• Adobe RoboHelp Tutorial

Adobe RoboHelp - Importing WinHelp Files

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RoboHelp can import compiled WinHelp 4.0 (HLP) or WinHelp Project File (HPJ) into your project. Although you cannot output a WinHelp file from RoboHelp HTML, you can import the HPJ file, which is the main organizational file containing the set of the entire source files.

Import

From the Starter pod, select either the WinHelp (*.hlp) or WinHelp Project (*.hlp) and proceed to browse the location of the file on disk. Click Finish to convert and import the file as a RoboHelp file.

HTML Limitations with HLP Files

There are some limitations when converting HLP files to HTML. All these limitations are explained in brief as follows −

  • Bullets − WinHelp topics should not use bitmap references as bullets. You can however choose to keep bulleted lists.

  • HTML Jumps − Jumps to HTML pages that are not converted, but you can easily re-create the links in the Design Editor after the HTML topics are created.

  • Jumps to external WinHelp topics − Jumps to external WinHelp topics that are stripped out of the HTML topics.

  • Macros, buttons, and shortcuts − Macros that convert include Jump Context, JumpId, and PopupId. Other macros are not converted.

  • Microsoft Word HTML styles − Microsoft Word HTML styles are not used to format the HTML topics.

  • Microsoft Word templates − Word templates that are used to format RTF files in WinHelp are not converted to HTML style sheets.

  • Mid-Topic jumps − Mid-topic jumps are converted to bookmarks.

  • Multimedia files (AVI and WAV) − These files cannot be converted with HLP files. However, you can add sound and video to HTML topics in the Design Editor.

  • Non-scrolling regions − HTML-based output does not support non-scrolling regions.

  • Numbered lists − Numbered lists use a 12-point serif font by default. To change the style, you need to create a new numbered list style and reformat it in RoboHelp.

  • Related Topics buttons − Related Topics keywords are translated into Related Topics terms.

  • Secondary windows − WinHelp secondary windows are not translated. Unlike WinHelp topics, HTML topics do not support links that display information in secondary windows.

  • Table of contents − The HTML TOC file (HHC) does not support WinHelp pages that link to external WinHelp topics or reference macros or that contain link statements.

  • What's This? Help − Context-sensitive Help is not converted. What's This? Help-style topics or dialog topics are converted into regular HTML Help topics.

  • Microsoft Word formatting − The following formatting is converted in the HTML topics – underlining, paragraph spacing, indents, alignments, table borders, spreadsheets, background colors, and watermarks.

In the next chapter, we will understand what version control is and how it benefits RoboHelp.

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