RoboHelp for Word cannot open Word with Word 2007

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 15, 2009
1 reply
2215 views

Thanks for your leignancy, I'm having trouble even starting to work with RoboHelp. I think I need detailed explanations. I did spend hours sifting through Robohelp's Help and this Forum, I'm stuck.

I am trying to use RoboHelp for Word 7.0 , build 001, with Word 2007 on Vista.

I need to work on help projects created with a previous version of RoboHelp.

For some reason, when I open RoboHelp, the .doc file opens in Word next to it, but then RoboHelp freezes for several minutes, then I get a dialog box that says "RoboHelp" could not open Word .

Then anytime I try to modify a topic in my help file, I get the same stall and error message, and my Word document stays stuck at the beginning on my first topic.

Also, in Word, all Robohelp options don't work. I can't search for a topic for instance to locate it and modify it. When I click on search for a topic from the menu on top, nothing happens at all. If I click on search a topic from the right-click menu, then I get a message that because of security or confidentiality settings, the Macros don't work.

I tried re-activating all Macros in Word 2007 Options, I closed everything, even re-booted the computer, but to no avail.

Also, I tried saving my .doc into a .docx (Word 2007 format) to see if the Macros would be compatible then, but I got the exact same results.

Right now, RoboHelp and Word don't seem to be "talking" to each other right, and the Macros don't work.

Plus: I tried to test a modification I made in the .doc file by generating the WebHelp, but that didn't work either, I got an error message saying that the file couldn't be opened, but the path to the file was all wrong, with folder names I don't even have on my computer.

If someone could figure this one out for me, I'd be very thankful, I'm the kind of person who likes something to work in a simple, linear way, 1-2-3... This is totally confusing for me right now.

RH for Word

This topic has been closed for replies.

Peter Grainge

Community Expert

You need to set the macro options in Word to the lowest level.

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H

Help_DebutanteAuthor

Participating Frequently

Ok, isn't that what I did when I re-activated the Macros in Word 2007?

Word Options / security - confidentiality center / Parameters / Activate all Macros (the lowest one on the list)

Did that already. Also, I made backups of my projects, and tried with a new "brew" just in case I had messed it up along the way somewhere.

First thing I did when I opened it again was change the output to WebHelp instead of WinHelp 4, since I can't open that in Vista anymore.

I can generate the help in that format, but either way I try to make any modification it's not taken into account when I generate it.

Example:
In the french help project which I'm working on, I had a tittle that was miss-spelled.
I tried modifying in in the Word .doc document, then generate the help, but the title was still wrong.

So I tried changing in directly in Robohelp with the topic's properties.
When I clicked OK, it stalled forever again, and then it said it couldn't take the modifications into account.

And any text I cut and paste or changed in the .doc on Word remains unchanged in the WebHelp....

Right now, the more I try, the more I'm stuck and the more questions I get. I'm seriously thinking I'd need some live coaching, on a chat or something, to get me started on the right track. Is there anyone who can do that? I'm so awfully stuck right now. And I feel like I'd unfurl a tsunami of ridiculous questions if I posted them all on the Forum now...

*EXTRA*
I did all the updates (7.0.3) and right now I'm re-installing everything.
Arghhh.
I missed one of the last days of ski this season, spent my whole week-end with this.
I'm trying to sound rational and calm, but I'm actually so tired and exasperated, I'd have jumped through the window already if we weren't on the first floor... Still stuck at Step 1...

What am I missing??

RoboWizard

Inspiring

Hi there

You said you can't open WinHelp 4 in Vista? Well, technically you can. You just have to download the Vista WinHelp viewer. If you try to open a 32 bit help file in Vista you should be prompted for a download of the viewer. This is only the first time you (or your customer) tries to open it. From there forward, the viewer should be installed and any 32 bit help systems should simply open and display.

I might suggest that if you plan on moving to WebHelp, you give some consideration for moving away from using RoboHelp for Word and toward using RoboHelp HTML. The interface is very similar to Word, so the switch shouldn't be too difficult.

The thing is, if you stick with RoboHelp for Word you are dealing with a shrinking user base. Many folks are moving away from it and toward using RoboHelp HTML. So the knowledge base for the RoboHelp for Word product is constantly shrinking too. Never mind the fact that you will find yourself painted into more corners than you can count when trying to accomplish something using the Word editor that is dead simple in RoboHelp HTML. But whether to switch or not is up to you. All I can do is make a suggestion.

Cheers... Rick

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