You are here: Features > Importing > More About RoboHelp > Importing Tips

Importing Tips

Following is information that you might find useful when importing your RoboHelp project to Flare. Each item below discusses how Flare treats a particular RoboHelp feature when you import a project to Flare.

Browse sequences After you import a RoboHelp project to Flare, a browse sequence is automatically created for you and given the same name as your RoboHelp project. If you did not have a browse sequence in RoboHelp, the new Flare browse sequence is empty. If you did have a browse sequence in RoboHelp, each browse sequence (or browse sequence heading) from the Browse Sequence Editor is converted to a "book" in the Flare browse sequence (similar to a table of contents). The associated topics are converted to items under the book and link to the appropriate topics.
Conditional build tags In Flare, these are known as "condition tags" and they are held in a condition tag set. So after you import a RoboHelp project, you will find your RoboHelp conditional build tags contained in a condition tag set called "Primary," located in the Conditional Text folder of the Project Organizer. You can open the condition tag set and create additional condition tags within it. You can also change the name of the condition tag set to whatever you want and add more sets if you like.
Converting topics to XHTML If you do not convert your topics to XML (XHTML) during the import process, you will be asked to do so when you open each topic in Flare. Also, your index keywords will not be converted if the option to convert your topics to XML ("Convert all topics at once") is not selected during the import process.
Glossary After you import a RoboHelp project, you will find your RoboHelp glossary terms and definitions contained in a glossary called "Primary," located in the Glossaries folder of the Project Organizer. You can open the glossary and create additional terms and definitions within it. You can also change the name of the glossary to whatever you want and add more glossaries if you like.
Images Flare retains your file structure. Therefore, after you import your project, you are likely to see your image files at the root level of the Content Explorer in Flare. However, the default location for new images that you create in Flare is the Resources\Images subfolder. You can keep your imported files at the root level, or you can drag them to the Resources\Images subfolder if you want to keep them grouped with new files that you create. When you drag the imported files to a subfolder, a dialog will ask whether you want to update the links to the file that you are moving. Select Update Links.
Inline formatting and styles If you select the "Convert inline formatting to CSS styles" option during the import process, Flare will create new styles based on the local formatting that it finds in your topics.
example
If you have portions of content where you have highlighted words and manually applied bold formatting to that text, you might find that Flare has converted those areas of formatting to a style called "span_1."
Merged CHM files Let's say you are working with HTML Help and have merged your RoboHelp project with a CHM file from another project. The linked CHM file is placed in a special subfolder in the Content Explorer (Resources\CHMSupport) after you import the RoboHelp project to Flare. In order for this to work properly, the linked CHM file must first be placed in the root folder of your RoboHelp project. This process helps to keep the size of your Flare CHM file down. The linked CHM file is simply copied to your Output folder, next to the Flare CHM file. You need to make sure to include this secondary CHM file in the final destination of your output files where users will access them.

Note: The CHMSupport subfolder is created automatically when this happens. However, you can create this subfolder yourself, as long as you make sure that it is spelled exactly right—with no spaces—and is located under the Resources folder in the Content Explorer. The CHMSupport subfolder will be used for any linked files that you do not want to be compiled into the Flare CHM file.
Publishing destinations If you created publishing destinations in RoboHelp for WebHelp or FlashHelp layouts, those destinations are converted to destinations in Flare. They are located in the Destinations folder in the Project Organizer.
Shortcut links Let's say you are working with HTML Help and have included Shortcut links in your RoboHelp project. After you import the RoboHelp project to Flare, the linked Shortcut file (e.g., DOC, XLS) is placed in a special subfolder in the Content Explorer (Resources\CHMSupport). In order for this to work properly, the linked Shortcut file must be placed in the root folder of your RoboHelp project. This process helps to keep the size of your Flare CHM file down and ensures that the shortcut links work correctly. The linked shortcut file is simply copied to your Output folder, next to the Flare CHM file. You need to make sure to include this linked Shortcut file in the final destination of your output files where users will access them.

Note: The CHMSupport subfolder is created automatically when this happens. However, you can create this subfolder yourself, as long as you make sure that it is spelled exactly right—with no spaces—and is located under the Resources folder in the Content Explorer. The CHMSupport subfolder will be used for any linked files that you do not want to be compiled into the Flare CHM file.
Single source layouts Flare will automatically convert any HTML Help, WebHelp, or Printed Documentation single source layouts that you had in RoboHelp. They can be found in the Targets folder in the Project Organizer. You can add more targets using those same output types. You can also create additional targets using Flare's other output types.
Styles and style sheets After you import your project, you are likely to see your style sheet files at the root level of the Content Explorer in Flare, because Flare retains your file structure. However, the default location for new style sheets that you create in Flare is the Resources\Stylesheets subfolder. You can keep your imported style sheets at the root level, or you can drag them to the Resources\Stylesheets subfolder if you want to keep them grouped with new style sheets that you create. When you drag the imported files to a subfolder, a dialog will ask whether you want to update the links to the file that you are moving. Select Update Links. When you open the style sheet, it is displayed in Flare's Stylesheet Editor. Your paragraph styles can be found as classes under the tag, and your generic character styles can be found as classes under the tag.

In addition to the styles you created in RoboHelp, you will notice many additional styles that Flare adds. These additional styles are adopted from W3C specifications (see http://www.w3c.org), or they are MadCap-specific styles used to support unique features in Flare. See About Styles and Style Sheets.

You can use the following steps to locate your imported styles.
1. Make sure the Content Explorer is open. By default, the Content Explorer is located on the left side of the interface in an accordion structure with the Project Organizer, unless you have previously moved it and saved the new layout. You may have to click the Content Explorer bar to bring it into view.
2. Navigate to your style sheet.
 
 Note: When you add new style sheets (not import them), the default location for those style sheets is within the Resources folder. To open a style sheet from this location, double-click the Resources folder. Then double-click the Stylesheets folder.
3. Double-click the style sheet. The Stylesheet Editor opens.
4. In the Stylesheet Editor, your imported paragraph and character styles can be found in the following locations.
 - Paragraph styles If you imported paragraph styles, they can be found under the tag in the Stylesheet Editor.
 example
 If you imported a paragraph style called "Chapter," you can find that style under the tag, and its new full name is "p.Chapter."
 Please note that this example is showing the Advanced view of the Stylesheet Editor. You can also work in the Simplified view of the editor, which shows the styles in a grid.
 - Character styles If you imported generic character styles, your character styles can be found under the tag.
 example
 If you imported a generic character style called "Emphasis," you can find that style under the tag, and its new full name is "span.Emphasis."
Table of contents After you import a RoboHelp project, you will find your RoboHelp table of contents (TOC) books and pages contained in a TOC called "Primary," located in the TOCs folder of the Project Organizer. You can open the TOC and create additional books and pages within it. You can also change the name of the TOC to whatever you want and add more TOCs if you like.
Template headers and footers If you have headers or footers in a template in RoboHelp, Flare will save them as snippets in Flare. You can access these headers or footers by opening the Content Explorer and then opening the Resources\Snippets subfolder.
Windows Your windows are automatically converted to "skins" and stored in the Skins folder of the Project Organizer.

Note: In this topic, Flare is compared with RoboHelp HTML X5, not necessarily with every version of RoboHelp.