robohelp html 9 crashes when I try to import a MS HTML Help Project (HHP)

Report · Jul 21, 2011

Hi there. We are currently in the process of looking for a better help authoring tool at the company I'm working. I installed Robohelp HTML 9 yesterday as a trial, and I wanted to import an existing MS HTML Help Project (.hhp), very small - 20 topics. The html files are created with MS Front Page 2000 and compiled with HTML Help Workshop. I get the following error and robohelp crashes:

Is this because I am using a trial? Thank you so much for your help.

Report · Jul 21, 2011

There are no limitations whatever in the trial version. This is not something I have seen reported before so either it is something in the code from a very old version of FrontPage or Visual Studio is interferring with the process.

I can only suggest you try on a machine that does not have Visual Studio installed.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 21, 2011

Failing that, maybe you could try importing the CHM or HTML files and go with those.

The RoboColum(n)

@robocolumn

Colum McAndrew

Report · Jul 21, 2011

Thank you both for your quick answers. These are all the import options available from the Starter screen, as you can see no CHM or HTML option:

Also, from File->Import, all options are inactive:

All computers in the company have Visual Studio installed, but I tend to believe the problem is not that. I will continue to look into it, install on another computer, see what happens. Thank you again for your trouble.

Report · Jul 21, 2011

The greyed background suggests you don't have a project open. Create a new blank project and then those options will be enabled.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 21, 2011

You were right, sorry. As you probably have guessed I'm new to RH. Anyway I tried to import an HTML file and I got the same error. Also, I installed the RH9 trial on a different computer and got the same problem. So that leaves me to believe it is a compatibility issue with my Front Page version.

Thank you very much for your help!

Report · Jul 21, 2011

Have you tried pasting the content into a blank topic?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 21, 2011

From memory frontpage code was traditionally nasty. It might be possible to figure out specifically what code RH is choking on, but if the project is small it might just be easier to copy and paste the text manually.

Another option might be to run the code through the W3C html validator or HTMLTidy - that might turn up the problem code.

Report · Jul 22, 2011

Hi Amber,

I took on your advice and run all my HTML pages through w3c validator. There was a bit of cleaning up to do, but even after this, RH crashed when I tried to import a HHP file or a single HTML file.

So importing FrontPage 2000 generated HTML doesn't seem to work even after cleanup.

It would have been nice to be able to do this because we have many projects like this and some are much larger.

What seems to work is to copy only the <body> part of the cleaned HTML page into RH pages. So I guess copy and paste will have to do, at least for now.

Thank you all for your answers!

Iulia

Report · Jul 22, 2011

Iulia

Can you send me one of these HTML pages? See the Contact Page on my site.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 22, 2011

The topic imported without any problems.

Is your project on your local drive or on a network?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 22, 2011

Hi,

the file is on a local drive.

I tried again, still the same

Iulia

Report · Jul 22, 2011

Are your RoboHelp project files also on a local drive though?

The RoboColum(n)

@robocolumn

Colum McAndrew

Report · Jul 22, 2011

Hi,

Yes, everything is local.

Thanks!

Report · Jul 22, 2011

You are saying the file. A project is many files so I want to be sure you do mean the RoboHelp project is on your hard disk. What is the path to the project, the folder that has an XPJ file in it?

Please set out step by step how you are importing this file.

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Report · Jul 22, 2011

Also try importing the file I have attached.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 22, 2011

Hi Peter,

the file you sent me imported successfully.

Iulia

Report · Jul 22, 2011

Put the Front Page file in the same folder as the one you saved my file to. Try again.

If that fails do you still have Front Page or some other HTML editor that you can use to gradually remove bits of that page. It may tell us something but I am more inclined to the view this is to do with your environment. Finding out what is going to be the tricky bit.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 22, 2011

I moved the FP file into the same folder with your file. The import failed again. I also believe it has to do with my environment. I will try to remove gradually bits from the pages as suggested. I suspect there must be some character or bit of code that makes it crash.

Thank you so much for your help so far.

Iulia

Report · Jul 22, 2011

See how you get on. If it gets silly, let me know and I will import the topics for you as it is only twenty files.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Report · Jul 22, 2011

OK, thank you so much!

Iulia

Report · Sep 02, 2011

Hi all,

I have news. My html documents included objects like:

When I delete these, I can import the files into Robohelp 9 and it doesn't crash anymore.

Funny thing is it only happens on my Windows XP machine. On Vista import goes OK.

Anyway, though the whole thing still looks a bit odd, I have to declare case closed .

Thank you all for your help and patience.

Report · Sep 02, 2011

Pleased to see you have resolved it.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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robohelp html 9 crashes when I try to import a MS HTML Help Project (HHP)