What is a "PI marker" or "programming instruction marker"

[David Artman]

Thanks for replying, Jeremy--I did not expect such support, given I'm
trying to save every penny for the client and using the free version.

If it is any consolation, you've given me sufficient ammo to get them to
crack loose on MIF2Go. ;)

[By way of some background: We're in an odd spot where we're between
budgets AND about to shift to 'native' DITA using oXygen; so they're
trying hard not to invest further in Frame-specific products. But this
requirement for Help (in am month!) is gonna mean one last tool goes in
that box.]

A few more replies, inline:
 
-------- Original Message --------
From: "Jeremy H. Griffith" <jeremy at omsys.com>
Date: Wed, November 28, 2012 5:01 pm

>>Hi, all--FM8p277 on Win7. This is a long post, but I want to be thorough
>>and to show that I've done my due diligence to solve this by myself.

>Thank you for that!

I try! :)

> There is no DITA element for CSH.

I figured as much, in my searching... and I admit I find that
surprising! One would think, given it's parents (IBM, Cisco, etc) they'd
have been looking to include that early and thoroughly. *shrugs* Guess
they figured "extensible" covers such 'odd' applications as help (even
though help and software have gone hand-in-hand, like, forever). Maybe
it's a not-so-subtle nudge to an integrated help standard (which I've
already advised and had shot down).

>And what we expected, the normal XML form, is:

><?dthtm TopicAlias="IDH_About" ?>

>The ones you have would be ignored, since we
>don't recognize the target "FM", and use a
>different syntax in the body of it. An example
>of our usage is in the D2G User's Guide, in
>par. 16.10.2, "Specifying CSH mappings", 
>in the first step.

Durn it... I searched, but it didn't find any "PI marker"
reference--something wrong with my IE settings, I reckon. Should have
just kept reading....

>What does it do when you 
>have more than one item in one marker?

No idea, but I wouldn't need more than one for this application, I don't
think. OR if I did, I'd place additional markers, I suppose. (I *think*
I read something along those lines in the D2G Help... or MIF2Go Help...
or somewhere. This hasn't been a direct journey for me; more like
panicky flailing!)

>>I'd *kind of* prefer it to be
>>before the tag...

>No, it isn't a good idea to put it before 
>the <title>. That's where it belongs.

You lost me, there? ("isn't"?)

But it sounds like, if they just don't budge on MIF2Go, then I'll be
doing it in a text editor instead of FM, after all updating is complete.
But...

...Yep, curséd Frame removes it if I open in FM and then save it again!
Nope, that will not work at all. :(

Game, set, match... I'm advising MIF2Go or no CSH this release.

Unless...

>We use the HH_DISPLAY_TOPIC command 
>where you pass the filename within the CHM
>instead, and that does not need those files.

SO I could tell the devs my IDs and have them use that command in the
HtmlHelp() API? Hmmm...

Nah. Coner to DITA just to use that call, instead of using MIF2Go and
staying in FM as long as possible seems a smarter way to go. It might
still be a while before we have a fully armed and operational
DITAstation....

>>Any help? I'd check on the DITA2Go forums, but they seem a bit on the
>>dead side. 

>We do respond ourselves to posts there.

Apologies--no disparagement intended. But the last post _was_ 17 weeks
ago, ya gotta admit. ;)

And, honestly, I hadn't hoped to get your support, as I said above,
because we're trying to squeak by using the free version.

Much obliged, sir;
David