$styleprepfile.htm

[Guest]

When trying to generate printed documentation I get a message that the file $styleprepfile.htm is damaged and the documentation file is more or less empty. (see the message text below) The file $styleprepfile.htm is disabled by Word.

RoboHelp displays this for the two first files in my project:
Warning: The Word Document became corrupt when attempting to append a malformed topic: <topic name>

I have tried enabling the file again, but not change. Then I reinstalled Word from the cd, and I thought at first that helped, but it was just a momentary thing. I have tried searching for the file, but only place I have found it mentioned at all was in an issue i the RoboHelp forum!

Anybody know anything about this file? Is it a Word file, RoboHelp file, shared file or what? Even better, does anybody know what I can do to fix this? As things stand now I cannot produce printed documentation at all!

Error message text
If you attempt to open a file marked as damaged or disabled by an Office application, you may encounter this error. You will continue to receive this error each time you attempt to open the file even if the file was recovered or repaired.
The file is in the Disabled Items list because it has caused the application to fault or shut down more than once in previous attempts to open the file. This error message helps you avoid potential problems that may occur if the file is opened and causes other currently open files to suspend.
If the file was properly recovered, replaced, or deleted, you can remove the file from the list of disabled files (re-enable the file) by selecting Help, About Microsoft Office <ApplicationName>, and clicking Disabled Items....
Re-enabling a file does not guarantee the application can open it. The file must be recovered from either a backup or undamaged recovered file.

[Peter Grainge]

Travelling so brief reply.

See Print Issues on my site. I believe it includes Malformed Topics.

Reinstalling Word will not have helped. RH must be installed after Word so you will need to uninstall and reinstall RH before expecting to fix anything.

[HKabaker]

1. Using RH 7?
2. Windows OS ________________
3. RH installed and running on your PC hard driver, rather than over a network?
4. Project files are on your PC hard drive?
5. Generating print doc to a location on your hard drive or across a network?

Harvey

[Guest]

I've been away so haven't had any opportunity to respond.
1. RH5
2. Windows XP
3. Yes, RH installed locally
4. Project files on network. I have also tried copying a small test project to my hard drive, but it makes no difference.
5. Generating to hard drive or network - makes no difference.

[HKabaker]

Red flag:
Project is on a network drive.

This issue comes up time and again -- most recently, in the General Discussion forum here.

You should go back and re-test, using a project that resides on your hard drive and generates print doc to your hard drive.

Harvey

[HKabaker]

If:

-- you have read Peter's topic on malformed topics, and
-- (if MS Word was recently upgraded) you uninstalled and re-installed RH, including the 5.02 update, after the Word installation, and
-- you brought your projects over to your hard drive, and
-- you are generating print doc to your hard drive,

and still have problems,

check the MS Office security settings, particularly whether Word is blocking Macros because you're running under high security.

Also, a reminder, RH 5 is compatible with Word through 2003, not with 2007.

Good luck.

Harvey

[Guest]

Thanks for you tips Harvey.
I have now read Peter's topic on malformed topics,
reinstalled RH including 5.02 update,
copied project to hard drive,
generated print doc to hard drive
and checked that security level is medium

and still have problems

I have also created a completely new project om my hard drive. It has only one topic containing only the default text generated by RoboHelp. I have made no changes to .css file or template. When I try to generate to my hard drive I get:
Preparing to build chapters...
Building 'First Topic'...
Warning: Failed to save the Word Document after appending a malformed topics:'First_Topic.htm'

I'm really at a loss now so any other ideas will be greatly appreciated!
Barb

[Peter Grainge]

Did you uninstall and reinstall RH after you had reinstalled Word?

[Peter Grainge]

A thing that bothers me about this problem is that usually a Google search on a file that is giving problems returns lots of hits, even if none of them are solutions. A search on $styleprepfile.htm only points to this thread.

Have you asked your IT people if there is anything unusual about the way they set up Word and the templates?

Can you track where that file sits on your PC?

[Guest]

Yes, I uninsatalled and reinstalled RH after reinstalling Word.

I also thought it was strange that I could find no references to that file other than here! I have not been able to find it anywhere expect in Disabled files in Word. I see now that there are several occurences of it there, so it seems like it is created when I try to generate printed doc. in RH.

[Guest]

My IT guy doesn't understand this either. My Word set up has been unchanged for a couple years, and I never had this problem before.

[Peter Grainge]

Via my site send me a screenshot of the disabled files in Word and the sample project you created.

Have you at any time installed a trial of a later version of RH?

Are you able to install RH on another PC just to try it out there? Use a project that has given you trouble.

[HKabaker]

In the dim past, I remember seeing this file when generatng print doc.

It is a temp file that RH 5 built to hold modified output from the html file before stuffing it into a new Word doc.

In a very large output, you can see it in the print output file in the SSL folder in Windows Explorer. While RH is generating it, you can watch it grow, and when it bombs, I think the temp file stays there until you cancel the process in RH.

So I would try again, even with a small output, and when you get the error, don't touch anything in RH until you go to Windows Explorer and look for the temp file. I think you can even open it with Notepad and get a hint about where to look for the problem.

Harvey

[Guest]

After a lot of trial and error I seem to have managed to find a way to live with this, but not necessarily solve it.
When I got the about the $StylePrepFile I was given three alternatives. Choosing Recover didn't help at all, but when I tried Open, things seem to work. Now I don't get that message anymore! (I've encountered some other problems with Printed documentation after solving that part, but I think I can manage to find my way around them.)

By the way, the $StylePrepFile.htm file is created during generation of the printed documentation, in the same folder as you specify for the .doc file. It is normally deleted when the process i finished, but I managed to copy it before it was deleted. I'm definitely not an html expert, but it looks like it contains som formatting information, fonts etc.

[Peter Grainge]

Colour me confused. You say you have managed to find a way to live with this, that sounds like a workaround. Then you say "Now I don't get that message anymore" which sounds like you have eliminated the problem. Which is it?

The file should contain the formatting information and is meant to be deleted.

[Guest]

Well, I'm sort of confused myself. That problem SEEMS to be gone. But as I mentioned, several other things that I have never experienced before turned up in the aftermath. I don't know if there is any connection, tho'. So far I have managed to find solutions for those other problems myself (or by reading your site ;-) )