Checkbox snippet doesn't show up in PDFs

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Diana_BB
Sr. Propeller Head
Posts: 147
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:46 am
Location: Dallas, TX

Checkbox snippet doesn't show up in PDFs

Post by Diana_BB »

I've been trying to figure this one out during every spare moment today.

We have a snippet for a checkbox in our template. It looks great in online help formats, but it disappears in PDFs. Typically, we use it in a table as part of a checklist, but it doesn't work in PDFs in a paragraph either.

We are in the middle of updating all our documents for PDF output, and this is a new discovery. I can't see anything in the CSS that would exclude the tiny snippet from the PDF. Other snippets work.

I have no idea of where to start to resolve this. Any ideas?

Thanks!
Diana
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LTinker68
Master Propellus Maximus
Posts: 7247
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:38 pm

Re: Checkbox snippet doesn't show up in PDFs

Post by LTinker68 »

How are you inserting the checkbox? Is it an image or are you using a symbol font? If using a symbol font, which font? Someone else recently mentioned trying to use a Wingdings font to display a square and it didn't work in Firefox or PDF output. I suggested they submit a bug report at http://www.madcapsoftware.com/bugs/submit.aspx and for a workaround use an image instead.
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Lisa
Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines.
Warning! Loose nut behind the keyboard.
Diana_BB
Sr. Propeller Head
Posts: 147
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:46 am
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Checkbox snippet doesn't show up in PDFs

Post by Diana_BB »

I don't know! I took over the template from a writer who left the company. She's also looking at it to see if she has any ideas.

This the snippet code (if that helps):

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<html xmlns:MadCap="http://www.madcapsoftware.com/Schemas/MadCap.xsd">
    <head>
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
    </head>
    <body>
        <p class="TableCheckbox">
            <input type="checkbox" />
        </p>
    </body>
</html>
I like your idea of using an image--I'll have to do that if nothing else works.

Thanks,
Diana
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LTinker68
Master Propellus Maximus
Posts: 7247
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:38 pm

Re: Checkbox snippet doesn't show up in PDFs

Post by LTinker68 »

The code used is a fraction of a form block. I'm surprised Flare didn't throw an error. I didn't think you could use input fields without a form tag. That might be why it doesn't display correctly -- the outputs need the form tags to understand the input tag.

Do the topics using that snippet have forms in them? Maybe that's why the snippet was used, to make the checkbox appearance consistent, but all the code in there is basic and doesn't provide any consistency for reusing it in multiple forms across multiple topics. I think she was just trying to get an appearance of a non-filled box so the user could print the page and hand-check the box. I think you'll be fine with the image, unless it really is an input field to be inserted into a form tag in topics.
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Lisa
Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines.
Warning! Loose nut behind the keyboard.
Diana_BB
Sr. Propeller Head
Posts: 147
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:46 am
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Checkbox snippet doesn't show up in PDFs

Post by Diana_BB »

Thanks for taking a look at it, Lisa.

It really is a superficial element. It's the same amount of effort to use an image and less troubleshooting--I will go that route.

I appreciate your help!
Diana
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