RoboHelp Article

Sharing One RoboHelp Project Among Multiple Authors

Test-Driving Content Management with a Sample Project

To take some of the mystery out of this new process, I've created a sample project for you to test-drive without disturbing production work. The project uses a mythical Corporate Policies and Procedures Online website as a way to take a newcomer through a typical file-sharing scenario. The assumption is made that RoboSource Control Server has already been installed either on your local hard drive for testing or on a LAN share and that you have been given a username and password.

In this scenario, you can play two roles, that of RoboSource Control administrator and author.

To set up the tutorial files:

1. Unzip corporate_pnp.zip (1.02 MB), the RoboHelp X5 tutorial project, to your local computer in a convenient folder
2. Notice that a new subfolder, Corporate PnP, is automatically created for the project.

Because the tutorial is a testing environment, you will be switching roles as different user names (RSCTester, SusanB, MyraH, etc.). While not mandatory to get a feel of the process, follow these steps to simulate the most realistic results.

Each time you assume a new user name identity:

1. Exit RoboHelp to clear out any previous user data from memory.
2. Restart RoboHelp.
3. Select File > Version Control > RoboSource Control.
4. Select File > Re-Login > Enter the User name and click OK.
5. Select File > Set Working Folder > Path tab > Select Path of project folder on your hard drive.
6. Click OK.
7. Close RoboSource Control and continue as usual with RoboHelp.

Part 1: Role of the RoboSource Control Administrator

Although it may be an IT department prerogative, many authoring teams are given responsibility for administering their own RoboSource Control server. The term server sometimes confuses newcomers. In this case, the RoboSource Control Server is simply a database application that is typically set up on a dedicated server machine that has network tape backup and will always be available to users. However, it can also be installed on an author's local machine if you are working alone or just want to test drive the process.

Note: You need administrative RoboSource Control access rights to create this part of the tutorial.

Creating a New Database for RSCTestDB

To set up the test-drive tutorial database called RSCTestDB:

1. Select Start > Programs > RoboSource Control > RoboSource Control Explorer. Or from the RoboHelp authoring application, click the ".exe" icon at the right of the RoboSource Control toolbar (see Figure 2).

   

   Figure 2: RoboSource Control toolbar

   The RoboSource Control server application opens (see Figure 3).

   

   Figure 3: RoboSource Control server opens

2. Select File > New Database to open the Create New Local Database dialog box (see Figure 4). The path shown is the default. You may select a different path if you like. Ideally it would be placed on a share drive that is backed up regularly. When you click the Create Database button, RoboSource creates the RSCTestDB in the path shown. In the real world, place the database on a share drive ready for scheduled backups.

   

   Figure 4: Create New Local Database dialog box

3. Enter the admin default account name without a password to get started.

4. Click the Create Database button. The new database now appears (see Figure 5).

   

   Figure 5: New empty DB appears with no projects (the 3gig you see in the title bar is the name of the computer)

The new database is now ready to receive projects. The next step is to set up user accounts.

Creating Users and Setting Up Access Rights

Before you can add projects to the database, authors need usernames and passwords:

1. Select Admin > User Library.

2. Add four new users, as shown in Figure 6, and accept the default access rights without passwords for now. In a real environment you could set your own username or use the Windows Login username and password. The user library for your new database should look like Figure 6.

   

   Figure 6: Users created and given various levels of access rights for this test

   Authors can now create or open projects and add them to the RSCTestDB database.

3. Close the RoboSource Control server app and prepare to open the tutorial RoboHelp project called Corporate PnP.

Part 2: Role of the Author (RSCTester)

Your username is RSCTester. You are designated as the lead author on the team. Other authors are primarily working on a single folder. However, on occasion they are allowed to contribute to and edit any content on an as-needed basis. Your role is to coordinate with the team, manage the table of contents and index, and publish the single-source layout when necessary.

To add the Corporate PnP tutorial project to version control, perform these steps:

1. Open the Corporate PnP tutorial project (see Figure 7).

   

   Figure 7: RSCTester's RoboHelp project before adding it to version control

2. To preview this sample project, generate a single-source layout such as WebHelp or HTML Help and view the results to become familiar with the project (it's just a bare bones sample for practicing).
3. With the project open, select File > Version Control > Add to Version Control.
4. In the Select Version Control Provider dialog box, select the RSCTestDB database for your project.
5. In the Select Database dialog box, enter RSCTester as your username and leave password blank. Click OK.
6. In the Browse for Corporate PnP dialog box, accept the default name to create a folder for the project to be placed in the database and click OK.

7. After the database is updated, a new File Status tab appears at the lower right pane, which lists all the files in the project as "checked out exclusive" (see Figure 8).

   

   Figure 8: All files automatically checked out immediately after adding a project to version control for the first time

   You are now ready to continue your project using the new RoboSource Control features.

8. Close the project and check in the files. When the Check In dialog box appears, uncheck annual_report.htm and insert a comment alerting the team that you have added a new style sheet and a note about the checked-out file (see Figure 9).

   

   Figure 9: Entering comments when checking files back in

Another Team Member Opening the Project for the First Time

To simulate the opening of a project from an existing database, assume you are a user named SusanB who primarily works on the Accounting folder. Watch the RoboDemo movie to see the process.

View Example

Here are the steps shown in the RoboDemo movie:

1. Select File > Open to bring up the Open Project dialog box.
2. Create the Corporate_PnP folder in the dialog box and click the Open Project From Version Control button.
3. In the Select Version Control Provider dialog box, select RSCTestDB that was created earlier by the RoboSource Control administrator.
4. Enter SusanB in the User field, leaving the password blank for purposes of the demonstration.
5. Select the Corporate PnP folder from the database tree and click OK.
6. Select the local path to the Corporate_PnP folder.
7. Once the RoboSource Control has copied all the current project files to SusanB's hard drive, she can now select the project filename, corporatepnp.xpj. Click Open.
8. Click Yes in the Get Latest Version dialog box and the project will open from the database. SusanB is now ready to edit the new project.

Checking Out and Determining Who Has the File

In Figures 10 and 11, you can follow how SusanB checks out files in the File Status list and finds out who has other files checked out.

Figure 10: SusanB checks out a file from the context menu after right-clicking a topic in the File Status pane. She also wants to know which team member has checked out accounts_payable.htm. She can do so by double-clicking the filename.

Figure 11: RSCTester has checked out the file.

Rolling Back to a Previous Version of a File

SusanB learns that management has changed its mind and wants to revert to a much older version of a procedure. Using the History and Rollback process, she can locate the correct version and roll back to it.

Click the following link to view a Macromedia RoboDemo movie that shows the rollback process:

View Example

Here are the steps shown in the RoboDemo movie:

1. From the File Status tab, right-click the file you are accessing and select Show History.
2. From History Options, select the user and date range if desired. Click OK.
3. The History For dialog box opens, showing the various versions from "Creation" onward.
4. Select any two files you would like to compare and click the Differences button.
5. Select the previous file you want to access from the list and click the RollBack button.
6. If desired, place a comment in the box provided and check the Update Local Copy option to see the newly accessed file in progress.
7. Click OK on "Get latest Version."
8. Click Close. You will now be able to access the new version

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