Multibrowser support for previewing topics and project output helps
you ensure that the content appears correctly in commonly used browsers. See
“Preview topics” on page 114 and “View
output” on page 307.
Support for latest devices, products, and browsers Stay up-to-date with support for the latest platforms, browsers,
and devices (eBook readers, mobile devices, tablet PCs, and more). You can now import or link content from and
publish output to Microsoft Word 2010 (.docx and .doc). End users can view content generated from RoboHelp in the
latest version of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome.
Integration with FrameMaker 10, Adobe Captivate 5, and Acrobat 10 RoboHelp 9 supports the latest version of Adobe
products such as FrameMaker 10, Adobe Captivate 5, and Acrobat 10. Leverage the latest enhancements in these
products, such as support for setting a text background color at both character and paragraph levels in FrameMaker.
RoboHelp Server reports to optimize content RoboHelp Server provides a host of reports to understand how users
consume the content. Take advantage of these usage analytics to optimize the content according to user needs. Now
that you can include external content in search, you can even map content that’s already available outside the Help
system and help users find the information they need.
For more information, see Reports in RoboHelp Server Help.
Import and linking enhancements
General import and linking enhancements In RoboHelp 9, the following enhancements apply to import and linking
of both Microsoft Word and FrameMaker documents:
• Saves the relative path of the linked document RoboHelp 9 saves the relative path, instead of the absolute path, of
linked documents. As a result, the links work even when the RoboHelp project and the linked Microsoft Word or
FrameMaker documents are moved.
Note: Earlier versions of RoboHelp projects that contain absolute paths of linked documents open normally in RoboHelp
9. While saving these projects, RoboHelp 9 saves the relative path.
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• Modify character and paragraph source styles While importing or linking a document, you can modify the
character and paragraph styles defined in the document. In the case of linked documents, style properties modified
from within Microsoft Word or FrameMaker and modified from within RoboHelp can now co-exist. In other words,
you can modify the style properties that you want to override in RoboHelp and allow other style properties to be
modified in Microsoft Word or FrameMaker.
RoboHelp 9 maintains two styles sheets to manage the styles of a linked document. A [topic].css file stores the styles
defined in the source document. The global CSS file, by default named RHStyleMapping.css, stores the details of
modifications and mapped RoboHelp styles.
RoboHelp stores each modified style with the style name WD_[original_style_name] (in the case of Microsoft Word)
or FM_[original_style_name] (in the case of FrameMaker) in RHStyleMapping.css.
Note: RoboHelp hides the [topic].css files from the workspace to ensure that source styles are preserved in this file.
• Edit style sheets from within Project Settings While specifying the import settings in the Project Settings dialog
box, you can now edit the CSS file you want to use for style mapping. The Edit With option lets you select an editor
from a predefined list, which includes RoboHelp CSS Editor and other registered CSS editors.
• Import and export of settings from an ISF file You can now import settings from a saved ISF file or export them
while importing Microsoft Word and FrameMaker documents. Any changes you make to the settings after importing
the ISF file are not saved; the modified settings are used only in the current import process.
7
Enhanced FrameMaker import and linking In RoboHelp 9, FrameMaker document import and linking includes the
following additional enhancements:
• Support for importing or linking DITA maps and DITA topics You can now import or link DITA maps (.ditamap,
.dita, and .xml) and DITA topics (.dita and .xml). For RoboHelp, a DITA map is similar to a FrameMaker book and a
Dita topic is similar to a FrameMaker .fm file. RoboHelp 9 also supports Ditaval, which means that you can now create
output based on conditions specified in the Ditaval file. See
“Apply conditions from a Ditaval file” on page 71.
• Enhanced list import in FrameMaker import and linking In RoboHelp 9, list symbols used in unordered lists
convert without any distortion. If you select Convert Autonumber To Text, RoboHelp retains the list indentation style
of the FrameMaker source document.
• Enhanced table import in FrameMaker import and linking Enhancements include the import of table titles as
captions, caption style mapping, import of table headers <th> tags when the table style is mapped to [source], and the
ability to configure table height and width, row height, and column width.
Note: RoboHelp CSS Editor does not support caption editing. However, if you create a caption style with another editor,
you can duplicate the caption with RoboHelp CSS Editor to create additional captions.
