Editing Concept Links

Outputs Supported

You can edit a concept link that you have inserted into a topic.

How to Change the Concepts Associated With a Concept Link

The first way to edit a concept link is to change the concepts associated with the link, as well as specify various other optional settings.

1. Open the content file.
2. In the XML Editor, right-click the concept link.

3. In the context menu, select Edit Concept Link. The Insert Concept Link Control dialog opens.

   The concepts currently associated with the link are listed on the right side of the dialog. The concepts that you have inserted into all other topics are listed on the left side of the dialog.

4. If you want to add a concept to the link, click on that keyword on the left (All Concepts) side of the dialog. Then click . If you want to remove a concept from the link, click on that keyword on the right (Selected Concepts) side of the dialog. Then click .

   Repeat this for each keyword that you want to add to or remove from the link. When you are finished, the keywords associated with the link should be in the Selected Concepts section, and the keywords not associated with the link should be in the All Concepts section. However, a concept link usually has only one keyword associated with it (or just a few at the most). Remember, every topic containing any of those concepts will show up in the concept link in the output.

5. (Optional) If you want to specify other options for the control, click and in the Concept Link Options dialog select any of the following. Click OK to close the dialog when you are finished.

   • Style Class You can select the style class to be used for the control. See Styles and Stylesheets.
   • Label You can change the text shown on the control.

   • Display topics in You can specify that the links should be displayed in a popup menu (same as default) or as a simple list.

     Note For projects that are merged, the list option is supported for standard merging (e.g., linking to an FLPRJ file in the table of contents). However, it is not supported for automerging in WebHelp Plus output.

   • Target Frame You can choose the type of frame used when a link is clicked.

     • Page Default The destination file opens in the same window as the output window.
     • Parent Frame The destination file opens in the parent frame of the current topic while hiding that topic.
     • New Window The destination file opens in a new browser window.
     • Same Frame The destination file opens in the same window frame as the current topic.
     • Top Frame The destination file opens in the same output window, removing all other framesets. You might use this option, for example, if the destination topic has its own frameset.
     • Popup Window The destination file opens in a popup box on top of the current topic.
6. Click OK. The Insert Concept Link Control dialog closes, and the link is now changed.
7. Click to save your work.

How to Edit the Style of a Concept Link

You can edit the style of a concept link. When you do this, the style changes for all concept links in any topics in your project. Also, keep in mind the various rules that pertain to concept links.

1. From the Content Explorer, open the stylesheet that you want to modify.

2. Complete one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether you want to use the Simplified view or Advanced view in the Stylesheet Editor.

   • Simplified The Simplified view displays styles in a grid view and is often best for brand new users.

     This view provides an easy way to apply properties to styles, with format options available from a toolbar and dialogs (similar to the way one would use an interface such as Microsoft Word). In some cases, only the most common property options are available in the Simplified view (e.g., font, letter/word spacing, paragraph alignment/indentation, autonumbering format, borders, background). One advantage of the Simplified view is that you can apply a property to multiple styles at the same time. You can also click a check box to hide the properties in the editor, allowing you to see only the styles.

   • Advanced The Advanced view displays styles in a tree structure, and despite the name, is user friendly for authors of all levels.

     For the properties, you can toggle between a grouped display and an alphabetical display. The Advanced view of the Stylesheet Editor lets you edit more settings than are available in the Simplified view. In addition, the Advanced view lets you see and apply settings to multiple mediums and media queries at the same time.

