Project stalls/hangs when compiling and creates 0 KBs file

[twnancy]

One recently converted RoboHelp 11 WebHelp project stalls/hangs in the compilation process and creates the following file with 0 KBs: __cpSwf2HTML5ZipMap. All of our other projects (20) compile successfully without this noted file. What is the problem and how do we resolve it?

[Peter Grainge]

Are both your project and the target when generating on the same drive?

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[twnancy]

Peter,

Thank you for your timely response! Could you clarify what you mean by “target”? If you are referring to the ‘output folder and start page’, yes.

Please advise. Thanks!

[Peter Grainge]

Sorry for slow response. I have been travelling.

Is this still happening or have you fixed it meantime?

You say the project and output are on the same drive, is that the local drive? Have you tried deleting the CPD file and reopening the project?

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[twnancy]

Still happening. We develop and compile on a local drive, then copy the file to a network staging area for the Web Team. We have deleted the CPD and reopened the project multiple times, fixed broken links, removed excess baggage files, etc. There are 20+ other projects that compile without issues in RH 11.

However, we did inherit this file, i.e., no Technical Writer on our current team built the file. Could the way it was built cause this problem? Strangely, the file compiled in RH 9 (v. 9.0.2.271).

Thanks for your help, Peter.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

You might have to do the old “divide & test” rule on a backup of the project. Start by throwing away one-half of the topics & see if it compiles; if it does, add back a few topics at a time. If it doesn’t toss out half the topics again & recompile to test. Rinse & repeat until you narrow down the troubled topic(s).

[Peter Grainge]

Just to add some detail on how to go about that...

Zip up the project so you have a copy that cannot accidentally be opened and worked on. That gives you a copy that you can safely revert to later if needed. Save the zip file somewhere safe.

Then create another copy of the project so that you have two copies that can be worked on.

Open Copy 1 and delete half the topics. Ignore any broken links reported. Generate the help from that copy.

Open Copy 2 and delete the other half of the topics. Generate the help from that copy.

It should be the case that one copy is now OK and one still has the problem.

Trash the good copy and then create a second copy of the copy with the problem.

Repeat the process until you have located the topic that is causing the problem.

The process takes less time than you might think.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[cquesada27]

Hello, any luck resolving this issue? I am having same problem, and I have narrowed it down to a setting in the Content Categories WebHelp settings.

When I include a particular Conditional Build tag, my generator to stop and hang RoboHelp.

I have recreated the WebHelp SSL, re set the settings, basically no matter what I do, as soon as I define one of the conditional build tags as an "available tag" my WebHelp hangs and does not generate.

[Peter Grainge]

Is this a project that you can share? See the Contact page on my site and send the project as instructed there. Do make sure you include a link to this thread and please do not email the project direct.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge