Embedded HTML

[RossAtkinson 0]

I have gold edition with version 7.04.0000. I am utilizing embedded HTML in a memo and when I produce an HTML report, it is being treated as text instead of HTML (for example, it is converting a < sign to &lt). I have even tried using the examples that are in the help but those also do not work so I don't think it is a formatting issue.

 

Is there another setting somewhere? Has anyone else run into this? Do you have a solution? The only stipulation I could find in help, besides the opening and closing [html:] [:HTML] was that you had to be outputing HTML and you had to using the gold edition.

 

This is my first post to the forum, be kind!

 

thanks Ross

[Michael Hannah 0]

Hi Ross,

 

Welcome to the Forum!

 

I believe you have stumbled upon an existing bug concerning the less-than and greater-than signs within HTML codes which has been reported to Wholly Genes. We can hope that this will be fixed in a future upgrade. However, it appears that few people notice this issue since very few users output reports to HTML. Most users rely upon the SecondSite software to produce HTML for them.

 

Maybe you could describe exactly what you are trying to do? One of us users may have a suggestion for a workaround.

 

I don't know if what I do is similar to what you want, but for my purposes I have been using the [WEB:][:WEB] formatting codes instead of the

 codes.  I choose to put the exact web site in my Citation Details for a source I found on the web.  For example the following is my Citation Detail text for a site at FindAGrave.

[code]\<[WEB:]http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18818512; Thomas M. Gift[:WEB]\>, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania[/code]
Notice that my greater-than and less-than signs are [b]outside[/b] the [WEB] codes and that I escape them with the backslash escape character.  That may not be necessary, but I am a "belt and suspenders" type of guy. 
 
Hope this gives you ideas,

[RossAtkinson 0]

Hey Michael, here is an example of the HTML code I have in a memo box on an individual which is to be included in the HTML page that is produced:

 

[html:]<IMG BORDER="0" SRC="poppy.gif" ALIGN="texttop" WIDTH="20" HEIGHT="22">[:HTML]

 

This displays a simple image. I do have some more complex images with hyperlinks and they don't work either.

 

According to the documentation, this should work. Interesting though how you used the \< (and outside of the [WEB:]) - what does this actually do for you?

 

Ross

[Michael Hannah 0]

Hey Michael, here is an example of the HTML code I have ...

According to the documentation, this should work...

Yes, it "should" but unfortunately TMG is "helping" you. In an HTML document some special characters normally need to be converted to the HTML codes that stand for those special characters. However, TMG should not be doing that conversion within the bracketed [html:][:HTML] codes, but it does .

 

At the moment the only workaround I know to do is to manually "fix" the output file created by TMG. (Maybe some other user will have a better suggestion?) Open the HTM output file in a text editor, such as Notepad. (If you use something like Word, be sure to save it as an ASCII text file, not a word processing document.)

• Search for the four character text string <
  
• If it is the beginning of some HTML code, replace that string with the single less-than character
  
• Within your HTML code, look for the six character text string " and replace with the quote character
  
• At the end of your HTML code, replace the closing four character string > with the single greater-than character
  

You could try doing a global search/replace, but that might? cause problems with those special characters in text outside your HTML code.

 

I know this is a pain, but currently I am unaware of any other way to get HTML codes to work properly. While TMG reports to HTML (sort of) work otherwise, I strongly recommend looking in to the SecondSite program as a much better way to produce web pages from TMG projects.

 

Interesting though how you used the \It does nothing for the WEB codes, but I like the looks of having the hyperlink within those brackets in the report.

[RossAtkinson 0]

Thanks Michael, I am very fluent in HTML as I currently maintain multiple websites for various organizations and myself. There is one other option....go back to using my older version of TMG (before the days of the

 tag when it actually worked straight up inside a memo)  

[Michael Hannah 0]

I am very fluent in HTML myself (I wrote the first HTML Reference Manual) but I still recommend SecondSite.

[Virginia Blakelock 0]

There is one other option....go back to using my older version of TMG (before the days of the

 tag when it actually worked straight up inside a memo)  
 
Note that TMG projects are not backward-compatible. In other words, you can't use an older version of the program to open a project created by a newer version of the program.
 
Virginia

Edited April 16, 2011 by Jim Byram

[RossAtkinson 0]

Thanks Virginia, I meant it as a joke

 

Thanks Michael, I hate the thought of spending even more money (I am sure it does a geat job though).

 

One would think that as part of upgrading, you wouldn't lose functionality!! I wouldn't dare think of doing that with my software company.

[Michael Hannah 0]

Thanks Michael, I hate the thought of spending even more money (I am sure it does a great job though).

I am not affiliated in any way with SecondSite, but at only $29.95 as shown on their web site here I consider the amount of time it has saved me to be well worth it.

One would think that as part of upgrading, you wouldn't lose functionality!! I wouldn't dare think of doing that with my software company.

As I mentioned above, it is a bug. Unfortunately unintentional bugs do creep in when software is changed and improved no matter who the software company. In my opinion every upgrade to TMG has added considerable functionality. And I am unaware of TMG ever intentionally removing any functionality (save the very rare bug).