replacement ImageAPI.dll causing new problems

[Guest]

I was trying to help JonC (http://forums.adobe.com/message/2984518#2984518), thinking that I was using the new ImageAPI.dll successfully, but it turns out that I haven't been.

I have to generate WebHelp and WinHelp from RoboHelp for Word. In the project that I just finished, before I had the new version of the ImageAPI.dll, when I was getting the weird truncated topic ID problem (http://forums.adobe.com/message/2939947#2939947) )  I was always able to save the .shgs ONCE successfully. If I opened them up again, the links would break.

So, if I was careful not to reopen the .shgs once I'd saved, my WinHelp was actually turning out OK. But when I then went to generate WebHelp (from the same source files), the links in the .shgs would break (I'm assuming this happened when the .shgs were opened, behind the scenes, for whatever conversion process they go through).

So the new ImageAPI.dll fixed my hotspot graphics in the WebHelp so they worked just fine, and I was able to get my project out the door (thanks again, Peter). But because I had always been able to save the .shgs once successfully, and I'd already turned in my WinHelp files, I never got to see what would happen if you inserted a new .shg that had been created with the new ImageAPI.dll and compiled it in WinHelp.

Now, this morning, I'm seeing it (as we start a new project), and it looks like we are getting the same problem as JonC - if you put hotspots in, images disappear.

Seems like the new ImageAPI.dll is buggy. Anyone else experiencing this?- Sandy

[LostatWork]

I'm having the exact same issue, Sandy.

After I replaced the ImageAPI.dll, once I set up hotspots and compile, I receive the "Unable to Display Graphic" on the topic that the image should be on.  If I compile with just the bmp or shg without any hotspots, the image appears, but, somehow, after I hotspot the image, the graphic doesn't display after compiling.  This is a worse problem than what happened with the old ImageAPI.dll.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

Hi Lost ,

We tried various things. If you do have a working version of an older copy of

RoboHelp (we had somebody still on RoboHelp 5), you can do the graphics in

the older version and then use them in your 8 project. I tried copying the

ReSize image program and the ImageAPI.dll from RoboHelp 5 to my machine to

use with RoboHelp 8, but, not surprisingly, this didn't work.

If you know exactly how you want to make your .shgs, and nothing will be

changing, you might try using the old RH8 ImageAPI.dll. As I mentioned, in my

particular experience of the problem, I was always able to save the .shgs

ONCE (after starting with a fresh .bmp) without them breaking. That is, they

would LOOK broken - the links would show up truncated, under "Broken Links"

in RH Explorer, but when I actually compiled, the graphic would work OK. If

I saved the .shg again, and compiled again, the graphics would not work. I

don't know if this has been your experience; I also don't know if you will be

able to go back to using the old ImageAPI.dll without the graphic vanishing.

One of my colleagues tried going back to the old ImageAPI.dll, and he says

now he's getting the same problem with that as with the new one. Just thought

I'd throw that possibility out there, though.

We finally broke down and logged a support call with Adobe. Because of a

combination of problems on our end (our company's firewall) and Adobe's end

(even after I finally was able to send them a sample help project so they

could see the error, they were trying to support me in RoboHelp HTML instead

of RoboHelp for Word, asking why I had sent them an .hpj instead of an

.xpj??!!) it has turned into something like a Monty Python quest. I'm

expecting the killer rabbit any day now.

Seriously - the last I heard from Adobe was last Monday, the 2nd, and they

said that they were escalating the problem but that it would be at least 48

hours before I heard from anyone. Obviously, it has been more than 48 hours.

We went ahead and sent our latest project out without the few new .shgs that

it would require. But I think at least they believe me about it being a

problem with the ImageAPI.dll, so I am hopeful that they will respond soon.

(Hope springs eternal . . .) I will certainly let you know if we hear

anything and I will certainly encourage them to post the new .dll, because

that's what it's going to take, as soon as possible.

Best of luck - Sandy

[LostatWork]

Thanks for the help and the chuckle, Sandy.

One thing that worked with the old ImageAPI.dll was to make the hotspot links as pop-ups instead of to secondary windows.  Even though it didn't look as good as opening a second window for paragraphs of texts, it worked.  But I got excited when I downloaded the new ImageAPI.dll as I thought I'd get my beloved secondary windows off a hotspot back...:-)

Thanks again and please let me know what they say.

Best,

Jeff

[Guest]

Hello - LostatWork (Jeff) and JonC - I am trying to reach you guys. We logged a support call with Adobe back in July about this issue. At one time I described our quest for support as Pythonesque. It has long since become Kafkaesque. We have been back and forth, back and forth with Adobe and still no one has sent us a fixed version of the ImageAPI.dll, which I have to think would be the solution to the problem, based on the experiences the three of us have had.

