Project Backup
In ClickHelp, you can back up your projects with a couple of clicks by utilizing the Project Backup feature. As a result of the backup, you get a ZIP archive with the project's data that you can keep in ClickHelp File Storage or store externally: on a local machine, in cloud storage, etc.
| The files obtained from the project backup, including topic HTML content files, are not intended for delivery to readers as they are "technical" files only. If you want to export the HTML content of topics, you need to create an HTML manual instead. |
You may want to use the project backup for many different reasons, like saving a project's data before making significant changes or if you no longer need a specific project and want to remove it from the portal while keeping its data at hand. Besides, there are more use cases when the functionality may come in handy.
| Merging projects |
You can merge several projects into one using the project backup feature. Download the backups of the projects you
want to merge and then import them all to a single
project! |
| Storing data in Git |
If you want to store your documentation with the code or create a history of your projects, the project backup functionality can also serve that purpose! Merging projects with Git is also possible. |
| Transferring projects between portals |
If you have several ClickHelp portals and want to transfer your projects
from one to another, you can achieve this by downloading the
backups of these projects and importing
them to another portal. |
| Transferring data to other tools |
The project backup functionality can be an intermediate step when you need to transfer data from ClickHelp to another help authoring tool. This way, all custom ClickHelp conditional and dynamic navigational elements are preserved and not converted to a static HTML. |
| Content processing |
Some complex content processing operations might be possible only outside ClickHelp using third-party tools. In this case, you can download the project backup to get its HTML and perform the needed operations directly in the source code. |
Project Translations Handling
For projects with translations, you can download the backup file for the base project only. However, all project translations are automatically included in the resulting archive.
Note that the XLIFF translation files are not imported automatically during the import of such a backup. To import translations, you can import XLIFF files later manually — but you will need to create the corresponding translations first.
Project Backup Limitations
There are some limits to the Project Backup functionality:
- If you have links to snippet topics located in other projects, such snippet topics are not included in the backup. However, the links are preserved.
- If you have links to images or files located outside the project folder, such images and files are not included in the backup. The links are preserved.
- If you have styles and scripts applied to the project that are not located in the project folder, such styles and scripts are not included in the backup. Therefore, if you import it back, you will need to apply such styles and scripts to the project manually.
- Topic version history is not a part of the backups.
- Publications cannot be downloaded using the project backup feature since they are the final static output, while the backup is made from the source — the project.
Project Backup Import Specifics
After you import the project backup, you will receive the content as close to the original project as possible. However, there are specific use cases when certain entities can be changed:
- If you changed your Custom Workflow after the export so that a specific status name changed, then the topics with this status will be reset to Draft during the import. The system shows warning messages for such Status fields.
- If you are importing the project backup to another portal and you have a specific user in the Assignee and Owner fields that does not exist in a new portal, then the corresponding fields will be populated with the current user. The system shows warning messages for such Assignee and Owner fields.
- If you are importing the project backup to another portal and you have a specific user as an author of ToDo items and Review Comments that does not exist in a new portal, the ToDo item or Review Comment author will be changed to the current user. The system shows warning messages for such ToDo items only.