Troubleshooting

Having trouble getting things working properly?

There are numerous reasons that the automation process may not work properly. We’ll try to document those that come to mind and will add more as issues arise. If you run into trouble, contact us at <tools AT leximation DOT com>.

Remember that whenever anything unexpected happens, review the FrameMaker Console window for any messages or errors. If FrameMaker has closed, you can review the console messages for the last FrameMaker session by reading the consfile.txt file.

FrameMaker makes the “crash” sound when exiting

When FrameMaker exits (via the exit element in an AutoFM script), it may occasionally generate the “crash” sound. This appears to be caused by the operating system when it thinks the application has crashed (usually the case when an application closes itself). As long as the PDF has been created properly, and all files have closed successfully, this is not something to worry about.

On Windows 7, I’m getting the “Application has stopped responding” message

On a Windows 7 system, when FrameMaker exits, you may see the “Application has stopped responding” message which can interrupt automated scripting. This is generated by the operating system when it thinks the application has crashed, when in fact that was the intent. To prevent this dialog from displaying, make the following tweak to the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\Dont Show UI = 1

FrameMaker doesn’t open the AutoFM XML file

The AutoFM structure application isn’t properly installed. Refer to step #2 in the “Installation and Setup” topic.

FrameMaker doesn’t automatically run the AutoFM script

Make sure that the AutoFM plugin is installed and registered. You should see two “AutoFM loaded” messages in the FrameMaker Console Window. Check the Pubs-Tools > AutoFM menu to make sure it’s available and registered.

Bookmarks are not created in the generated PDF

You need to use the “print” element and set the @acrobatdata attribute to “1” in order for bookmarks to be created.

Bookmarks are not set up properly

The default Job Options settings are used when a PDF is created. This value is defined in the current FM file or in the first FM file in a book. You must set this up ahead of time. A future update to AutoFM may allow you to specify this data in the script.