Book Error: Couldn't update this book, because it contains no openable non-generated files.

[Barb Binder]

Hi FrameMaker friends:

Can anyone offer some clarity on this Book error message? 

The book and the generated files update as expected as long as all the files are open. I can't find any issues with the four generated files (TOC, LOF, LOT and LOP) and the nongenerated files seem fine, too. The book was created years ago and has been updated in the various versions over the years. 

As I continue think about it, I did see missing fonts appear in the book window error report once. Is this an obscure way of telling us to uncheck ‘Remember Missing Fonts’ in Preferences?

Thanks in advance,

~Barb 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

They aren't locked, are they Barb?

[Barb Binder]

No, Jeff, they aren't.

~Barb 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Just a shot in the dark! 😂

[Winfried Reng]

Hi Barb,

I do not know the real cause of this issue, but when you search the forum for this message, there are these two threads:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/framemaker/couldn-t-update-this-book-because-it-contains-no-openable-...

https://community.adobe.com/t5/framemaker/contains-no-openable-non-generated-files/m-p/4119202

Both say that they corrected all missing fonts, and then they did not get this message.

When I had a book, and one of the files had missing fonts, then I got a message about this font, but not about nongenerated files. Therefore your message is strange, but, I would definitely try to fix your fonts.

Best regards

Winfried

[Klaus Göbel]

In my opinion, this is a misleading error message.

I suspect that FrameMaker cannot automatically open some documents or text insets in the background because they are from a different version.

Or there are other reasons why FrameMaker can't open these documents automatically, since opening requires user confirmation.
Such as missing fonts, as Winfried described, or missing graphics, etc.

In Winfried's example, the people who replaced the font then of course also saved the document again, resulting in the current version.

[Barb Binder]

It's definitely not a very helpful error message. 😂

I standardized the files so that all were saved as 2019 and there are no text insets, so I am suspecting it's referring to missing fonts. (Thanks, @Winfried Reng). But the files don't complain about missing fonts when they're being opened. (Of course, the alert could be disabled.)

This is for one of my students so I don't have access to the files right now, but I will follow up with him and then follow up here once I hear back.

Thanks for all your help, everybody! 

~Barb

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

I've found that I get that message when each of the files in the book are prevented from opening via a missing resource dialog. Have your student open all files in book, then update.

* It wouldn't be a bad idea to go to the Preferences and reset the Alert messages so that they see the missing resources that are causing the book error log.

-Matt