• Better conversion of Math equations, text frames, and freehand curves in FrameMaker import and linking
RoboHelp 9 uses Acrobat Distiller to convert FrameMaker Math equations, text frames, and freehand curves to
images. Select the Use PDF To Generate Images option in the Conversion Settings dialog box to use this enhancement.
“Image conversion settings” on page 80.
See
Review and collaboration features
With RoboHelp 9, collaborate in multiple ways with other authors, SMEs, and end users.
Review in Design Editor RoboHelp 9 lets you enable Track Changes in Design Editor and insert comments and
changes directly in the project. Take advantage of this capability to implement peer reviews. Multiple reviewers can
work sequentially and provide their feedback on the project. After the review ends, you can view and manage the
feedback from Review Pane. For step-by-step instructions, see
comments and changes” on page 350.
“Review in Design Editor” on page 347 and “Manage
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PDF review Create a PDF from an entire RoboHelp project or from parts of it, including topics, master pages, and
snippets, and send it for review (Reviewers only need the free Adobe Reader to add comments to the PDF). After the
review ends, import the comments into the project and view and manage the feedback from Review Pane. For stepby-step instructions, see
Rate topics and add comments in AIR Help Gather end-user feedback by enabling topic rating and commenting in AIR
“PDF review” on page 348 and “Manage comments and changes” on page 350.
Help (Adobe AIR Application output type). You can implement a trust-based setup on an internal server or a secure
setup on a server running RoboHelp Server for users outside your corporate network. In both scenarios, RoboHelp
supports comment moderation. See
“Review and collaboration in AIR Help” on page 352.
Publishing features
Multidevice publishing with ePub output With RoboHelp 9, generate project output for mobile devices, eBook
readers, tablets, and other devices that support the ePub format. The output includes metadata conforming to ePub
specifications. See
“Generate output in the ePub format” on page 305.
B
8
C
A
Access the ePub Generator script from A. File menu B. Tools menu C. Script Explorer
Publish to SharePoint RoboHelp 9 supports publishing WebHelp, FlashHelp, and Browser based Help (Adobe AIR
SSL) output to a SharePoint site using Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. See
“Set options for generating
WebHelp” on page 292, “Set options for generating FlashHelp” on page 296, and “Configure a server to host browser-
based Help” on page 290.
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Define SharePoint settings in layout properties
Dynamic user-centric content Publish Adobe® AIR® and WebHelp projects as integrated Help systems with different
content categories. Users select the content category that's relevant for them and navigate and search within the
content category. Each content category has its own TOC, index, and glossary. Creating dynamic user-centric content
is useful if end users have to quickly toggle between the content for different roles, products, or variants. For example,
queries that a call center agent handles sometimes pertain to different areas of system administration (for example,
user administration, site administration, and content administration). The ability to view and search the system
administration content as a set of modular content categories accessible from the same interface works as a time-saver
where you handle queries in real time.
9
For information about how to create content categories, see “Configure the Adobe AIR layout” on page 284 and “Set
options for generating WebHelp” on page 292.
A
B
A. Content category definition in SSL B. Content category selection in the output
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Merged AIR Help The capability to merge the output of multiple projects is now extended to output generated using
the Adobe AIR SSL. Both Adobe AIR output types—Adobe AIR Application and Browser based Help—support
merging. See
Enhanced search experience RoboHelp 9 ensures improved user experience by excluding unreferenced topics from
“Merging Help projects” on page 96.
the output and unreferenced baggage files from search. For a definition of unreferenced topics and unreferenced
baggage file, see
“RoboHelp search basics” on page 203. For the steps to exclude unreferenced topics and baggage files,
see the relevant topic in “Generate output” on page 292.
See the following table to find the layouts that support the Exclude Unreferenced Topics From Output and Exclude
Unreferenced Baggage Files From Search options:
10
SSLExclude Unreferenced Topics From Output
Adobe AIR
Output type: Adobe AIR Application
Adobe AIR
Output type: Browser based Help
WebHelpYesYes
WebHelp ProYesYes
FlashHelpYesYes
FlashHelp ProYesYes
Microsoft HTML HelpYesNo
Printed DocumentationNoNo
XML OutputYesNo
Oracle HelpYesNo
JavaHelpYesNo
Personalize or brand output Change colors, styles, icons, and fonts to match company branding and other
option
YesYes
YesYes
specifications with the brand new Adobe AIR Help Skin Editor. See
Exclude Unreferenced Baggage Files From
Search option
“Create custom skins for Adobe AIR projects” on
page 336.
