Log File = Inventory File?

Hi All,



My developer has asked me for an inventory file that lists
all the files outputted to the webhelp SSL folder. He needs this
for building the kit. I looked in the SSL folder and there was a
file called my_help_project.log that appeared to list all the
files.



However, when he ran it using this process he got a report
saying the following files were missing:



file not found: my_help_project_hha.hhk

..file not found: my_help_project.hhc

..file not found: my_help_project.hhk

..file not found: my_help_project.glo

..file not found: my_help_project.ppf



And indeed - they are missing from the webhelp SSL folder,
however, these files appears to exist in the source folder.



My question is, is the my_help_project.log a reliable source
of info for what I am trying to achieve? I am worried that if it is
listing files that are not there, that it also might not be listing
files that need to be there.



If not, does anyone have another suggestion?



Thanks,

Donal

Log File = Inventory File?
Hi Donal. Why does your developer require these files? They
are not ouput or published. They are purely a means for RH to group
likewise data (e.g. index, TOC, etc.) which it reproduces in
another form during the compile. The list of files in the location
of your publish folder is all he or she needs.Log File = Inventory File?
There are many files and folders in the output that are not
part of the source, look at all the stuff starting WH.



There are a number of utilities that will list all the
folders and files in a structure. ExpPrint is one that has an
option to save the report as a file that I would imagine your
developer could use.




The RH help topics on source files and output files is
instructive. You might print those out for your developer.



Also, if you use the Publish feature, look in the publish
directory for



bsscftp.ds



(Blue Sky Software Company FTP .directory source?)



There's one in every WebHelp output file folder.



If you handle it as a text file and use a fixed-width font,
you should be able to adjust the width so the three columns are
straight.



From there, you have to tinker with line endings and print
the result.



Harvey
Thanks for the comments folks.



As I said - the my_help_project.log is the file located in
the webhelp ssl folder (i.e. the output folder). According to the
RH help topic on output files, it is the ''Output file listing all
necessary files''. So it would appear to be exactly the file I need.



However, as I also said, it lists files that are not in the
webhelp ssl folder - the ones I identified above - that can only be
found in the source folder.



I did look at the file Harvey suggested, but didn't really
think it was what my developer was looking for as it doesn't
include folder structures. (BTW, as an aside, if you are looking
for this file in the future, it is not visible unless you have
hidden system files set to display).



I have installed the ap Peter suggested (thanks! - have
actually been looking for something like that for a while) and that
does exactly what I need (i.e. an accurate listing of the output
contents, including file structure); however I do think what I have
raised re the my_help_project.log file is somewhat interesting!



Thanks all,

Donal
What version are you using? I couldn't see anything about a
log file in the help. How do I get to that topic?




Morning Peter,



I'm using X5.



Go to the 'Output files for WebHelp' topic and expand the
'Output files for WebHelp' dropdown and do a search for
NewProject.log.
Report it as a bug. It is definitely including files that are
not part of the output.




Reported!
Also note that the NewProject.log file lists everything in
the project folder, even the topics and images that are not in the
output folder.



For example, topics omitted by a conditional build tag show
up in the log.



Closely related is that RH moves all images and baggage files
to the output folder, even the ones with no references in the TOC,
Index, Search database or topics themselves.



Closely related is that when you ''delete'' a baggage file or
eliminate links to an image, RH removes it from its housekeeping
files but not from the project folder.



We've said this many times in the forums. I guess I should
try out the bug report link, huh?



Harvey
According to the help topic the file is supposed to be just
what is in the output folder, not files such as the HHK which only
exist in the source.




Harvey,



I'm not too sure what your point is?



As I said, according to the RH help topic on output files,
the my_project.log file it is the ''Output file listing all
necessary files''; however it is listing files that are not
required. So either the help is wrong, or there is a bug, or I am
missing something.



I searched the forum regarding the log file, but found only
one unrelated topic, so I'm not too sure how what has been said
'many times' is relevant, but apologies if you feel I am wasting
your time.



Thanks again,

Donal
Donal,



Sorry I wasn't clearer. I agree with you that RH doesn't
behave as described in its own help topics. The log file, indeed,
lists project source files that do not appear in the output.



I meant to call attention to the fact that RH includes in the
WebHelp output folder

files that shouldn't be there at all -- images and baggage
files that remain in the project folder even though you have
''deleted'' them from the project or eliminated any links to them.
These are ''orphan'' files that RH is saving in case you want to
reinstate them without having to import them again.



That's a good idea. However, I think RH should not move them
to WebHelp output if you have not reinstated them.



How does this relate to the log file? The log file dutifully
lists the orphans that went into WebHelp. Perhaps the two problems
have a common origin.



Regards,



Harvey