RoboHelp 8 Import Project: Project files lost when closing + reopening project

[Guest]

I have now spent nearly a man-day attempting to repair a project of 329 topics, by importing topic files from a suspect project into a new project.

In Project Manager > Project files, there are about 20 folders, many with sub-folders, and some with sub-folders below that.

I had all the topics imported into their foldeers and sub-folders; all broken links fixed; lots of topics updated; regular saves; when suddenly RH8 crashed. Nothing new there, but when I opened it again, several of the folders had lost their files: the folders were empty.

So I re-imported all the files, fixed the broken links, decided not to edit any topics; made sure everything was saved, and closed the project.

When I re-opened it, the same folders were now empty again.

(This is Robohelp 8.0.2.208 on a high spec PC, running under Windows XP SP3.)

Any suggestions, before I have a nervous breakdown? !

[Amebr]

All your files are on your local hard disk, not on a network drive, right?

You could also try renaming the cpd file, to see if RH will rebuild the file list correctly.

You could also check that the fpj files are being written to correctly. Fix a folder, the with RH still running, open that folder's fpj file in a text editor to see if it contains the file names. If it doesn't then something is going wrong - maybe the files are read-only - possibly to do with source control if you are using it? If they display correctly, close the fpj and RH and then open the fpj file again. If the filenames are gone then it looks like there is something happening when RH closes, but I don't have any suggestions on that one, unfortunately.

Oh, and this is only happening to one project, not any others, such as the samples provided by Adobe?

[Guest]

Hello Amebr,

Thanks for the suggestions.

• Everything is on local hard disk.
• CPD is set to delete on loading the project; but I renamed it anyway, loaded it, tested it, and the problem still exists.
• >>> The HPJ files are NOT being written to! I have imported files but they atre not showing in the HPJ file.
  In Windows Explorer, the files are all there from the previous attempts to import into a folder. But nothing in the HPJ.
• I tried creating a new folder into the Project Files folder, and it hangs. I checked the root.hpj file and it does show the new folder.
• No files are write protected.

[Guest]

Move the RH folder to different location -and - delete the 8.00  folder from the Regedit

Note : Backup your Project Folder

1) Click on start ->  document and settings ->Username -> Application Data ->Adobe -> Robohelp (move the folder to desktop)

2) Click on start-> Run ->Type Regedit -> Mycomputer -> HKEY_CURRENT_USER ->Software ->Adobe->Robohelp->8.00(delete)

3) Recreate the *.XPJ and *.CPD file

1. Open your project folder, Windows Explorer.
2. Find the *.XPJ and the *.CPD files, which are located in the folder.
3. Delete the *.XPJ and the *.CPD files.
4. Find the *.HHP file (in the same folder as the files listed above).
5. Right-click on the *.HHP file and choose the EDIT option. This should reopen the project in RoboHelp HTML.
6. Save and compile the project.

4) Recreate the .MPJ file

1. Open your project folder.
2. Find the .MPJ file.
3. Change the file extension of that file to .MPJ_OLD.
4. Find the .HHP file (in the same folder as the .MPJ).
5. Right-click on it and choose the EDIT option. This should reopen the project in RoboHELP. If it doesn't, then you'll need to open RoboHelp HTML and browse to the HHP file.

Save and compile the project.

Tejodhar Atreya U

[Guest]

(Thanks Tejodhar; er, you have only 1 post, so what is your experience of doing this? I am concerned that playing with RegEdit could damage my RH installation.)

Anyway, some more information:

I created a sample project from the RoboHelp starter screen.

I added subfolders,sub-subfolders etc as before, down to 3 levels below the Project files folder.

The problems happen when importing files from my customer's project, whether from his RH5 source project files or from his project that I imported and updated to RH8.

When I import files from other projects that I have created myself in the past, everything is well-behaved. So I suspect it is the customer's project that causes the problem. But what can the cause be? What do I look for, and how can I fix it? I no longer have RH5 installed anywhere...

[RoboColum_n_]

Hi Philip. That could be difficult to track down. It would seem to be a case for importing content in bit by bit until you hit the problem, then repeating the process on the last bit until you have the answer.

