Creating website FAQ and help pages from RoboHelp files

Can it be done easily

[Robert Charlton]

A software products client feels the need for an FAQ section and help pages on its website.

They're thinking that they may simply be able to convert their entire 3000 page RoboHelp help file into HTML pages. I'm guessing that this will be a complex and messy process, and that customizing the output to fit into the site template, optimizing the pages, getting good clean html, etc, won't be easy. Has anyone done this?

I wouldn't be handling the mechanics, but I'm being asked for my thoughts on whether it's worth a try and what the alternatives might be.

[kaled]

From memory (I ditched robohelp after trying it) it can produce html files that can then be compiled using the MS html compiler. In this case, it should be straightforward.

Also bear in mind, .chm files can normally be decompiled (unless disabled). Also IE may be able to view .chm files online without downloading the whole thing, but I've never tried this.

Kaled

[Robert Charlton]

kaled - Thanks. I don't understand, though, what you mean by "compiled" in this case. As soon as you start using words like "compiled" and "decompiled" you're into programming territory, and I'm afraid I'm not a programmer.

I know that there is software that produces html help files from RoboHelp, and I read in my brief research that the code is fairly close to MS Word's html, which isn't good.

We'd want to produce web pages, though, with titles, headings, navigation, etc, and to enclose them in our site template.

I'm sure this adds several extra levels of complexity. I need to get an idea, in very basic terms, what's possible and what steps will be involved.

[kaled]

Standard .chm files are created from html pages using the Microsoft Help Compiler. It also maintains other data files such as content lists.

When building a .chm file, you can, I think, choose whether to allow it to be decompiled. In other words, it is normally possible to create a set of html pages from a .chm file (but I have never tried this).

Assuming RoboHelp either creates HTML files during the build process, or you can enable decompiling of the final .chm files you should be ok.

Having said that, I use Dreamweaver to create the HTML and use the MS Help Compiler to create the final .chm files.

I cannot comment on how difficult it would be to convert the resulting html files for use on your website. It could be as simple applying a template (and CSS) to each page or it could be horribly complex. The only way to answer that question is to do it for one page and then work out how to do it for many pages.

Kaled.