The RoboColum(n)

Some users have had issues importing a PDF into a RoboHelp project. This is normally where a PDF created in an old version of Adobe Acrobat (e.g. Acrobat 6) is being imported into a RoboHelp 8 project, or a PDF created in the latest version of Adobe Acrobat (version 9) is imported into an older version of RoboHelp (e.g. RoboHelp X5). Normally the user gets an error message such as “Unsupported or corrupted file” yet the PDF opens perfectly OK in Adobe Acrobat. What gives?

This is one of those occasions where the error message is slightly misleading. The issue with it is that it is ones natural reaction to focus on the word “corrupted” with all the connotations that it brings. However the word “unsupported” gives the real key to the problem. In the above scenarios you have a mismatch between the product versions. As Acrobat 9 was released after RoboHelp X5 and RoboHelp 8 was released after Acrobat 6 I guess you have to suspect problems with backwards compatibility. It’s a bit like installing your old DOS Asteroids game on Windows 7 and expecting it to run flawlessly!

So how do you get around this conundrum? There are a couple of workarounds:

• If you are importing your PDF into a RoboHelp 8 project, get hold of an earlier version of Adobe Acrobat from which to create your PDF. Another option is to use one of the many free PDF convertor tools to be found on the internet.
• If you are importing a PDF created in a newer version of Acrobat into a older version of RoboHelp (e.g. RoboHelp x5) you have a couple of options:
  • The first is to print the PDF to the Adobe Printer print driver, saving the file as a PDF. Reports have indicated that the PDF imports into RoboHelp with no issues.
  • If you have access to Acrobat Professional, use the Optimizer function saving the file as an earlier PDF version. Creating a PDF in this way takes slightly longer but also works well. Note however that this method removes and invalidates any digital signatures.