Index tab crash

Report · Sep 05, 2007

When I click the Index tab in our RoboHelp HTML project file, the application crashes. The error message states that "The memory could not be 'read.'"

Any ideas out there?

Report · Sep 06, 2007

HI VAJohn and welcome to the RH community. We will try and help you but you'll have to provide us with some more information. Can you tell us what version of RH you are using (e.g. X5, 6), what flavour (e.g. CHM, webhelp), whether the problem is only on one help file, whether that help file errors in the same way on other PCs. Also can I check whether you are referring to the index tab in the output or the Index tab into RH itself. Lots of questions. Sorry!

Report · Sep 06, 2007

All excellent questions. I'm using RH HTML X5.0.2. This is an XPJ file. When I click on the Index tab in RH itself, it crashes. The Index tab in the output actually works very well. This is the only help file I work with (we're a small govt org), so I can't speak to whether this problem would occur in other help files. However, it does occur on another PC in our group, so I haven't bothered to have IT reinstall RH, as the problem appears to be in the help file.

I've poked around the Web quite a bit, but haven't come across anyone reporting a similar problem.

BTW, everything else in the file works fine -- the Project Manager, TOC, glossary, multifile find and replace, publishing output -- so if the file is corrupted, it appears that only the index is corrupted.

Report · Sep 06, 2007

VAJohn,

In your project directory in Windows, you should see a file myproject.hhk. This is the index database source file.

Do you also have a file myproject.hhk_backup?
As the name implies, it's the most recent previous version of the index.

Make sure the project is not open in RH. Change the name of the current hhk and rename the backup file to look like the current file. Relaunch RH and open the project.

If the index file is corrupted, with any luck the backup file will work.

If this desn't fix it, please post back.

Harvey

Report · Sep 06, 2007

Well, this is curious. Not only is there no hhk backup, but the hhk file that is in the project directory is only 1 KB, and Windows is telling me it hasn't been modified since 6-15-07. The index was definitely modified after that date, and the last index item I was able to add displays correctly in our output.

Report · Sep 06, 2007

If you open the hhk file with a text editor, what do you see, compared with a known good hhk file from another project?

Report · Sep 06, 2007

Is the project on a network drive?

Report · Sep 06, 2007

HKabaker,

The project is, in fact, on a network drive.

I don't have a second project to compare the hhk file to, but when I open it in Notepad, all it says is:

<html>

<object type="text/site properties">
<param name="SiteType" value="index">
</object>
<ul>
</ul>
</html>

Given that and the 1 KB file size, it strikes me that the file is basically empty. But that's strange, as I've published output several times since the problem cropped up, and the index in our output continues to work fine.

Report · Sep 07, 2007

Harvey asked the right question. Networks and RH do not go side by side. The underlying RH database is Access based and should not be run in a network drive unless you want all sorts of gremlins getting in. By all means back up to a network drive but move your source to a local drive straight away.

Report · Sep 07, 2007

Well, OK. I can talk to my team about this. But I still need to recover that index. It looks to me like the hhk file in the source folder got scrubbed. But since I have an output index that still works, there's some sort of output file out there, right? I've been searching for it in our output folder but can't figure out which file it is. I'm assuming that there's some way to pull that output file back into RoboHelp and recreate the hhk file from that somehow.

Anyway, the good thing about having it on a network drive is that the drive is backed up, so our lead programmer suggested we find the last working copy of the hhk file and see if that works.

Report · Sep 07, 2007

The index ends up in the wh files and not in the format you want, to the best of my knowledge. It might be possible to poke around that lot but it will take time and just now I am not in a position to look for you.

I think finding a good backup will be a much better way to go.

As to the good thing being the network drive is backed up, forgive me but how is backing up a corrupted project a good thing? Lots of posts here about not running from the network. What most folks do to avoid that is either use source control or more simply, zip up your project at the end of the day and put that on the network.

I use a cheap backup program (£10) that does it automatically for me every day.

Help others by clicking Correct Answer if the question is answered. Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts.

Report · Sep 07, 2007

I think you can convert from the output files to a source file. It takes a lot of manipulating with a text editor, and you are dealing with several output files, depending on the index size.

If it's only 50 to 100 terms, probably it's easier to re-create the index in RH.

I can give you more information, if you like.

Harvey

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Index tab crash