The "Library items" section of HelpNDoc's project analyzer lists all library items present in the library, and how they are used throughout the project: a library item can be displayed multiple times in the list if it is used multiple times in the project. The library items view is very powerful to manage library items and can help save time by:

  • Showing how many times and where each library item is being used
  • Filtering library items by kind
  • Filtering library items which are not used at all
  • Filtering library items which are included in topics but not available in the library anymore (broken items)
  • Locating library items with the exact same content
  • Merging multiple library items into one final item

Filtering unused library items

By clicking the "Filter" button then "Show un-used items only", HelpNDoc will display library items which are available in the library but not used in any topic. This is useful to purge the project and clean the library.

Filtering broken library items

Broken library items are items which have been added to topics at some point, but which are not available in the library anymore: broken library items can result in a broken documentation with missing parts. To view broken library items, click the "Filter" button then "Show broken items only". Double-clicking an item, or selecting it then clicking "Locate and select" will show the topic containing it so that it can be deleted or replaced.

Finding similar items

If you suspect some items are duplicates within the library, this feature will check all of them and select the duplicates. Here is how to proceed:

  • Select an item in the view
  • Click the "Select similar items" button
  • HelpNDoc will automatically select all items of the same kind and with the same content

Merging library items

Select multiple library items and click "Merge selected items" to merge them into a final one. This will:

  • Delete all selected items from the library except the final one
  • Replace all items in the topics by the final one