Support for character encoding in SSL Enables you to set character encoding at an SSL level when the web server to
which you’re publishing has a character encoding different from UTF-8. For information about how to set character
encoding for an SSL, see the relevant topic in
“Generate output” on page 292.
Note: Character encoding in SSL is not supported for Printed Documentation and Microsoft HTML Help layouts.
Set a language for SSL Override the language setting of the project by setting a language for the relevant single-source
layout. RoboHelp uses the SSL language setting for the user interface (UI) strings and language-related UI elements in
the preview and generated output. For information about how to set a language for an SSL, see the relevant topic in
“Generate output” on page 292.
Note: Language setting in SSL is not supported for Printed Documentation and XML layouts.
Support for selection of browse sequences In WebHelp and Adobe AIR layouts, you can now select the browse
sequences that you want to display. If the layout defines content categories, you can select browse sequences for each
content category. Further, in WebHelp layouts, you can enable or disable browse sequences at a project level. For
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information about how to enable or disable browse sequences and select them for content categories, see “Configure
the Adobe AIR layout” on page 284 and “Set options for generating WebHelp” on page 292.
Enhanced Printed Documentation output Take advantage of enhanced style mapping options to generate better PDF
output and printed documentation. In addition to mapping character and paragraph styles, you can now map
multilevel list and table styles to the corresponding styles in Microsoft Word.
Important: By default, list and tables styles in Microsoft Word do not have names. Create new styles in Microsoft Word
and name them so the style names are available in the drop-down list in Printed Documentation layout properties.
11
Unnamed styles appear in the Microsoft Word styles (All) drop-down list as Unassigned
In the generated Microsoft Word document, the mapped styles retain the Microsoft Word style properties. For
example, if you add a row to a table with shaded alternate rows, the newly added row has the expected shade. See
“Mapping styles” on page 330.
With the new Insert > Page Break option, you can add page breaks in topics. RoboHelp honors the page breaks to add
new pages in the Printed Documentation output.
Hide the Rank column in search results For WebHelp and WebHelp Pro output, you can hide the Rank column in
search results to allocate more space for displaying search results. The Hide Rank Column In Search Results option is
available in the Search tab of WebHelp layout properties. See
“Set options for generating WebHelp” on page 292 and
“Set options for generating WebHelp Pro or FlashHelp Pro” on page 298.
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User customization features
In RoboHelp 9, organizations deploying Adobe AIR Application output (AIR Help) can configure features such as
auto-update, commenting, and moderation settings through the configuration file and
Customization through configuration file In RoboHelp 9, an author can specify a configuration file path at the time of
generating AIR Help (General settings in the Adobe AIR SSL properties). When the AIR application is distributed,
users can copy the default configuration file from the SSL folder to the location specified in the configuration file path
and modify the default settings according to their preferences.
Users can modify the following author-specified settings in the [configuration_filename].xml file:
• Add the company logo and name Personalize and brand the Help by specifying the company logo and name in the
configuration file.
• Enable or disable auto-update Specify the preference for auto-update and override the author-specified auto-
update setting.
• Change the location of the auto-update XML file Specify a location to store the auto-update XML file.
• Change the location for storing comments Specify a central location of choice for storing and syncing comments.
• Change the status of new comments Specify whether new comments are to be accepted without moderation.
• Enable or disable topic rating Allow or disallow users to rate topics.
settings.xml files.
12
For more information, see “Configure the Adobe AIR layout” on page 284 and “Distribute Adobe AIR output” on
page 321.
Customization through settings.xml Users can override the moderation setting defined in the SSL by configuring the
moderation state setting in the settings.xml file.
For more information, see “Distribute Adobe AIR output” on page 321 and “Comment moderation” on page 354.
Usability and productivity features
Sample applications with layouts configured for multichannel publishing RoboHelp 9 installation comes with two
sample projects, Salesbuilder-Help and EmployeeCare. The Salesbuilder-Help project is designed to help you
understand the new features offered by RoboHelp 9. The EmployeeCare project is designed to show how a
knowledgebase can be created using RoboHelp 9. The layouts are set up ready for you to generate them when you have
read the topics in the About folder. Both projects include the About Adobe RoboHelp 9 topic, which outlines the new
features of RoboHelp 9. If a particular feature is used in the sample project you have opened, the
the feature name.
