Slow initial response after updates, but before generating or publishing

[jernivl]

We have determined that after I open a project and do any kind of updates to my code, then try to bring up our website, it takes about 45 seconds for the home page to load. And this is before I have generated OR published my project! I use WebHelp Pro as my output. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, did you find a solution? Hope this is clear!

Vick

[Drew_G]

if this happens before you generate or publish then you clearly have a problem with your site not the web help project. if it hasn't been generated or published then 100% no changes have been made to the web accessible materials, the fact that you've noticed this after updating a project appears to be merely a coincidence. I would suggest checking out your web logs or server events to find out what is slowing your response time but i stress again when you save your project (not publish it) no changes are made to the published materials at all so no delays could be associated with this action......

[jernivl]

Would it make a difference that my RoboHelp software, projects, files and RoboEngine are all on the same server/machine? The updates don't ACTUALLY change, but the 1st person who access the webpage after I make a change to any of the projects, has a long response time before it loads.

Vick

[Captiv8r]

Hi Vick

You say all of it is on the same machine? Would it be safe then, to assume you also sit in front of the very PC that performs those functions? If the answer to that is: "No, silly. It's a server out where I connect", then you are courting disaster. RoboHelp often has issues working in this manner.

Click here for more information

Cheers... Rick

[Drew_G]

it is definately best practice to keep your development,storage, and production environments seperated. Are you making changes directly on that server or is the project opened up on a network? is the project launched fullscreen or in a frameset. have you tried recreating this scenario? ie save a project launch a page if delay save another project launch same page if no delay i would think it is a caching issue if delay each time prolly a bandwith bottleneck..

[jernivl]

Thanks for your replies. I'm really depressed, upset, and frustrated! When we bought RoboHelp/RoboEngine last Spring, we were told that it needed to run on a server. And, we were assured several times by suppport staff at Adobe that it was FINE and NORMAL to run the software on a server! We have several people who access the files and do updates to projects.

The project is opened up on a network and I make the changes from my connection to the RoboHelp computer. The project is launched full screen. What makes this so hard to detect the problem is the webpage is slow to load some times. I can't seem to put my finger on the scenario that is causing it to be slow. What I do know, and this is something I have read on this forum (Thank goodness for this forum!), is that after a project is published and/or RoboEngine is refreshed, the webpage if slow to load. So, we can work around that problem.

This problem doesn't seem to be a caching issue, or it would happen every load, don't you think?

Rick, I'll read the extra information to see if I can find some answers there.

Thanks again!

Vick

[RoboWizard]

Hi again Vick

Oftentimes, we see miscommunication occur between Sales staff and end users. While I'm sure Sales staff are keen to sell a product, I'm doubtful they would outright lie to someone in order to do so. But that's a discussion for a different venue.

I'm guessing that it's a simple miscommunication/misunderstanding here. You said:

Thanks for your replies. I'm really depressed, upset, and frustrated! When we bought RoboHelp/RoboEngine last Spring, we were told that it needed to run on a server. And, we were assured several times by suppport staff at Adobe that it was FINE and NORMAL to run the software on a server! We have several people who access the files and do updates to projects.

To me, I could see where the Adobe support staff might be thinking RoboHelp output files running on a server. Additionally, RoboEngine has to run on a server. Certainly RoboHelp is more than risky to house both the application on a server as well as your project files. Your output files are fine there, but not the source. Then we hear of multiple folks with their "fingers in the pie" with accessing files and updating projects. Makes one shudder at the thought with all the ways things could go wrong! The only real way this works is by using Source Control software.

As for the slow load, here are my thoughts. I have no way to substantiate them, they are only a hunch.

Since you have the project as well as the output on the same server, I'm wondering if the slowness is occurring because of the following. First I'll describe the normal way folks operate. (sorry, but you don't fall into this category from what I've heard)

RoboHelp (and projects) are stored and manipulated from a workstation on the company network. WebHelp Pro is generated, which places modified copies of all the files in a separate folder on the workstation. As this occurs, whatever was there prior to generating is first erased in preparation for receiving the new project. After generating to the folder, another process is invoked that propagates the files from the output location to their final destination on the RoboEngine server.

I'm wondering if you have by chance configured things so the output location (which would normally be on the local workstation) is actually the destination on the server? As the first step in this process is to delete the files that are there in preparation for replacing them with new ones, I'm wondering if the delay being observed is becuase of this process.

Sounds like quite a nest of weiner dogs!

Cheers... Rick 🙂

[jernivl]

Rick these are where my files are stored (both on the C drive of the server)

Projects: program files\RoboHelp Office\RoboHTML

Output: program files\RoboEngine\Servers\1\Projects

Vick