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Earlier this morning, I reported a problem with compiling help files in
RoboHelp: "Unable to generate the [name] Help file. No errors were found in
the project, however the compile was not successful. An unknown error has
occurred. The [name] Help file could not be made, due to errors in the
project." Not the most helpful message in history, but Sid Heaton quickly
found the solution:
<<The path to your source files may be too long. The WinHelp compiler gacks
out at a path length of something like 100 characters. Here's the article
from the eHelp KB:
Unable To Generate The 'Project.hlp' Help File
Article #: 11640>>
Sure enough, that was the problem. In our efforts to clarify our directory
structures, the hierarchy grew too deep, and in trying to be clear, the file
names grew too long. The result? Path names that choked the WinHelp
compiler, which isn't sufficiently clever to mention this. This was never a
problem when I worked locally (on my C drive or my personal network drive),
but in moving to a group-based directory structure arrived at by consensus
<ahem>, we broke what worked.
In any event, putting the path names on a diet worked just fine. Thanks,
Sid! I'm a bit embarassed to admit that I should have known this solution; I
encountered a similar problem a few years back, and solved it the same way.
Guess the ol' brain ain't retaining like it used to.
--Geoff Hart, ghart -at- [delete]videotron -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
"For what I have published, I can only hope to be pardoned; but for what I
have burned, I deserve to be praised."--Alexander Pope
RoboHelp for FrameMaker is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
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The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! Call 800-718-4407 for
competitive pricing or download a trial at: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l4
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