3.10 Troubleshooting RapidRules output

When you inspect the HTML output generated using RapidRules's WML file, you may find that some of the results are not quite to your liking. This section presents some common questions and answers about how to change the WML to achieve the results you want.

• Why is the Index link at the top of each web page greyed out?

RapidRules maps FrameMaker paragraph style tags named WWW-TOC and WWW-IX to WML rules that create a generated table of contents and an index for your web. If you do not have a tag in your FrameMaker document mapped to these WML rules, WebMaker cannot create an index for you. See Section 3.6, "Table of contents", for information on how to tell WebMaker to make a table of contents for you. See Section 3.7, "Index", for information on how to tell WebMaker to make an index for you.

• Why do I have an Index page that has only a title and no entries?

Even if you map some FrameMaker tag to an index-node-generating WML rule (like IndexHeadingL-IndexNodeL), WebMaker cannot create an index if your FrameMaker document does not have any index markers. If you want a web index, you must have index markers in your FrameMaker document.

• Why don't the navigation panels at the top of each web page have graphic buttons?

RapidRules does not by default use the library files that include graphic buttons in the navigation panel. To use the library files that do use graphic buttons, edit the WML file in WebMaker and replace the nodes file as follows:

If your file includes nodes.wml, replace it with nodesB.wml.

If your file includes nodesTI.wml, replace it with nodesBTI.wml.

Then you need to make sure that the GIF files for the graphic buttons are in the directory where the HTML output files are. See Section 3.5.2, "Graphical navigation buttons".

• Why are my graphics all white or missing in the HTML files?

If you are using graphics that are imported by reference, make sure that any source graphics files (TIFFs, XWDs, and so on) are in the appropriate directories. For example, if the FrameMaker files import graphics files from the same directory as the FrameMaker files are in, and you place the MIF files in another directory, you must copy the graphics files to the directory where the MIF files are. If your FrameMaker files import graphics from a subdirectory of the FrameMaker files directory, and you put the MIF files in another directory, you need to create a subdirectory in the MIF directory that contains all the graphics files.

Sometimes your browser may be the culprit. If you previously made a web and were missing the graphics files, then if you view the new web, the browser may display the old images, which it cached. Try reloading the images in your browser.

• Why are my graphics cropped in the HTML files?

There are two reasons why a graphic might be cropped.

If the anchored frame surrounding the graphic is not at least as large as the graphic itself, the image will be cropped to the size of the anchored frame. For best conversion results, you should make sure all anchored frames are at least as large as the graphic inside of them. Also note that the anchored frame cannot exceed the size of the FrameMaker page.

Most graphics convert best when imported into your FrameMaker document at 72 dpi. If you are using the PC version of WebMaker, and your FrameMaker files contain graphics imported at any resolution higher than 72 dpi, the graphics will be scaled down to 72 dpi and then converted. Because the anchored frame surrounding the graphic is then too small, the image will be cropped. For best conversion results, you should make sure that the images you want to convert are imported at 72 dpi in your FrameMaker document.

See Chapter 7, "FrameMaker Style Recommendations" for more information about anchored frames and graphics conversion.

• Why are my nodes beginning at incorrect places in my document?

Some kinds of headings are difficult to distinguish from other headings. Therefore, RapidRules might map both a chapter name and a chapter number to node-generating WML rules, resulting in two nodes, when you only want one node. It might also map only subheadings to nodes, instead of chapter or section headings. You should browse the HTML files in more than one browser to see if you can determine the kind of FrameMaker paragraph that is getting an incorrect mapping. (Turning on the Debugging Markers option in the Make a Web dialog box can make this process somewhat easier; see Section 8.2, "Debugging markers".) Then, you can modify your WML file to use the correct rules.

RapidRules may also wrongly identify some headings as not being headings. For instance, this document's copyright page logically belongs in its own web node, but the text's formatting is not obviously that of a heading; RapidRules thus thinks that it is not a heading. You should edit the WML file to make such a heading map to a node-generating WML rule.

An unusual autonumber sequence in heading definitions may also cause nodes to appear at seemingly odd places. If your system of autonumbering is not completely straightforward, the headings may be mapped to inappropriate WML rules; for instance, a top-level heading might appear smaller than a second-level heading. You should edit the WML file to reflect the true organizational structure of your document.