---

The RoboColum(n)

@robocolumn

Colum McAndrew

[Guest]

Hi Colum,

I'll give that a try. Thanks everyone.

Philip

[Guest]

NO Regedit will not  damage my RH installation. You are not deleting the Software using the Regedit that will be recated when you launch the programe again.

Removing the Folder From HKEY_CURRENT_USER is different form Removing HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Dont worry it will not remove the installation...

Regards

Tejodhar Atreya U

[Guest]

I eventually gave up on RH8, loaded up RH7 and imported the RH5 project into RH7, and it's working just fine.

Fingers crossed - all will be well to completion.

Thanks everyone, for your help / suggestions.

Philip

[Guest]

Oh, NOT AGAIN !

I imported that RH5 project into RH7 and got everything stable. Added some topics, updated some other topics, everything working just fine. I can add folders into the Project Manager > Project Files folder OK. Builds into WebHelp OK.

I'm about to hand it back to the customer, who will be getting RH8 so he can continue with it. So I thought I'd import it into RH8 and present him with a neat-and-tidy package.

It imported into RH8 OK. Updated DHTML effects OK. Added one or two detached Master Sheets. Built an output OK. So far, so good.

Just thought I'd add a folder in the Project Manager > Project Files folder - AND IT HUNG AGAIN. We're back to square one, with potentially 2 weeks' work down the pan. After waiting ten minutes, I had to crash out of RH8 in Windows Task Manager, reopen the project, and bingo! the new folder is in place. I can now drag the topics into it. But for heaven's sake, will I have to crash out of RH8 every time I want to add a new folder? It seems so. (I get the same problem with this project on my laptop RH8).

Can I still buy RH7 anywhere?

In all my +15 years as a tech author, I've had more problems with RoboHelp than anything else since Windows 3. I'm beginning to wonder if it's time to try a different product. Such a waste of money...

Despair.

[Peter Grainge]

Surely you backed up the RH7 project before proceeding?

It sounds like you can now work in the RH8 project and the concern is more about it crashing again, correct? Sometimes after an upgrade there can be a crash but reopening, with or without trashing the CPD, should be all that is needed.

Create a backup now and then hammer the project.

It is important that both you and the client have the two RH8 patches applied.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Hello Peter,

Thanks for your suggestions.

Yes, I have a backup.

RH8 is version 8.0.2.208, which I think means that the patches are applied.

(I use auto-update, and a manual check shows there are no more updates that

I need to download).

CPD file: The default setting in RH8 Options is to clear project cache (.cpd

file) before opening any project. So I assume it does so.

Bug: Every time I need to add a folder within the Project Manager > Project

Files folder, RH8 hangs. Every time. Then I have to crash out of it. When I

reopen the project, bingo! the new folder is in place. But add another one,

and the same happens again.

I just tried a manual deletion of the CPD, then opened the project for the

third time. Added a new folder in Project Manager > Project Files, and it

hangs again.

The nature of their help guide, currently with 340 topics, is that they will

add new folders in the future.

And I still have the problem that after editing a topic, then saving, it

frequently loses the Master Page connection. Grrr...

Philip

[ADAGuy]

Philip:

Greetings from California!

I have been using RH for over 4 years now, and have experienced the same issue with RH 5, 7 and 8.

I originally thought it was related to Version Control. However, folders get "lost" in time and space in standalone projects and version control projects.

So in your view, what is the best way to resolve this issue of "missing" folders?

I can reimport them, but the problem is, with multiple users accessing the same project, I am concerned how this will affect them.

Usually, when they download the project onto their local computer, all folders are in their local folder, but then do not display in the actual RH project since the fpj folder is completely missing.

Very frustrating. Just wanted your (and the community's) thoughts on this matter.

Thanks!

-Yaseen

[Peter Grainge]

I believe that the crashing problem was resolved by creating a new project, albeit that project now has an entirely different problem.

In general RoboHelp does not regularly have folders and files go missing other than with RoboHelp 8 where the problem was fixed with the release of Patch 2.

Maybe it is something to do with what you check in and out. There is a Snippet on my site about that. Otherwise I suggest you start another thread in the source control forum where someone better versed in that can help you.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge