RH8 won't upgrade RH7 project. He'p Me!

See my last entry here: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/111021

The procedure takes about 10 minutes and should be used if you move the project... anywhere.

My finding is that if the project is moved, copied, etc. it will fail to open properly.

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Use the procedure to dig into your files anyway. Its a good debugging step.

If like my project, you might find some dated references pointing off into the weeds... or worse, a previous release.

(They really have to fix this issue).

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Just remove the RHFrameStyleMappings.apj file from your project. My project upgraded fine without it.

You of course need it when you get down to business w.RH8, but right now removing it might get you through the conversion.

For me, it was the variables files. Eventually I found an inconsistency with the file's XML-specified encoding (UTF-8) and actual encoding (ANSI), made a fix and the file was read right in.

I always move or copy projects by zipping them first. Always works.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Hi, I am having the same problem upgrading a RH7 project to RH8: "Error reading RHFrameStyleMappings.apj file". My RH7 project did not have such a file, so I created one with the content I found on another thread.

Now for the next error message: "Error in reading RHFrameDocs.apj" - oh for heaven's sake! My RH7 does not contain that file, either. So I copied one from another project that I had just successfully upgraded to RH8. But it didn't work -- I still get the same message.

Why doesn't RH8 simply insert the files that are "missing"? Grr.

What now? Any advice? Thanks.

BTW, unlike the original poster in this thread, I did not move the project.

Anybody? Still can't open my RH7 project in RH8.

Thanks. /Eileen

As you will have seen on the other post, these files are occasionally not produced when you upgrade the project. I wonder then, assuming you still have a backup of your RH7 project if you can delete the upgraded RH8 project, take another backup of your RH7 project and try upgrading it again. Just a thought.

Read the RoboColum(n) for a tips,  tricks and musings on the Technical Communication Suite products.

I don't have an upgraded project to delete. RH8 refuses to upgrade the project without the missing file, RHFrameDocs.apj. Any chance you could provide a "generic" version of this file that would allow RH8 to proceed?

/Eileen

Try pasting this into Notepad and saving as RHFrameDocs.apj:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rhpml majorversion="3" minorversion="0">
<fm_docs>
  <fm_doc>
   <file_name>__GLOBAL__</file_name>
   <afolderid></afolderid>
   <pfldID></pfldID>
   <type>6</type>
   <location>2</location>
   <flags>0</flags>
   <cshstring>TopicAlias</cshstring>
   <authorstatus>0</authorstatus>
   <adv_flag>0</adv_flag>
   <override_flag>0</override_flag>
   <imagesettingsflag>0</imagesettingsflag>
   <imagecolorbitdepth>24</imagecolorbitdepth>
   <imagejpgquality>100</imagejpgquality>
   <stylemapping_css>RHStyleMapping.css</stylemapping_css>
   <ParentContainerName></ParentContainerName>
   <rel_file></rel_file>
   <status>0</status>
   <template_name></template_name>
   <cbt_mode>2</cbt_mode>
   <buildtags></buildtags>
   <toc_assoc>0</toc_assoc>
   <index_assoc>0</index_assoc>
   <glossary_assoc>0</glossary_assoc>
   <gen_files/>
  </fm_doc>
</fm_docs>
</rhpml>

Read the RoboColum(n) for a tips,  tricks and musings on the Technical Communication Suite products.

Thank you, Colum. RH still complained about the file, so I deleted the CPD file and tried again. This time I got a different error message: "An error occurred while trying to read data from <path\RHFrameDocs.apj> <1>." (I didn't previously get that <1> at the end.) Any more ideas what I could try?

Thanks.

I was tempted to ask before what sort of FM integration you had in this project. If memory serves me right (and mine is a little shell shocked after we got a wrong number at 3:30am this morning who then proceeded to ring back to ensure it was not me that had got it wrong - Grrrr!) RH7 had some FM integration features.

Read the RoboColum(n) for a tips,  tricks and musings on the Technical Communication Suite products.

Thanks, Colum. We had no FM integration before. We didn't even have FM. We just upgraded from RH7 to TCS 2. Grateful if you have any tips, because I'm still stuck.

Sorry about your spoiled night's sleep! Yikes.

/Eileen

I have to admit to clutching at straws here so would be happy if anyone else had something concrete to offer. However I've been looking at the "new" RH8 project files that get created. Have you a RHExtDocAuxData.apj file? If so, does it have the following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rhpml majorversion="3" minorversion="0">
<FMDocs/>
</rhpml>

My gut feel is that as the <FMDocs/> tag may be key.

Read the RoboColum(n) for a tips,  tricks and musings on the Technical Communication Suite products.

Yes, my project does have an RHExtDocAuxData.apj file, and it does contain that tag. Do you have any suggestions what to DO with that tag? I tried simply deleting it, to no effect.

So I deleted this from the XPJ file:

  <RHFrameDocsCollectionFileName>RHFrameDocs.apj</RHFrameDocsCollectionFileName>
  <RHFrameStylesMappingFileName>RHFrameStyleMappings.apj</RHFrameStylesMappingFileName>

That didn't have any effect, either.

Then I started suspecting that the error message was wrong -- that is, that the file it mentions, RHFrameDocs.apj, is not the file that is actually causing problems -- because RH8 displays exactly same error message whether this file is missing or present. So I compared the list of files in my XPJ file with the files that are present in the project. As I result, I deleted these from the XPJ file:

  <ExternalFileCollectionFilename>rhextern.apj</ExternalFileCollectionFilename>
  <FramesetCollectionFilename>rhframeset.apj</FramesetCollectionFilename>
<MergedHelpCollectionFilename>rhmhelp.apj</MergedHelpCollectionFilename>
<VariableCollectionFilename>rhvariable.apj</VariableCollectionFilename>

Also deleted the <ignoredwords>.

None of this made any difference whatsoever.

So I changed this line in RHFrameDocs.apj:
   <stylemapping_css>RHStyleMapping.css</stylemapping_css>

To this:

   <stylemapping_css>fmstyles.css</stylemapping_css>

When that didn't have any effect, I added this back into the XPJ file:

  <RHFrameDocsCollectionFileName>RHFrameDocs.apj</RHFrameDocsCollectionFileName>
  <RHFrameStylesMappingFileName>RHFrameStyleMappings.apj</RHFrameStylesMappingFileName>

Each time I tried something new, I deleted the CPD file first, just in case.

By now I'm at the end of my tether -- I can't get this project to open in RH8 and wish I'd never upgraded.

Are you trying to open the project where the upgrade has failed or do you have a copy untouched by RH8, that is a backup before you tried to upgrade?

How big is that project zipped?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Yes, I keep trying to open the project where the upgrade has failed. Are you suggesting that the upgrade process itself is messing something up, so that every time I try something new, I must revert to the original RH7 project?

The complete zipped project is only 739 KB. Why -- are you up for a challenge? :-)

/Eileen

Hi Eileen

In one thread you were talking about four files that were not present in the upgraded project and RoboHelp was giving you grief about the four missing files. I suggested you create a totally new project to create them and copy the missing files to the upgraded project.

I'm not sure I saw a reply from you as to whether you had tried this or not. As you still seem to be stuck, I'm guessing that this failed? Or that perhaps you failed to see it? I was curious if what I suggested was a possible workaround.

Cheers... Rick

I am suggesting that the upgrade messed up first time and now you are trying to upgrade a messed up project.

So first try upgrading a copy of your clean backup. If that fails, then respond to Rick's question.

After that post back where you are, then maybe.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Rick, thank you for your assistance.

Yes, I did try creating a fresh, new RH8 project and copying the missing files over to the new project. Unfortunately, it didn't make any difference whatsoever. Sorry I failed to post a response there.

/Eileen

And have you tried upgrading the clean copy of the backup?

If you have, see my contact page.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Have you created a copy of the project and put the new one you are

trying to upgrade in another location?

Another long-standing bug is that RH uses hard-coded directory path

references in its project files.

If this is the case, then either move the un-upgraded file set to the

original location, or do a windows search on your original path on all

files in your RH project directory and 'fix' paths in those that turn

up. There should be four or five... don't waste time doing the same for

output files.

Hi there

I'm not sure what you mean by the bug and hard coded paths. I've used RoboHelp for more years than I care to remember and I don't ever recall anything being hard coded that would tie it to a specific folder on my PC. I can freely move projects to any folder I like and as long as I maintain the relative structure things work.

I'm confused by the reference... Rick

We recently upgraded from RH7 to RH8. One of our project files (.xpj) would not open. After clicking Okay to Upgrade to RH8 I got the same message others have been receiving "Error: Cannot Read RHFrameStyleMappings.apj". I decided to try copying RHFrameStyleMappings.apj from another project folder into the project folder of the project file that would not open.  Then when trying to open the project file again I received the same message as others "Error: Cannot Read RHFrameDoc.apj"  and once again I copied it over from another file.  I tried opening it again and it didn't work, so I tried copying RHFrameDoc.apj from a different file than before.  This time it opened, so maybe for those still struggling, try that out.  I also tried generating the project to make sure it worked and it appears to work as normal. My question is if there is any reason my copying the two .apj files over could cause problems with the project file or if I should consider the problem fixed.  Thanks!

Rick,

I'm glad you can move your project wherever you wish.

I cannot do the same with mine.

The following files in my project have path rooted in "c:" and branching

off to individual project directories.

Adobe AIR.ssl

eHlpDhtm.js

pblsvrs.sss

RHExtDocAuxData.apj

RHFrameDocs.apj

.pss

If I move the project, RH trips all over itself -- in a manner very

similar to that reported in this thread -- and ultimately hoses

(technical term) the project.

I can only move a project by manually hacking the hard-coded paths in

these files /before/ attempting to open the project.

I call this feature a bug.

eHlpDhtm.js

Where does that have a hard coded path?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Eileen

You will hate how easy this was to resolve!

Double click the HHP file. When prompted about using the existing XPJ, select No. The project opens with one broken link.

Close the project, reopen it with the XPJ and the broken link is also fixed.

At a quick glance, everything seems to be in order but I don't know your project well enough to be 100% sure.

If anything is missing, post back.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Hi again

That's pretty odd. I'm sure my colleague Peter will agree with me here. I've never seen it where RoboHelp HTML forces me to keep a project in the location where I've created it. I've always been able to simply copy the project files and paste them on different PCs and in any folder I like. It's never "tripped all over itself" when opening. So it's very curious that yours seems to behave that way.

What version and RoboFlavor are you using?

Cheers... Rick

Indeed, I have not known it nor heard of it. That's why I asked about the JS file as that is a RH supplied file and if it were a problem, we would all see it.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Line 14: var HH_ChmFilename

But that just looks like and output location, so admittedly it's fairly

innocuous.

Full path in the one I looked at. Moved the project, regenerated a CHM. Whilst the JS file did not change to the new path, the project is just fine.

Your problem is somewhere else.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Peter,

That is the point. These other files have hard-coded paths.

Adobe AIR.ssl (Can ignore this one)

pblsvrs.sss

RHExtDocAuxData.apj

RHFrameDocs.apj (The paths in this file really mess things up)

.pss

I meant in the sense of something other than the paths in these files.

Have you tried working on one of the supplied projects and then moving that around?

Can we take it that the moves do not involve network locations? (If you haven't already made that point.)

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Hi all

I'm wondering if a project were under Source Control if a move wouldn't affect that as well.

Cheers... Rick

You are right, Peter. I hate how easy that was for you. [Insert swearing and gnashing of teeth.] I lost a whole day on that. However, a big THANK YOU for finding the solution!

Actually, RH8 crashed when I opened the HHP file. But that was near the end of the conversion process, and when I then tried to open the XPJ file, there was no problem. I had to import the "missing" file and fix the SSLs (which reverted to some sort of default), but otherwise the project looks ok.

Note: This project was never in Robo Source Control, so that could not have contributed to the problem. Also, I had not moved this project recently.

I'd like to point out something to check after upgrading, for others reading this thread: Check how RH8 converted your user-defined variables, if you are using them. I got a space inserted after every UDV in my project. It doesn't show if there was already a space after the variable, but if there was another character or punctuation, you now have a visible extra space after the UDV. :-/ That's what happened in one of my projects, anyway.

Thanks again, Peter, and others who helped!

Hopefully this will not happen again but if it does, or for anyone else, see Opening Projects on my site. It describes how to get back the old SSLs although I cannot guarantee it will be 100% when upgrading as the layouts can change.

Is the website with your name yours or someone else with the same name?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

Excellent reference material!