Workspace enhancements In RoboHelp 9, you’ll find a host of workspace enhancements that give you flexibility and
speed. Some of the key changes are as follows:
• Easy-to-arrange pods From the context-sensitive menu of the title bar of a pod, access options such as Dockable,
Floating, and Tabbed Document to arrange pods in various ways. The menu also includes options to hide and close
the pod.
• Buttons in the Tabbed Document pane to open and close topics Take advantage of fixed buttons in the Tabbed
document pane to open and close topics quickly.
icon appears below
• Topic drop-down list When multiple topics are open, access an open topic quickly from the Topic drop-down list.
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Names of open topics appear in the drop-down list
• Single-topic mode Deselect the Allow Editing Of Multiple Topics option in Tools > Options > General to open and
edit one topic at a time.
Uncluttered Tools > Options dialog box The tabs in the Options dialog box are now displayed in a tree view in the left
pane of the dialog box.
Save And Generate button for each layout The properties dialog box for each SSL now has a Save and Generate
button, enabling you to save modified properties and generate output with a single click.
Suppress messages while running scripts in TCS workflows FrameMaker Server uses RoboHelp scripting APIs, and
any message or alert in RoboHelp blocks the server. So RoboHelp 9 does not display unnecessary dialog boxes while
running any script, especially in TCS workflows.
Read this articleto find out how Tech Pub departments are using RoboHelp Server to stay ahead of the competition
and enabling information collection and publication.
13
What’s new in RoboHelp Server 9
User interface enhancements
RoboHelp Server 9 features a fresh, aesthetically appealing user interface.
Enhanced platform support
• Support for Microsoft Access 2010
• Support for Apache Tomcat 7.x. Tomcat 7.x is currently in the beta stage.
Technical enhancements
• RoboHelp Server logs are now created in a consolidated log file (robohelpserver.log) under the
<Tomcat
This new log file is generated using the Apache log4j logging framework.
• You can now host RoboHelp Server over HTTP Secure (HTTPS) to ensure secure communications between the
server and clients.
• Authors can publish their RoboHelp HTML projects using HTTPS
• End users can view projects on the server over HTTPS
• The RoboHelp Server Web Administrator and reports can be viewed over HTTPS as well
Home>/logs folder. All RoboHelp Server-related exceptions and warnings are logged in this file.
If you want to tweak the size, backup limit, or format of the logs, modify the value of the relevant properties in the
<RoboHelp Server Home>/Web-INF/classes/log4j.properties file.
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Getting started
Moderation settings for Adobe AIR Help comments
Using the Web Administrator, you can now specify the following moderation settings for comments on Adobe® AIR®
Help output:
• Allow Post Anonymous
• Mark Comments As Pending
Search-related enhancements
RoboHelp Server 9 features many search-related enhancements:
Project stop list for server-side indexing Unlike RoboHelp 8, the stop list specified in a RoboHelp HTML project is
now used for server-side indexing.
Project synonym list for server-side indexing Unlike RoboHelp 8, the synonym list specified in a RoboHelp HTML
project is now used for server-side indexing.
Synonym highlighting Synonyms for a keyword being searched for are highlighted in the search result list. This
enhancement is available only for WebHelp Pro output published using RoboHelp HTML 9.
Dynamic context in search results for server-side indexing RoboHelp Server now displays dynamic context along with
search results. Apache Lucene, the text search engine library powering search in RoboHelp Server, displays the relevant
words around a keyword as context in the search result list. This feature is available only for WebHelp Pro and
FlashHelp Pro projects published to RoboHelp Server with server-side indexing enabled.
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• For keywords within topics, words in the immediate vicinity of the keyword in the topic are displayed as context.
• The static context of the topic is displayed for user-specified keywords. The first few words of the topic include
static context.
• In the case of external resources for keywords, the URL description of the external resource is displayed as the
dynamic context.
Note: For WebHelp Pro projects, dynamic context is displayed beneath a topic in the search result list, with the
relevant matched text highlighted in bold. For FlashHelp Pro projects, dynamic context is displayed as a tooltip when
the user hovers the pointer over any topic in the search result list.
Reporting enhancements
RoboHelp Server 9 delivers several reporting improvements that help you better optimize the value of your Help
content:
• Functionality to filter reports by area
• New, intuitive names for the reports
• Improvements to the graphical representation of reports
• Functionality to export report data to the CSV format
• Flexibility to customize reports by showing/hiding columns. Column layouts can be saved across sessions.
