Confused on chapter/title numbering

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Dave Gehman
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Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Dave Gehman »

How do I get a specific WebHelp skin to include topic and subtitle numbering? Right now, our preferred Webhelp skin, WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin, doesn't output numbered headings. What do I add to the skin (and how do I add it) to create the numbers in the HTML output? Or have I missed a configuration switch in WebHelp_SlateGrey?

Background:
I gather that chapter (Topic / title) and subtitle numbering is something that's done in output in [for Webhelp] skins; [for Word] docx template; [for PDF] manual designer. By numbering, I mean:

1. Topic one
1.1 Major subhead
1.1.1 Next level down
1.1.1.1 Next down, etc.
.
.
.

For Webhelp, I also see that this kind of numbering can be turned on in Configuration > Publishing Options > Webhelp > Navigation.

But that setting is overridden by the Webhelp skin, right?
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Tim Green
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Tim Green »

For Webhelp, I also see that this kind of numbering can be turned on in Configuration > Publishing Options > Webhelp > Navigation.

But that setting is overridden by the Webhelp skin, right?
The Navigation section is overridden by the skin, so it is also accessible in the skin. If you set the setting there, then it will be used. If you edit the skin with Help+Manual it will be in the same place as in the project. If you edit with Toolbox it is available with the HTML options button.
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Dave Gehman
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Dave Gehman »

I just discovered that the 1.1.1.1. etc. numbering IS activated. It's also activated in the project Configurations.

However, the output does NOT include the numbering:
Image

What might be going on?
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Tim Green
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Dave,

If you're getting that it definitely isn't activated in the skin (the setting in the project is irrelevant if you're using a skin). One thing that can easily happen is that you might be editing a one copy of the .hmskin file and publishing with a different one. In the Publish screen, select the small Open Skin.. option in the Select Skin menu and make sure you're selecting the same skin as the one you edited.

I know this may sound silly, but also make sure that you have saved the skin after changing the the setting. That's also an easy mistake to make if you're in a hurry. :)
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Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Dave Gehman
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Dave Gehman »

It looks selected here (loaded the skin, but did not make any changes and so didn't have to 'save')

Image

OH WAIT - maybe I have to select the option above? (TOC Numbering)

Yep, to a point. No numbering on the Topic itself:
Image

Is there a way to carry the numbering over to the text itself? Is this the "Force TOC" switch?
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Tim Green
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Dave,

That's it! 8) Note that if you click on the Help button you'll get popup help for every setting in Toolbox.

I'm afraid there's no way to get the numbering in the topics. The WebHelp numbering is currently only generated in the TOC itself. You can learn about how to configure the format string here:

https://www.helpandmanual.com/help/inde ... gation.htm

The Force TOC option should always be OFF in non-V3 skins if getting indexed by Google is important to you. It is relevant for frame-based layouts (it has no effect in V3). What it does is automatically reload a topic with the whole WebHelp layout if a visitor only accesses the topic.htm page instead of index.html?topic.htm. Unfortunately, Google interprets this automatic reload as a tricky attempt to double your page views and stops indexing the WebHelp to punish you. If you leave it off, the skins automatically display a "Show TOC" link above the topic title, which reloads with the full layout and TOC when the user clicks on it. Google considers that OK, because it's a user action.
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Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Dave Gehman
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Dave Gehman »

Tim Green wrote:I'm afraid there's no way to get the numbering in the topics. The WebHelp numbering is currently only generated in the TOC itself. You can learn about how to configure the format string here:
Not sure how I missed the help functionality. I'll lean on that in future.

Meanwhile, we're so close... and yet so far. If the numbering can be applied to the TOC but not the topics, there must be a reason. Outside looking in, if one is possible, the other is as well... is there some code that our CSS guru can add that will bring numbering into the topics as well?
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Tim Green
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Tim Green »

Dave Gehman wrote:Meanwhile, we're so close... and yet so far. If the numbering can be applied to the TOC but not the topics, there must be a reason. Outside looking in, if one is possible, the other is as well... is there some code that our CSS guru can add that will bring numbering into the topics as well?
I'm afraid it just wasn't implemented originally because this was a function that very few people used or asked about. Doing it with CSS wouldn't help: The TOC is one file and every topic is a separate file. You would have to do it with scripting and it would be tricky and create a lot of overheads: You'd need to have script in the topic file template that would automatically read from the TOC file in the navigation frame every time a topic is opened, parse through it to find the topic ID in the href attribute, and then parse out the number from the title and insert it in the current topic header. Theoretically possible if your web person is fit in JavaScript, but tricky and might involve pauses on slower servers...
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Dave Gehman
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Re: Confused on chapter/title numbering

Unread post by Dave Gehman »

Thanks. I'll pass the constraints on to our gurus, but I think I'll have to get back to the person who originally wanted the numbering in both TOC and text that for technical reasons, it won't happen.

Again, thanks for taking the time to explain things. Our company seems to specialize in asking questions that most people don't raise.
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