Authoring - Using images in topics

The images that you see in the topics are always retrieved from the HelpServer database. If you create topics with images you can directly insert the image files from your file system. These are then copied to the HelpServer database. Once they are on the database the images on your file systems aren't used anymore. In other words, HelpServer does not access your own file system.

Besides loading images from your file system you can also paste an image from the clipboard. This is a very convenient approach in cases where you can capture images. For example assume you are working on books about animals and you have found a nice image of a falcon on the Internet. Just copy it to the clipboard.

Copying an image to the clipboard

Next, you put the cursor in the topic where you want the image and hit the "Paste" button or right click and select "Paste" (NOT "Insert").

Pasting an image from the clipboard.

On the popup window you specify a short description. This description is used to recognize the image if you would need to insert it from the project gallery.

The image is grabbed from the clipboard and inserted in the database. A link is created in the topic at the paste position.

Image pasted from the clipboard

The image copy/paste-from-clipboard method is highly recommended to submit updated images in the Workbench without duplicating them. Assume for example you want to replace the current image of the falcon with a nicer one. Just capture or copy the new image to the clipboard.

Copying another image to the clipboard

Put the cursor on the image (just click it, you will need to see a black surrounding rectangle) and hit the "Paste" button" or right click the image and select "Paste".

Replacing an image

Next, you confirm the replacement of the original image.

Updated image

The original image on the database is overwritten by the image on the clipboard. You can also use this approach to overwrite or update an image that you have previously inserted from your file system.

Here are some guidelines when working with images.

Each time you insert an image file from your file system a new image object is created in the HelpServer database, even if it is the same image file.

 

Each time you paste an image from the clipboard in a blank space of a topic, a new image object is created in the HelpServer database. Only when you paste over an existing image, the image object in the HelpServer database is overwritten.

 

Should you copy an image in the HelpServer Workbench and paste it in another topic, you do not duplicate it. You actually copy/paste the link to the image.

 

So, the best approach is to insert or paste an image once. If you would need the same image in other topics you do this by the copy/paste of HelpServer Workbench (you actually copy/paste the image link) or you can locate the image in the project gallery and re-insert it. If the image is changed, you re-capture/copy it to the clipboard and paste it over the image in the Workbench. The changes to the image are reflected everywhere the image link is used. But you might want to check the image link properties in case the new image size is changed.

Authoring

 About HelpServer
 Starting up and logging on
 The basic working principles
 Using the content in help and documentation systems
 Formatting the content
 Searching and replacing text
 Reusing content with shares
 Navigating with hyperlinks
 Navigating with pointerpaths
 Using bookmarks and jumps
 Duplicating content with clones
 Using tables
 Including media files
 Overview
 Inserting files from the file system
 Inserting files from an external location
 Using the files from the project gallery
 Images
 Using images in topics
 The image link properties
 Scaling images
 Wrapping text around images
 Video and audio
 Application and text files
 Reloading files
 Restoring files
 Navigating to web pages
 Using embedded chunks
 Including html code
 Navigating with menus
 Using snippets
 Spelling checking
 Using the view mode
 Creating an index
 Creating a FAQ
 Creating a glossary
 Team authoring
 Working with projects
 Setting up structured authoring
 Generating file based output
 Creating printed output
 Importing files and folders
 Loading files in the project gallery
 Converting legacy content
 Including legacy content in real time
 Transferring objects between installations
 Smartcontent
 Notification
 Feedback
 Translating
 Customizing the look and feel
 User accounts
 Security
 Working with templates
 Working with metadata
 Versioning
 Auditing
 Workflow management
 Annotations
 Using event exits
 Appendix A: The URL parameters
 Appendix B: The object indicators
 Appendix C: Play Javascript