Cannot get air installation package to generate

[kivinen]

Hello, I am using madcape flare 4.0, and I have been trying to generate an adobe air webhelp file, but I cannot seem to be able to do this. I have installed both the Java SE kit and the Adobe Air 1.1 installation, and I can run Air files, but when I go to generate my own, I always get the message:

"Failed to generate the air installation package"

I am at a loss what to do, I have also checked that I am putting all contents to one single folder (flat structure) but still I cannot get the air file successfully generated.

The online help for this in flare does not really give much advice, just install the java package and the air package and then it should work? Has anyone else run into this problem?

BR

Dave

[NorthEast]

At what stage of the build do you see this message? Is it right at the end?

I have trouble generating WebHelp AIR for some of projects, the build will abort if the project has any regular HTML files (i.e. they're not XHTML files that I create in the XML editor).
Although I'm not sure why this is a problem (as I can have these files in normal WebHelp), I can at least see in the build log where it's happening and tell what files are breaking it.

[kivinen]

Hi, yes it happens right at the end...I think I have no other imported HTML files, only html files made in the editor... I get no message telling why it failed in the log, just that it did fail.

Are there certain file types like flash files or audio files created with madcap audio capture or madcap mimic (flash) that are not supported? I tried also to do one project (the default application help sample) with no other changes to the default files created in the application help sample and it still fails.

[RamonS]

If it fails with the sample project I'd get in touch with MadCap support. Experience shows that they get this figured out in a matter of minutes.

[kivinen]

Thanks, I will do that... have to use that support package I bought some time:) Just for kicks, here is the output on the generation of webhelp air from the sample project:

Removing previously generated content...
Checking if auto-sync of any import file is needed...
Loading skin info...
Copying WebHelp support files to output folder...
Gathering Glossary information...
Gathering Auto-index information...
Loading Master TOC...
Processing Master TOC...
Collecting linked (merged) help system info...
Generating Glossary...
Applying glossary master page Glossary.flmsp...
Processing CSS: Resources\Stylesheets\Styles.css...
Collecting source files...
Processing source files...
Generating output files...
Processing topic: Welcome.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Welcome.htm
Processing topic: Introduction.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Introduction.htm
Processing topic: Whats new.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Whats new.htm
Processing topic: Getting_Started\Getting Started.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Getting_Started\Getting Started.htm
Processing topic: Getting_Started\Procedure 1.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Getting_Started\Procedure 1.htm
Processing topic: Getting_Started\Procedure 2.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Getting_Started\Procedure 2.htm
Processing topic: Using\Overview a.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Using\Overview a.htm
Processing topic: Using\Procedure 1a.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Using\Procedure 1a.htm
Processing topic: Using\Procedure 2a.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Using\Procedure 2a.htm
Processing topic: Contacting\Information.htm...
Applying master page NewPage.flmsp...
Generated Contacting\Information.htm
Generating synonyms file...
Generating alias file...
Processing audio links...
Generating final TOC...
Generating concept and keyword anchors in output files...
Generating Index...
Generating Concepts...
Resolving links in output files...
Generating Search Database...
Generating final output...
Running Adobe AIR Compiler...
Generated AIR installation package ApplicationHelp.air.
Compiler: Failed to generate the AIR installation package.
Generated ApplicationHelp.htm
Saving result set...
Output generated in 43 second(s).
Done

So maybe I am missing something here in this message log... but I will call support today

BR

Dave

[kivinen]

Hi, case solved. I had two versions of java installed on my system, java 1.4.6 and also Java 6 update 7 and once I removed the older java version through uninstall, the air compilation went through just fine.

Thanks Richard for your suggestions.

[saanvik]

What about those of us that need more than one JVM? Am I doomed to never be able to generate AIR help because I need two JVMs?

[RamonS]

I guess it depends on which JVMs are installed, but don't know for sure. In this case, virtualization is your friend. Kinda weird to use a virtual machine to get a virtual machine working.

[saanvik]

My problem turned out to be that I had a couple of non-XML files in my project. When I fixed those, everything generated fine, so, maybe multiple JVMs aren't a problem

[kivinen]

Hi, I should also clarify, I actually have multiple JVMs installed also on my machine, I just happened to remove the OLDEST of these and then it worked. I am not exactly sure what the version requirements are for the JVM though... But it works for me now, I am not going to touch it

[Netta]

I'm also having problems generating an AIR target but I just get an error saying that it can't find the JVM at all. I have various versions of java on my machine (hazards of the job) but my JAVA_HOME is pointing at jdk1.5.0_06. Does anyone know what it uses to find the java version?