• Fine-tuned numerical data in reports
Configuration Manager enhancements
You can now perform the following additional tasks using the RoboHelp Server Configuration Manager:
• Migrate context data from RoboHelp Server 8 to RoboHelp Server 9
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Getting started
• Deploy a context in the root context
• Delete contexts
• Set up an admin account for RoboHelp Server using LDAP authentication or database authentication
• Configure LDAP settings
• Configure search indexing settings
The little things
• The Web Administrator now provides functionalities to edit and delete users. Only RoboHelp Server
administrators are allowed to edit or delete users.
Note: These functionalities are useful for setting a new password if a user has lost or forgotten the earlier password.
• New Sign Out link in the Web Administrator
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Chapter 2: Exploring the workspace
Workspace overview
You create and manipulate your projects using various elements, such as pods, panes, bars, and windows. Any
arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. 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.
DE
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A
B
C
RoboHelp workspace
A. Menu bar B. Toolbars C. Clubbed pods D. Tabbed Document pane E. Design Editor F. Workspace switcher
F
• The menu bar across the top contains the commands to display various menus and a workspace switcher.
• Various toolbars appear below the menu bar. Select View > Toolbars to show or hide toolbars that you require.
• The topic window or the Tabbed Document pane displays the topic(s) that you are editing currently. Select Tools
> Options > Allow Editing Of Multiple Topics to edit multiple topics concurrently. You can paste objects and
selections across multiple topics. You can select horizontal or vertical tiling of topics.
The Design and HTML buttons in the topic window let you switch between Design Editor and HTML Editor.
When multiple topics are open, click the down arrow button in the upper-right corner of the Tabbed Document
pane to display the list of open topics and navigate to any topic.
Right-click a tab to find options to save the active topic, close the active topic, close all topics, close all but the active
topic, and create horizontal or vertical tab groups.
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• Various pods, such as Project Manager, Project Set-up, Resource Manager, and Single Source Layouts, help you
complete the different steps to create the project and generate the required output. Select View > Pods to show or
hide pods that you require.
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.
View a pod
❖ Select View > Pods > [pod name].
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Arrange pods
• Click the title bar of a pod and drag-and-drop it on the required part of the screen.
• Change the display of the pod.
1 Do one of the following:
• Click the down arrow button in the upper-right corner of a pod.
• Right-click in the titlebar of the pod.
2 Select one of the following options:
Dockable Docks the pod if it’s in the Tabbed Document state or in the Floating state
Close Closes the pod
Floating Floats the pod if it’s in the Tabbed Document state or in the docked state
Auto Hide Pins or unpins the pod if it’s not in the Tabbed Document state.
Tabbed Document Opens the pod in a new tab in the topic window.
Types of pods
Starter pod
The Starter pod provides links to common commands and product information.
Recent Projects 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.
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Exploring the workspace
View Online Help Access the complete online Help.
Quick Tour Of RoboHelp Access a set of videos for a quick tour of RoboHelp features.
Project Manager pod
The Project Manager pod contains various folders where you create and delete project files, or edit their properties. It
also has folders for various key project components, such as the table of contents, the index, and the glossary.
If the project has many topics, collapse the Project Files folder first to view the other folders.
More Help topics
“Project Manager folders” on page 39
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.
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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.
External Content Search Map URLs and search terms to enable users find related content outside the Help system.
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
“Windows” on page 341
“Master pages” on page 115
“Skins” on page 334
“External content search” on page 204
“About context-sensitive Help” on page 225
“Map files and map IDs” on page 226
Snippets 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.
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Exploring the workspace
Snippets are stored in a Snippet library as separate files with the .hts extension. In the Snippets pod, you can organize
them in categories, expanding or collapsing the categories for easy viewing. The category names appear in a sorted
order in the Snippets pod and in the Insert dialog box. 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 152
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 157
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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 runtime values uniquely for different variable sets while generating the output.
• Format variable values.
More Help topics
“User-defined variables” on page 149
Error List pod
The Error List pod shows buttons for errors, warnings, and messages that 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.
Output View pod
The Output View pod displays important errors, warnings, and messages that RoboHelp captures while importing
content or generating project output. You can use the toolbar and the right-click options to save, copy, select, or clear
the log.
