Reproducable RH7 crash on generating primary layout (WebHelp)

[Moonlion2]

If I apply a conditional build tag to any topic or folder, either in the TOC or in the Project Maganer, RH7 crashes 100% of the time, and always at the same spot: 1/4 of the way through the progress thermometer or during the "updating files" stage.

I can take the same project and not apply any tags and run the same command and everything works fine.

I even tried "batch generate" and chose every option available and everything worked fine to completion with no tags, but if I assigned a tag then it would always fail during the web help stage and, again, at the same point.

I tried applying a tag to different topics and folders both in the Project Manager and in the TOC and no matter what, any tag anywhere always crashed RH7.

I used the search here and perused Mr. Grange's super site but I assume I'm too new to RH to know what terminology to look for and overlooked the fix.

So ... is there something in particular that I should try?

[Peter Grainge]

Peter is fine.

Are you generating using a build expression? If you are, do you get the same problem if you generate the same project without using it?

Next create a new project with just a couple of topics and repeat the test. What results?

If you can repeat the problem in the test project, just email it to me via my site. Include a link to this thread and your forum username.

If it is limited to your main project, I'll look at that too but let me know the size zipped before you send it.

[Moonlion2]

>Are you generating using a build expression?

I think so... I created a new tag and assigned it to a topic, then I selected File -> Generate Primary Layout (WebHelp) then under the Conditional Build Option menu I selected my tag, which defaulted to NOT the tag.


>If you are, do you get the same problem if you generate the same project without using it?

Ooh, I didn't know there was a different way. How do I do that?


>Next create a new project with just a couple of topics and repeat the test. What results?

Ah, when I create a new project and try it, it works just fine. However, I tried many many different topics in my main project so I'm disinclined to think it's a corrupt topic within my project, there must be something else in the project, something that's project-wide so to speak, that's corrupt, perchance?


>If it is limited to your main project, I'll look at that too but let me know the size zipped before you send it.

I can't do that so much because it's all sekrit 'n' stuff, alas.

[Peter Grainge]

Next time you generate, you will see in the wizard the build expression you created. It is in a dropdown. Select None instead of that expression.

Yes it is a problem with your other project but if you don't want to take your car to the garage, you can't expect them to diagnose the fault.

I've lost count of the number of projects sent to me. Nobody has had cause to complain and as Adobe would strip my Adobe Community Expert status, I'm hardly going to risk that. Your call. My project works fine! Seriously, the option to put to your management is they accept this free offer or pay to get a consulant in.

There are some other things you can try first. I think I have pointed you before to my Opening Project page. Try that. If not, in a test project, create build tags exactly the same as your problem project. Then copy the rhbuildtag.apj file to your problem project.

Do work on backups while you do all this.

[Moonlion2]

>Next time you generate, you will see in the wizard the build expression you created. It is in a dropdown. Select None instead of that expression.

Yes, I tried that before which I mentioned upstream (what I meant by "not apply any tags"). I thought you were talking about a different way to apply the tags other than through that wizard.


>create build tags exactly the same as your problem project.

Does this mean merely naming them the same?


>Do work on backups while you do all this.

Speaking of, since RH7 doesn't Save As, I'm left wondering whether everything is contained in one folder or not. I know Windows XP loves to spread files in a thousand different locations but is RH an exception in that everything I need to back up is just the project's single main folder?

[Peter Grainge]

Tags are applied to topics and content. You then elect to use them or not in the build expressions. With the number of posts I answer, you have to accept I might not read the whole thread from start to finish each time so sorry for missing that.

Yes, simply make sure the tags are case identical.

To backup a project, locate the top level folder for the project. It is the one containing the XPJ file. Copy that folder and all sub-folders.

In another thread, I enquired whether you are using a pure Windows machine or a MAC with Windows emulation. I don't know if that is relevant but if the latter is what you are doing, we can then ask others for their experience.

[Moonlion2]

No worries!

XPJ--got it.

And: Nope, using just a Windows machine (alas).