PDF output: Missing SVGs and missing formats

[Carolin123]

Hello everyone,

I'm on RH 2022.3.93 and am working on our PDF output.

I think my two issues might be related, so I'm posting them together:

The manual I am creating is about 150 pages long.

1. It contains a lot of screenshots (png) - they appear fine. It also contains a bunch of svg files. While some of them appear correctly, others (especially towards the end of the document) are simply missing. Within RH, they are displayed correctly.

  <figure>
    <figcaption>802.1X RADIUS-Prozess (vereinfacht)</figcaption>
    <img class="framed-screenshot_125mm" src="../../../assets/images/Zeichnungen/WLAN/00108491_RADIUS-Prozess.svg" />
  </figure>

2. I have created a <h5> style. No class, just h5. It is supposed to be bold, font-size 9 and margin-left is 45mm. Within the document, I get different results for my code: 

No further styles, just this code:

In one case, it is displayed correctly (bold, with margin-left).

<h5>Voraussetzung</h5>

In most other cases, it is neither bold nor does it have a margin-left.

<h5>Voraussetzung:</h5>

In some cases, it is displayed bold but font-size 6.

<h5>SCB automatisch</h5>

A similar error occurs with my style h6.Margintext. It is supposed to be bold, font-size 9.

Some occurrences: bold and font-size 9.

<h6 class="Margintext">Pop-up-Fenster: DHCP Static Leases</h6>

Some occurrences: not bold

<h6 class="Margintext">Verschlüsselung: WPA2-EAP und FT-EAP</h6>

Again, within RH, everything is displayed correctly.

My colleague can reproduce these errors - she is missing the exact same svg files and the exact same formatting.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

Cheers

Carolin

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

For #1 - do the images all appear if you create some other output like Responsive HTML5 as a test? If so, then I would suspect something is failing in the PDF generation. If not, then it's got to be something to do with the images or their location. Are you getting any warnings during generation?

For #2 - I'm unclear as to where this is not working - in the RH project and the PDF output or just in the output? If in both, I would say that you haven't defined the styles in the css correctly (or that a css is being applied that doesn't contain their definitions).

[Carolin123]

Hi Jeff,

#1: In HTML output, all images appear. I figured there might be something wrong with the PDF generation, but I don't know what it could be. Too many svg files for RH to handle?

#2: In the RH project, everything looks fine. In HTML output as well. Only PDF output produces different results in different parts of the text (reproducable, though). There is only one css file applied (layout.css). This can't be the problem, though, can it? As I said, in some cases it displays correctly, in others, it is partially correct, in others, it is simply not layouted at all and just gets the body properties (at least that's what I presume happens).

As I said, I think the two issues are connected and my guess would be that this has to do with the PDF generation - and I also think this might be some RH internal error, as my colleague can reproduce it on her computer.

[Carolin123]

... just for the record, it is not THAT many svg files. I'd guess it is around 15 svg files in total on the 150 pages of PDF.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

#1 - hang on - I don't think PDFs support SVG images directly - test that by converting a copy of one of them to PDF or png and try it as an experiment.

#2 - did you verify that the styles are defined in that layout.css that the PDF preset is using?

[Carolin123]

#1: Well, about 8 or so svg files do appear in the PDF output. But yes, if I convert it, they appear. Why do some appear and some do not? There is no real difference between them. Simple ones appear and do not appear, more complex ones appear and do not appear. I don't see a pattern.

#2 Yep, they are included, everything else works and as I said, in some places they appear correctly. Why would they do that if a wrong css file would be attached. It is exactly the same code (<h5>...</h5>, as I said, so I'd expect them to appear the same!)

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

#1 - were they created with different tools? Are they all located in the same place in the project?

#2 - have you checked in the code view of the topics where the style doesn't work to ensure that there's no override css definition being applied to them in the HTML?
The only other thing I would suggest is trying with a newly defined PDF preset - don't copy the old one; set up a new one with a different name.

[Carolin123]

#1 No, all created by our graphics department with the same tool, all located in the same folder.

#2 Yes, that's the first thing I checked. There is nothing there except the <h5>...</h5>, no in code styling, the correct css applied.

A new preset doesn't change anything, same images still missing, same styles behaving wrongly.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Hmm, maybe it's time to give the RH folks a buzz - 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.

[Carolin123]

I will do that, thank you for your help!

[Karin Albrecht]

I am wondering if your problem with the header styles might have to do something with one of these settings in the template you use:

Have you tried an HTML5 output? Does the problem occur there as well? Or do the styles look as expected there? 

