Missing TOC

[WrightStuff]

Suddenly I can't see most of the chapters, only what I worked on last is visible. There is an error table_of_contents.xml can not be referenced. Made sure the path is included. Looked in Maps and there is a table_of_contents_1.xml file. What to do?

[Tim Green]

Problems like this most often happen when multiple users are editing the same project on a network connection that isn't providing Help+Manual with the information it needs to know that more than one user is working. For example on a VPN connection, or with the project stored in a managed cloud folder like OneDrive, Google Drive, DropBox etc. Another possible cause is a version control system that is not working properly.

Looked in Maps and there is a table_of_contents_1.xml file. What to do?

That is the name of an additional table of contents, if you have created one. Normally, you should also have a file called table_of_contents.xml, which would be the primary one that is never deleted by Help+Manual. So if it isn't there some external factor must have deleted it -- working in a managed cloud folder on a VPN are typical ways that this can happen.

The first thing to do is to check your last external backup and copy the latest version of the main table_of_contents.xml file back into the Maps folder. If you don't have a backup -- -- try editing the file in a text editor like Notepad or Notepad++. If it looks OK, change its name to table_of_contents.xml and see if that works.

Note that the table of contents is just a list of links. You can always re-create your TOC entries for files by dragging them from Project Files > Topic Files into the TOC area. This doesn't move anything, it just creates TOC entries.

[WrightStuff]

Thanks Tim,
I can't find anything in the History folder.
I am using Help and Manual with One Drive
I lost the TOC after I dragged a chapter from another project.
After that I could only see the most recent chapters I have been working on
I tried renaming the Table_of_contents_1.xml, did not work.
I am going to start copying the whole folder once a day to prevent this happening again.
Best regards
ST

[Tim Green]

Hi Stuff,

Do not EVER edit uncompressed Help+Manual projects in managed cloud folders like OneDrive, DropBox, Google Drive etc. They will always cause problems, the very least of which are multiple "conflicted" copies of individual topics with different edits in each copy. If you have the project open on different computers you will, depending on the cloud system you are using, also get overwrites of files without any notification. Editing in managed cloud folders is the single most common cause of data loss and corruption in Help+Manual projects, by a large margin.

[WrightStuff]

Hi Tim,
Thanks for your advice, I am not slowly recreating my TOC, it's a painfully slow process figuring out where each page file goes, as it's a huge project, I'm not familiar with the content and many of the chapters belong to previous versions of the software. Any advice on how to do this efficiently?
BTW my name is Steve, not Stuff!
Best wishes
Steve

[Tim Green]

Hi Steve,

The very best way to achieve this would be with a recent backup of your TOC file. If you have one, just copy it into your Maps folder and a lot of the work will already be done. (And if you don't have one you should really, really start doing backups on an external storage option right away. Really. Not having them is life-threatening.)

Other than that, the easiest way to create TOC entries is to drag files from the Topic Files section into the TOC. This doesn't move anything, it just automatically creates TOC entries. You can do this with multiple files. Select with SHIFT+Click and CTRL+Click, then drag.

PS: Thanks for the name! You might want to add a signature to your forum account so that your name appears. We've tried to encourage real names as user names, but it's a hard slog.

[WrightStuff]

Hi Tim
This problem started when I dragged a chapter from another project,let's call is project 2, into my TOC.
The error message said that the file table_of_contents.xml, from project 2, couldn't be referenced in the Maps folder.

I've added my real name to my signature.
I've tried dragging and dropping, but it doesn't create chapter icons.

Regards
ST

[Tim Green]

Hi Stephen,

I've tried dragging and dropping, but it doesn't create chapter icons.

That's not quite right: There isn't a chapter structure in the Topic Files, because the folders there are just for organization and don't have any effect on your project structure. However, if you drag a topic file ONTO a TOC entry (entry as a whole gets highlighted before you drop), it will add an entry as a child topic, converting the entry you dragged onto into a chapter. Dragging BETWEEN topics (blue line between the entries before you drop) inserts it between the TOC entries, in the position of the blue line.

This problem started when I dragged a chapter from another project,let's call is project 2, into my TOC.
The error message said that the file table_of_contents.xml, from project 2, couldn't be referenced in the Maps folder.

Thanks for this additional information. That's very helpful. I'm passing this on to our developers.