Failed to generate Printed documentation message

[Guest]

Here is the full message:

Result: Failed to generate Printed documentation. Please see compilation message for details.
Click OK to return.

I'm not sure what the compilation message is. The only options it gives me are 1) OK and 2) Help. When I click Help it takes me to the generate FAQ page in the RoboHelp help file.

I've been creating printed documentation for two years without seeing this message. Then, it popped up the other day and now it does whenever I try to create printed documentation. I haven't changed the process with which I make topics.

I've searched through the RoboHelp HTML help and this forum. Thanks!

[MergeThis]

Has your IT group upgraded MS-Word? If so, RH doesn't recognize that version until you uninstall and re-install RH.


Good luck,
Leon

[Guest]

It's the same version of Word 2002 I've been using when it's worked. I can't think of anything else that might have changed on my machine.

[Peter Grainge]

A patch can have the same effect.

First though try to generate again and this time with View | Output selected. You should see where it is falling over.

[Guest]

Here was the output when I tried to create printed documentation for a topic:

Starting to build Printed Documentation...
Printed Documentation processor 13.10.606

Building C:\Documents and Settings\mkabran\Desktop\Printed_Documentation.doc ...

Preparing to create Printed Documentation...
Clearing output folder...
Preparing files for Print Document...
Copying files...
Updating files...
Finished preparing in 41 seconds.
Cleaning up temporary files...

Internal error encountered, Failed to generate Printed Documentation.

I'm using RoboHelp HTML X5.0.1

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[MergeThis]

Try installing the X5.0.2 patch.


Good luck,
Leon

[Peter Grainge]

Would that be Word 2007 you are trying to work with? X5 will not work with that, you need to upgrade RH or downgrade Word.

[Guest]

Sorry for the delay in finding this out. I'm using Microsoft Word 2002 SP3. I have no problem generating any of the other outputs--only the printed documentation.

[Peter Grainge]

Can you print if you create a new project?

[Guest]

I created a new project. I created a test topic within this new project and tried to print documentation for the test topic. I still got the same error.

Output:


Building C:\Program Files\RoboHelp Office\RoboHTML\Test Project\!SSL!\Printed_Documentation\Printed_Documentation.doc ...

Preparing to create Printed Documentation...
Clearing output folder...
Preparing files for Print Document...
Copying files...
Updating files...
Finished preparing in 0 seconds.
Cleaning up temporary files...

Internal error encountered, Failed to generate Printed Documentation.

[Peter Grainge]

I think I would be uninstalling RH and then reinstalling it, plus the patch.

[MergeThis]

You might also try generating to a folder with a much shorter path (like C:\RH_Test\Print.doc). What happens then?


Good luck,
Leon

[Guest]

I reinstalled RoboHelp X5 and upgraded to X5.0.2. I also tried implementing the Word fix that Adobe recommends on their Web site. But I'm still getting the same error message when I try to create printed documentation. Any more ideas? I appreciate all your help!

[Peter Grainge]

What is the security setting for Word macros? It needs to be medium or lower.

[Guest]

It was set at medium. I tried setting it lower and it still produced the same error. Could it be related to the new patch? Or the .dot fixes for Word on the Adobe Web site? I applied those printed documentation fixes to no avail ( http://www.adobe.com/support/robohelp/downloads.html).

[Peter Grainge]

What is the path of your project and what is the path to the folder where you are trying to generate the help.

[Guest]

I'm using the default paths:

Printed documentation path: C:\Program Files\RoboHelp Office\RoboHTML\Help\!SSL!\Printed_Documentation\Printed_Documentation.doc

Project path: C:\Program Files\RoboHelp Office\RoboHTML

[Peter Grainge]

Your projects should never be in Program Files. I've never seen those as the defaults from RH.

It sounds more like you have created a project there. You will now have to extricate it from the program files.

[Guest]

By "extricate," do you just mean move the project to another folder? I tried that and I'm still getting the same error message.

[Peter Grainge]

I think it is time to uninstall and reinstall RH.

[AdamXT2]

We had a similar problem when we tried to generate a project into a really deep folder. If our full folder path contained too many characters, RoboHelp would simply fail to generate without giving any helpful errors.

Try closing RoboHelp. Then, in your folder path, rename all those "Printed_Documentation" folders to "PD." Relaunch the project and try to generate it. Maybe, in this case, your path name is simply a few characters too long.

[Guest]

I have uninstalled and reinstalled RoboHelp X5 and I'm still not able to create printed documentation. Same error message I've been getting:

Result: Failed to generate Printed documentation. Please see compilation message for details.
Click OK to return.

Any ideas? The weird thing is that this feature worked when I initially installed RoboHelp two years ago. That makes me think it's related to some other update on my computer.

PS - Sorry for not replying to this issue sooner.

[Peter Grainge · Accepted solution]

Check list given the passage of time.

1] You are using RHX5 with Word 2002.

2] RHX5 has the patches applied. http://www.adobe.com/support/robohelp/downloads.html

3] Your security setting is Medium.

4] You have looked at Print Issues on my site? Please specify which ones you have tried and with what results.

5] Your logon has admin rights attached.

6] Your project is not scrambled up in Program Files but is somewhere else on your hard disk and you are generating to your hard disk.

[Guest]

OK, I completely uninstalled and reinstalled RH X5. At that point, I was using X5.0.1. I tried creating print documentation and got the same error. Then, I went to http://www.adobe.com/support/robohelp/downloads.html. I added the X5.0.2 update and updated the templates for Word XP/2002 since I'm using Word 2002. Same result. From your checklist:

1) I am now using RH X5.0.2 (build 801) and Word 2002.

2) As described above, I added the 5.0.2 patch and updated the Word templates.

3) I put the Macros security in Word to Medium. Is there some other security setting I should be adjusting?

4) I looked at the print issues on your site. I tried the fixes for snippet 26, which involved adjusting macros security as I described above. Not sure about the nested tables. Also, although, I have admin rights on my machine, I can't seem to find any virus security. It may be running invisibly or it may just be on our servers. Is that even possible? Should I look into this more?

5) I believe I do have admin rights for my computer. I seem to be able to download and install and adjust settings at will (except for any virus settings--see #4 above).

6) I tried moving my project to the desktop and opening from there. I also tried shortening the output file name and path, because I recall someone else suggesting that. All with the same error result.

Again, here's the output:

Preparing to created Printed Documentation...
Clearing output folder...
Preparing files for Print Document...
Copying files...
Updating files...
Finished Preparing in 0 seconds...
Cleaning up temporary files...

Internal error encountered. Failed to generate Printed Documentation.

Any last ideas would be most appreciated. Thanks!

[Peter Grainge]

Sorry for the delay. Given what else you cover, I would get your IT people to check that you really do have admin rights.

If you would like to create a single topic project and verify at your end it will not generate, you can zip it up and send it to me via my site. I will check it out.

Please include a link to this thread.