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Known Participant
June 13, 2025
Question

RoboHelp gets stuck on "Applying PDF Settings"

  • June 13, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 507 views

I'm considering moving our solution from MadCap Flare to RoboHelp due to frustration with bugs in Flare and the lack of any meaningful development for years. I've managed to get relatively up to speed with RoboHelp pretty quickly and it seems like it could work, with a few notable differences that I can work around. One issue I can't solve however, is PDF output "works" but RoboHelp gets stuck on "Applying PDF settings" that doesn't disappear unless I restart the application. It does generate the output properly, but this is a bit frustrating. Does anyone have experience with this happening?

 

Thanks!

2 replies

Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 17, 2025

Can you generate a PDF from the About Robohelp sample project?

 

Do other outputs such as frameless generate OK?

 

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ajf86Author
Known Participant
June 17, 2025

Hi Peter, 

The "About RoboHelp" project generates the PDF but I can't open it as it remains locked by the Java process. This doesn't happen in my project, but the same "Applying PDF Settings" dialogue box remains and the Output progress bar continues to scroll endlessly.

 

Frameless generates fine in all projects.

 

I've uninstalled and reinstalled Java and still get the same results..

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 17, 2025

I'd say you need to contact the RH folks - see https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/enterprise-support.other.html#robohelp for your Adobe Support options. I'd recommend using the tcssup@adobe.com e-mail address as it reaches a team dedicated to Technical Communication Suite products including RoboHelp.

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 13, 2025

What version of RH are you testing with? I don't recall hearing anyone talk about "Applying PDF settings" at all in the forum. 

ajf86Author
Known Participant
June 13, 2025

2022.6.34

 

When I generate a PDF output, it's the dialogue box in the lower right that gets "stuck".

Jeff_Coatsworth
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 13, 2025

Have you followed Peter's site on outputs to PDF - https://www.grainge.org/RoboHelp_Tour/rh2022/outputs/outputs_pdf.htm ?