[kivinen]

Well, now it seems that the very same project I could get to compile to AIR format, now with no changes will not compile anymore successfully. I am uninstalling all my JVM and reinstall and see what happens... will keep posting

[kivinen]

ok, I removed ALL java runtimes, jdk, everything... deleted all files, directories everything. I reinstalled the JVM runtime from Sun version 1.6.0_07-b06 and all projects, even the ones I had problems with before with different content not created in flare works... it seems older versions of jvm installed even if not active and the Adobe Air compiler did not like... Now I really have my fingers crossed

[Hobbes]

Is there a bug already opened up for this? I can't generate AIR output either.

At the very least, when it fails it should give you some information on why? I have the latest JVM and it still doesn't work--not even with the included sample project.

[LTinker68]

Is there a bug already opened up for this?

Even if someone else has submitted a bug, you should do so as well, for two reasons. First, the more people who submit the same problem/request, the more likely that MadCap will fix/implement it sooner rather than later. Second, your situation may be different from someone else and MadCap may ask for your project or a sample project or may ask for more information so that they can try to reproduce your problem.

Submit a bug report at http://www.madcapsoftware.com/bugs/submit.aspx.

[Hobbes]

Just another log for the fire here . . .

I haven't been able to generate the AIR output via Flare and I have opened a ticket to let MadCap know. I thought it was probably something unique to my setup (windows, Adobe, Java), but a coworker that has been evaluating RoboHelp 7 just came up to me and said AIR generates fine from RH. She downloaded the Flare trial and when she tries to generate AIR, she gets the same failure that I do.

I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin . . . Is RH superior to Flare in this respect? Is there anyone out there that has successfully generated AIR by simply pushing the 'Build' button?

[RamonS]

Keep in mind that RoboHelp is from Adobe and just because of that has a leg up. Add to that the fact that MadCap is a die hard Microsoft only shop and you can figure out where the preferences are. I am sure Flare would have no issues generating Silverlight output...if there were any for Flare. Sarcasm aside, I haven't tried generating WebHelp AIR, put I'd be very surprised if it worked fine right off the bat.

[Paul Griffiths]

FWIW, I have generated WebHelp AIR with no problem at all.

[NorthEast]

I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin . . . Is RH superior to Flare in this respect? Is there anyone out there that has successfully generated AIR by simply pushing the 'Build' button?

Yep, it worked fine for me.
Have you read the earlier parts of this discussion about removing old versions of java?

[Hobbes]

I could remove all the old Java version and hope they aren't required for any other programs, but I don't see why I should have to. Especially since RH seems to work without modification. Ok rant over.

Anyway, could someone from MadCap or otherwise specify what the exact system requirements are for generating AIR? I've also loaded Flare on my home computer, which runs Vista and has no corporate software and I still get the same message.

If I have to remove software and change Windows settings to make this work--fine. But I'd like to have a procedure and not have to make advertised functionality work via trial and error.

[RamonS]

I'm not surprised that it doesn't work on Vista. Try running it on a Windows version that isn't 99.8% broken. OK, my rant is over as well.
I did just try it on Windows XP 64bit, which is the same as Server 2003 64bit just with the XP GUI. That worked fine, so it isn't a 64bit / WOW64 issue. I found that when switching UAC off in Vista a lot of applications just start working. Maybe it is worth a try.

[Paul Griffiths]

It's not a Vista issue. I've generated WebHelp AIR on Vista.

[Hobbes]

I broke down and tried to apply the solution outlined in this thread. I removed all mentions of Java from my environment variables and uninstalled all Java from my system. I then downloaded the latest JRE and installed it. I put the new paths back in the environment variables.

Still no luck. BTW this is on a Windows XP Pro system and I have installed AIR from the Adobe site.

There must be some basic difference between my setup (and the setups of others that have this problem) and the setup of everyone else. I've followed the stated requirements that are available from MadCap--and then some--but I am stumped.

I guess I have to accept that for me, and everyone in my writing group, this is a non-feature. Hopefully, there will be a solution or an explanation at some point down the road.

[Paul Griffiths]

Hobbes, this is probably no comfort but IMO you're not missing very much. Flare just treats AIR as yet another browser in which to host WebHelp. There's no added functionality over WebHelp other than the ability to run wherever the AIR Runtime can run.

Woo.

[Hobbes]

While AIR isn't extremely important at the moment, it looks like it will be sooner rather than later.

The two primary methods we use to distribute help now--aside from tying it to an application--are WebHelp and chm files. Because of what MS has done with security settings, we get constant complaints from customers that our help is broken when it is really just that Widnows is blocking it's own help format for security reasons--what's up with that?

And, when we zip and distribute the WebHelp we get complaints that it is too complicated and customers just want one file. AIR would be the perfect solution, if we could get it to work--standalone, single file, multi-platform.

I think if we could make this work, we could address a major hot-button issue for our customers. That's why I'm a little irked.