Help file fails to generate RoboHelp 7 and Word 2003

Report · Jun 03, 2010

Hello, I am back again with a new struggle. I am creating a WinHelp4 file for an older application using Word 2003 and Robohelp 7. There are several different results regardless of whether I make updates, corrections, add jumps, change Topic IDs or do nothing when I click on generate:

1. sometimes it generates and works perfectly, just not very often, usually between 8 and 805am ET.

2. sometime it will generate an error: Failed to compile

3. another error: filename.rtf does not exist, but it is there in the folder

4. generates a Warning, but I don't know what the warning is as it does not show it

5. generates a blank Help with only a single glossary definition

6. not enough memory ( 1 gb is available)

7. corrupted file, rerun and it works...sometimes

I have:

1. Started over

2. Rebooted

3. Uninstalled and reinstalled RoboHelp 7 and all updates

4. Tried adding one item (jump, new topic, changed topic, updates to TOC, renamed anything) at a time and then generated file

5. Create an html from Word...I know silly but it worked some of the time.

I feel like there must be a setting error I missing or something hidden that I need to remove. There is something or a very big bug! I can't find anything and RoboHelp 7, Word 2003 and creating Winhelp4 files have been fine the last 2 months...now...not so fine.

Please help! I am so close to finished!

Thanks,

and if this isn't enough, I cannot generate a print to PDF either, but used to!

Report · Jun 04, 2010

The fact that your project used to compile, and indeed still does occasionally, points to something outside of your project. You 1GB of memory is OK according to Adobe's own system requirements but this maybe only half the picture. It also depends on what else is running and how much resource it is using. Could you try compiling this project on a PC with greater resources?

Your comment about the compile only working between a particular time frame is also enlightening. Is there some sort of background process that hogs memory resources? I'm assuming the source files and the RoboHelp application are locally installed?

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Report · Jun 04, 2010

I wish I could try on a different PC. This is a government facility and that is not an option. There are only 2 of us who have RH and I think the other person may have left last week...what luck!

As far as anything else running, that is possible....I may try disconnecting the network and see if it will work...that should check it, right?

Background resources are very probable as their are virus scanners and who knows what else...my rights are very limited, no Admin rights to the machine.

It just amazes me that it has worked and now at the very final stage and updates it will not. I am in early when it usually works, 745a ET and it failed. These are the error messages and I usually get this type:

Warning - HC4004: datcap.rtf is not an RTF (Rich Text Format) file.

Warning - HC4009: The Topic ID "Data_Capture_Operations" specified in the Project files as the Default Topic does not exist.

What is odd, is they are both there and have worked consistently up until this recent failure....cannot complile.

I know this is long, but here is the notpad error:

Starting compilation...
WinHelp preprocessor 7.01.002

Compiling C:\Documents and Settings\jkmalone1\My Documents\My RoboHelp Projects\CRS On Line Help Individual\DATCAP\!SSL!\WinHelp_4\DATCAP.hlp ...

Preparing to create WinHelp...
Clearing output folder...
Filtering out conditional text...
Processing DATCAP.rtf...
Processing DATCAP.rtf...
Removing watermarks...
Processing DATCAP.rtf...
Collecting Topics' Information...
Processing DATCAP.rtf...
Removing broken jumps...
Finished preparing in 4 sec(s)

Generating WinHelp system...Microsoft (R) Help Compiler
HCRTF 4.03.0002
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corp 1990 - 1995. All rights reserved.
Datcap.hpj
HC4004: Warning:
datcap.rtf is not an RTF (Rich Text Format) file.
HC4009: Warning:
The Topic ID "Data_Capture_Operations" specified in the Project files as the Default Topic does not exist.
3 Topics
0 Jumps
0 Keywords
0 Bitmaps

Created C:\DOCUME~1\jkmalone1\Local Settings\Temp\RHTemp12\Datcap.hlp, 13,205 bytes
Compile time: 0 minutes, 0 seconds
0 notes, 2 warnings
Finished compiling WinHelp in 6 sec(s)

Compilation complete.
WinHelp (WinHelp 4) was built successfully:
C:\Documents and Settings\jkmalone1\My Documents\My RoboHelp Proj

There has to be something causing this...it ran quickly this am but failed with the above Warning errors. The file is not successful although it built a sort of Help...one definition of one word....and nothing else.

Suggestions:

Thank you for taking an interest...this has me so puzzled.

Report · Jun 07, 2010

Is there a datcap.rtf file and Data_Capture_Operations mapid in your project? These warnings will still produce a help file but it is likely that the help file elements associated with these file names won't.

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Report · Jun 07, 2010

There is an rtf file. The mapid...I do not see. How should I create this?

Report · Jun 17, 2010

There were a couple of issues involved in this error.

1. There really wasn't enough memory on the "older" computer I was using to get a larger Help file completed.

2. RH7 was not installed completely.

3. Admin rights are needed and I only had view...big difference.

4. Image via Word import works verses cut and paste, which does work, but size limitations eventually hurt the process.