Toolbox pod
The Toolbox pod provides shortcut icons to access various tools that come with RoboHelp. You can also add tools.
Graphics Locator, HTML Help Studio, and Resize are some of the default tools.
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Exploring the workspace
Resource Manager pod
Resource Manager stores all the common resources to use across projects and allows for quick access and management
of common resource files.
Shared Locations Specify the various shared folders that store resource files to use across projects. While a shared
location can contain files of any type, Resource Manager displays only those that match defined file types (Add/Edit
Categories).
Categories Specify categories to organize resources according to file types. For example, you can add a category called
Video and associate .flv, .swf, and .avi file types with it.
File Types List the extensions associated with a category. For example, for the Images category, list all the file types that
you want Resource Manager to consider as images.
Linked Resources Manage linked resources (resources used in the project with links to the original versions in the
shared locations). Synchronize the original version and the copy, remove links to stop automatic tracking of updates,
or replace links to point to another resource of the same file type.
More Help topics
“Managing resources” on page 123
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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 Servername:port/context-name/server and connect to it to publish your projects.
Note: By default, RoboHelp uses the http protocol. To specify that the https protocol should be used, enter
https://Servername:port/context-name/server.
Environments
A RoboHelp environment refers to the arrangement of various workspace components, such as pods, in the main
application window. By saving the current workspace as a named environment, you can restore that workspace even if
you move or close a pod. The names of saved environments appear in the Workspace menu on the right of the menu bar.
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 Click the down arrow button in the workspace switcher and select 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 Click the down arrow button in the workspace switcher and select Load Environment.
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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
❖ Click the down arrow button in the workspace switcher and select Default Environment.
Delete an environment
❖ Do one of the following:
• Delete the RHS file from the location where it was stored.
• Click Start > Run. In the Open box, type regedit and click OK. Locate the MRUENVFile[n] variable in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Adobe > RoboHelp > 9.00 > Common and delete the string assigned to
the variable.
Menus and toolbars
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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.
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• To edit a button image, right-click the button and select Edit Button Image. Use the Button Editor tools and
modify the image. Check the preview and click OK.
• 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. See “Enable and disable smart
menus” on page 22.
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 22
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“Customize menus” on page 21
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.
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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 default settings, click Reset All.
Configure general settings
❖ Select Tools > Options. Click General and set the following options to configure options for using the program and
working with project files.
Set the default language and other preferences
Default Language Allows you to change the default language for every project that is created using the RoboHelp
application.
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Use Underscores In File Names Saves topic filenames with underscores between words (for example,
My_Help_Topic.htm). For HTML Help projects, topic filenames require underscores rather than spaces. This
convention enables the book or page to synchronize with the topic content displayed at the right side of the viewer.
Automatically Check For Updates The program checks for updates when you quit the program. You can also enable
this option by selecting Help > Check For Updates.
Allow Editing Of Multiple Topics Opens topics in different tabs in Design Editor and allows editing. Deselect this
option to work in single-topic mode.
Clear Project Cache (.cpd File) Before Opening Any Project Controls whether the old <ProjectName>.cpd file will be
deleted each time while opening a project and a new <ProjectName>
Auto-Compile Outdated Files When you view or publish your project, the program automatically generates your
primary layout when the output files are out of date. If this option is disabled, the program prompts you to generate
the primary layout if the output files are out of date.
Auto-display Output View Shows the Output View at the bottom of the program window when a project is generating.
Convert RoboHelp-edited Topics To HTML Converts XHTML topics created or edited in RoboHelp into HTML in the
output. Topics created or edited with third-party editors are not converted.
.cpd will be created from the project files.
Enable or disable confirmation
Prompt when a file is saved The A File Is Saved option is disabled by default. Changes to the current topic are saved
when you open another topic or close the project without saving. You can disable this setting here if necessary. For
example, if you change a topic and want to restore the content, you can temporarily disable the automatic save.
Prompt when auto-generated topics from linked documents are modified Allows you to enable or disable the message
displayed when you modify a topic generated from the contents of a linked Word or FrameMaker document.
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Exploring the workspace
Enable, disable, or reset notifications
By default, notifications are enabled. Some notifications include an option (Don’t Ask Me Again) to suppress their
display.
• To enable or disable all notifications, deselect or select Tools > Options > General > Do Not Show Notifications.
• To restore all notifications to their default settings, click Reset All.
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