If Using Simplified View

1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays (which means that the Simplified view is currently shown in the editor). If the button displays instead, then click it.
2. In the upper-left corner of the editor, click in the Show Styles field and select Show Link Styles or Show Dynamic Effects Styles. Different styles are displayed with each filter.
3. From the grid in the bottom portion of the editor, find and select one of the following styles, depending on what you want to accomplish. You can use a general style (which starts with "helpControl") if you want to modify all types of Help control links (concept, keyword, and related topic links). Alternatively, you can use a specific style (which starts with "conceptLink") if you want to modify only concept links in your project.
   • MadCap|helpControlList Edit this style to change the look of the entire list (<ul> element) when links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|helpControlListItem Edit this style to change the look of individual items in the list (<li> elements) when links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|helpControlListItemLink Edit this style to change the look of links in the list (<a> elements) when links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|helpControlMenu Edit this style to change the look of links (i.e., menu items) when links are displayed in a popup, rather than in a list. This particular style controls the entire list.
   • MadCap|helpControlMenuItem Edit this style to change the look of links (i.e., menu items) when links are displayed in a popup, rather than in a list. This particular style controls the individual list items.
   • MadCap|conceptLink Edit this style to change the look of the heading for concept links. The following three concept link styles inherit properties from this style.
   • MadCap|conceptLinkControlList Edit this style to change the look of the entire list (<ul> element) when concept links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|conceptLinkControlListItem Edit this style to change the look of individual items in the list (<li> elements) when concept links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|conceptLinkControlListItemLink Edit this style to change the look of links in the list (<a> elements) when concept links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.

   Note You can also change a pseudo class of a link style (e.g., MadCap|conceptLink.focus or MadCap|conceptLink.hover) if you want to modify the look of the concept link when it is in a certain state (e.g., when it has focus or when the cursor is hovering over it).

4. In the local toolbar of the editor, click . The Properties dialog opens.

   

5. Use the tabs and fields in the Properties dialog to change values for any of the style's properties. You can also adjust other property values not yet set for the style.

   For more information about editing style properties, see Styles and Stylesheets, as well as Editing Styles in a Regular Stylesheet.

If Using Advanced View

1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays . If the button displays instead, then click it.
2. In the upper-left corner of the editor, click in the Show Styles field and select Link Styles or Dynamic Effects Styles. Different styles are displayed with each filter.
3. On the left side of the editor, find and select one of the following styles, depending on what you want to accomplish. You can use a general style (which starts with "helpControl") if you want to modify all types of Help control links (concept, keyword, and related topic links). Alternatively, you can use a specific style (which starts with "conceptLink") if you want to modify only concept links in your project.
   • MadCap|helpControlList Edit this style to change the look of the entire list (<ul> element) when links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|helpControlListItem Edit this style to change the look of individual items in the list (<li> elements) when links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|helpControlListItemLink Edit this style to change the look of links in the list (<a> elements) when links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|helpControlMenu Edit this style to change the look of links (i.e., menu items) when links are displayed in a popup, rather than in a list. This particular style controls the entire list.
   • MadCap|helpControlMenuItem Edit this style to change the look of links (i.e., menu items) when links are displayed in a popup, rather than in a list. This particular style controls the individual list items.
   • MadCap|conceptLink Edit this style to change the look of the heading for concept links. The following three concept link styles inherit properties from this style.
   • MadCap|conceptLinkControlList Edit this style to change the look of the entire list (<ul> element) when concept links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|conceptLinkControlListItem Edit this style to change the look of individual items in the list (<li> elements) when concept links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.
   • MadCap|conceptLinkControlListItemLink Edit this style to change the look of links in the list (<a> elements) when concept links are displayed in a list, rather than in a popup.

   Note You can also change a pseudo class of a link style (e.g., MadCap|conceptLink.focus or MadCap|conceptLink.hover) if you want to modify the look of the concept link when it is in a certain state (e.g., when it has focus or when the cursor is hovering over it).

4. From the Show drop-down list on the upper-right side of the editor, select . The most relevant properties for that style are shown on the right side of the editor.
5. (Optional) You can use the toggle button in the local toolbar to show properties below in a group view or an alphabetical view .

6. Locate the property you want to change.

7. The area to the right of the property is used for selecting and entering values. If you know how to enter the information correctly, you can click in the value field and type it directly. Otherwise, click the ellipsis button to the right of the property. Depending on the type of property, the appropriate controls and options display, allowing you to choose or enter values (e.g., select from a drop-down list, click a button, complete fields in a dialog or popup). If you completed values in a popup, click OK at the bottom of the box.

   For more information about editing style properties, see Styles and Stylesheets, as well as Editing Styles in a Regular Stylesheet.

3. Click to save your work.

Rules

Keep in mind the following rules when working with these types of styles.

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