PDF outputs continually crash after editing an html source file

[Guest]

I have English and multiple localized versions of a RoboHelp webhelp project. I have created several PDF outputs for the localized versions. I can generate the PDFs fine when I don't touch any of the html source files.

However, I had to make a change to one of the html source files to remove a <dl> from the source file. After making the change to the source file in an outside text editor (Notepad ++), I went back to RoboHelp to generate the PDF, and the PDF output crashed.

The reason I was using an outside text editor is that when I tried to edit the <dl> HTML tags in RH, its HTML editor deleted all text within the tags being edited.  There was no undo at this point.  In anotehr attempt to use the RH Design editor, RH didn’t delete the <dd> or <dt> tags when those tag styles were changed to <h4> and <p>, respectively. RH inserted the new html wrapper inside the existing ones, instead of replacing it.

Also, during the PDF generation process, a Visual Basic error message will appear dozens of times stating that the application was interrupted.  I must press OK to continue for each error message.

What gives with the PDF generation failing like this?

[Peter Grainge]

I hate to say it but it sounds like something you are doing in the external editor is not liked by RoboHelp.

It could just be the way that text editor codes the file. I use EditPad Pro and that has various options for text encoding. My guess is your editor is not set to what RoboHelp expects.

Aftr that what I would do here is create a new one topic project and recreate the problem, with the minimum of text. It may help you spot the code RoboHelp does not like.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

Tried using EditPad Pro. Same results. PDF output crashes.

In both cases with NotePad ++ and EditPad Pro, we set the text encoding to utf-8 to match the localized output and then copied that text back into RH.

Even tried creating a one-topic project like you suggested and went to try to generate the PDF output. Same result. Another crash.

[Peter Grainge]

You say you copied the text back into RH, aren't you just opening the topic in the text editor and saving it? I'm not seeing where the copying back comes in.

After editing the topic, if you open it again in RoboHelp, does it put the wrong code back? Wondering if you can open the topic and close so that RoboHelp corrects what it doesn't like without reintroducing the problem.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

We were doing the text editing in a text editor and then copying that text back into the HTML view of RH.

So when we edit the files in a text editor with the RH project closed and then reopen the RH project with the newly edited files, we're able to generate the PDF. Maybe RH was trying to write to a file that was open in another editor and that caused the crash? Not sure. But good tip. My co-worker and I started doing this this afternoon and managed to get PDFs generated.