Best regards

Karin

[Carolin123]

Hi Karin,

neither h5 nor h6.Margintext appear in my TOC (only up to level 3). I've played around with the options nevertheless, but it doesn't change anything.

And yes, in HTML output everything is fine.

[Peter Grainge]

There has been a post in the last few weeks about this issue. Pretty sure it was much the same and was answered.

________________________________________________________
My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Hmm, not twigging any hits that seem to fit either of these scenarios;  @Carolin123 what happens if you go to a topic that's not behaving (in either of the two situations) and do the right-click Save As PDF? Does that produce the right output?

[Carolin123]

Well, this is a bit hard to check, as my RH files have a different CSS file (I'm removing this CSS file for PDF output - "Exclude all topic CSS files" - and putting my PDF CSS on it instead).

They do look like they are supposed to, though (no margins though, as there are none in my other CSS).

My images are missing, same as in the complete PDF.

[Peter Grainge]

This is the thread I was thinking about but it doesn't really help. They concluded PNGs were the way to go.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/robohelp-discussions/troubles-creating-pdf-with-svg-images/td-p/14167...

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Peter Grainge]

You refer to using your PDF.CSS. Where are you referencing that CSS? If you exclude Topic.CSS,  any stylesheets need to be in the template resources and linked to the page layouts.

That said, I think the issue is with using SVGs in a PDF.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Carolin123]

Well, in the output section within the PDF template where I'm supposed to reference it. 99% of that stylesheet are working, the only issue are with h5 and h6, so an incorrect referencing cannot really be the issue, right?

So you think because I use SVGs, my h5 format is going crazy? Or are you guessing two different issues, after all?

[Peter Grainge]

I've seen scenarios where it is claimed everything is referencing one CSS whereas the reality was they were referencing two copies that weren't in fact identical so that's not to be ruled out. I doubt that is it here but I wouldn't agree it cannot be the issue.

You reference the CSS in the page layouts as I said. It can't be done via the UI. You have to open the page layouts in code view.

I was explaining how to link the CSS for the purposes of getting the styles correct. I don't think that has anything to do with your SVG issue. 

Can you create a new project with just a couple of topics that use the CSS that is giving probems and replicate the style problem? No SVGs in this test.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Carolin123]

If I just copy my complete PDF template (everything, including page layouts, css, resources, ...) plus one topic where the error occurs into a new project, it is displayed correctly.

I only have one CSS file for PDF (there is no other in my Resources folder, neither). My HTML CSS file is in a different location and has a completely different name. 

My Common page layout which is used everywhere except first/last page and toc has the layout.css referenced. I don't see any error. As I said, I don't have any copies/backups with similar names anywhere.

Any ideas where I could go wrong here? Or where RH might go wrong? I kind of have the suspicion that Java might break at some point while producing my PDF...?

[Peter Grainge]

Hmm! Not the result I really wanted as I was hoping it would replicate the problem so that I could offer to take a look.

When you say it displayed correctly, are you talking about styles, SVGs or both?

I think what I would try next is copying one folder of the topics into this new project and drag that to the TOC. The order will be wrong but that doesn't matter. The object is to find somewhere specific that it goes belly up. Keep repeating that until it breaks.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Carolin123]

One SVG is there, one SVG is missing. But I was concentrating on the formatting - that looks correct.

Apparently, some topics are still misbehaving. The two I tested previously remain correct even if I throw all topics in as you suggested, but I have (at least) one topic that is not displaying correctly even if it is only a handful of topics in the TOC.

I had tested the occurrences with h5 (which is supposed to have a margin-left of 45mm, be bold and font-size 9) - the occurrences I tested are font-size 6 and bold (see screenshots above) in my original project and are now displayed correctly in my test project.

The topic not correct now belongs to the category of "no margin, not bold, but font-size 9". No change here between original project and test project, it still looks the same.

[Peter Grainge]

Can you share the new project? If you can, then see the Contact page on my site and send the project as instructed there. Do make sure you include a link to this thread and please do not email the project direct.

Please also email me with some notes about the topics and outputs where the styles are not working. Let's just focus on styles for now.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.

[Carolin123]

I sent you an email, thank you 🙂

[Peter Grainge]

I have emailed what I have found. Let's solve the issue offline and then post the answer here.

________________________________________________________

My site www.grainge.org includes many free Authoring and RoboHelp resources that may be of help.