Have either of you had any success getting this problem resolved? The technician has been asking me questions about our OS/network configuration etc., which I can't imagine have ANYTHING to do with the problem -- but I am reaching out to you guys hoping somehow maybe you found out it was some freaky thing totally unrelated to ImageAPI.dll . . . ideally, something I wouldn't need to depend on Adobe for . . . I would feel stupid, after all this time I've spent asking them to fix ImageAPI.dll, but just feeling stupid (instead of angry and frustrated and stupid ) would be a relief at this point. Thanks! - Sandy

[LostatWork]

Hi Sandy,

Unfortunately, I've heard nothing on this since we last spoke.  I'm also sorry to hear that your communications with Adobe on this matter have turned Kafkaesque.

I tried utilizing their Customer Service Portal, but had difficulty getting them to understand the issue and then they'd closed the case.  After that, I found your discussion and was hoping it would lead to a resolution.

AAAAARG!

Jeff

[Guest]

Hi Jeff - If I ever do hear anything, I'll post to the forum ASAP. I sure

wish we weren't wedded to delivering this project in WinHelp, or that I knew

of any other app that allowed you to produce .shg graphics. We use AuthorIt

to produce help for other apps and we've been happy with it (and overall

quite satisfied with their SUPPORT! ahem anyone listening?? I'm not mad at

the poor guy who's been assigned to us, I just feel like he - and apparently

his supervisors, too - are in out of their depth). Anyway, AuthorIt will

allow you to generate hotspot graphics in HTML help, and it will produce

WinHelp, but it doesn't recognize .shgs. Thanks again for getting back to me

- Sandy

[Peter Grainge]

For anyone else following this, I understand that this has been escalated way up the line and that someone has spoken to you.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Hi Peter,

We have spoken to Adobe several times over the past three months. But

supposedly someone is going to call us back today, again.

I will certainly post as soon as I get a solution, if we don't end up

switching products first.

In the meantime I am experimenting with using the replacement .dll (the one

that makes my graphics disappear) to fix links, then switching .dlls and

compiling with the original .dll (graphics show up but links are broken). I

don't know if this will work, since I think I will have to open the .shgs for

them to reappear, and I think that would break the links again. But I figured

it can't hurt to try. Thank you - Sandy

[wfhale92]

Did any of you ever get a resolution for this problem?

Thank you!

Wanda

[Guest]

Wanda - No, and it has been a nightmare. We logged our original support call

in July, and although our case is still active with Adobe, they still say

they can't reproduce the problem on their end. We have other products

documented using another tool that we're satisfied with, and we had resisted

converting the giant help project for this particular product to that tool,

because we were concerned about the time the conversion would take,

particularly to convert all the hotspot graphics. Well, I'm sure it would

have taken less time than what we've spent so far trying to get RoboHelp to

work.

I would like to encourage you and the other two guys who have reported the

problem to log a support call . . . maybe if we all reported it they would

feel a little more pressure to get the problem solved.

I have already put quite a bit of this long saga on the Forum, so I probably

shouldn't say any more about it there, but feel free to contact me directly

at sdryer@msa.com.

[Peter Grainge]

Can either of you recreate this problem in a small test project?

If not, how big are the problem projects if all outputs are stripped up and then it is zipped?

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Yes, I'm sure I can do that in a test project. I've done it before for Adobe

support. All it takes is one graphic. Do you want me to post it to the forum?

Thanks, Peter.

[Peter Grainge]

Send it as per my Contact page on my site.

If I understand it correctly, with the new DLL, when you generate the help the graphic is missing from the output.

If it is other than that, just explain in the sample project what I have to do to see the problem.

Include a link to this thread in the email from the FTP site you use.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Hi Peter - I can't get to the cutesendit page. Apparently my company has it

blocked.

Is there any way I can get the project to you using FileZilla? Or just

through e-mail?

It's 1.05 meg when it's zipped.

I wasn't sure if I should start using your regular e-mail at this point -

please let me know. Thanks - Sandy

[Peter Grainge]

Send it using the email address on the contact page.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Peter Grainge]

A replacement DLL has been issued and Sandy reports that it has fixed the problem.

Click the link below to download.

https://acrobat.com/#d=*4DB4P11MgkoV0FH9Blg5w

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[LostatWork]

Thanks Peter and Sandy.  It appears to work and my hotspots off a graphic to secondary windows are now back in play.

[Guest]

Since I can't post a celestial choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus, I'll just

say thanks again to Peter . . .

[Peter Grainge]

Glad to have helped.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge