Preview compiled topic - minor annoyance

[KristinRandle]

Sometimes when I click Preview Compiled Topic, I get the error: "Failure to compile document. Object is currently in use elsewhere." Sometimes I can simply close the error, save the topic, then preview. Other times, I have to close the error and topic before I can reopen it and preview. Sometimes I get the error only once, other times 2 or 3 times for the same topic. Hmm...perplexing.

Anyone seeing the same annoyance?

[LTinker68]

Yeah, I see it a lot, too. I decided that it must be a timing issue with the Analyzer-related options in v4. If you look at the message/status bar at the bottom of the Flare GUI, you'll see it flash through a bunch of message about scanning and such. I think if you try to click Preview while it's still running through those messages then you get the error because Analyzer is looking at the file at the same time. I tend to save a topic right before I Preview it, and saving kicks off the Analyzer scan. If it's a long document or has snippets in it, then the scan takes slightly longer. I've gotten in the habit of looking at that status bar to see if the Analyzer-ish messages are done before I click the Preview icon.

[KristinRandle]

Okay, this is happening more and more. Even when Analyzer isn't running through its analysis, I can't preview topics. It's also starting to happen with my co-workers projects.

At first, it seemed to be only topics with a lot of drop-downs, toggles, expanding text, etc. wouldn't preview. However, I just experienced the same problem with a topic that had very little of that in it.

Any thoughts? Should I log a defect?

[LTinker68]

Does enabling the "Disable Collecting Phrase" option (Tools > Options, Analyzer tab) help at all?

[KristinRandle]

No, unfortunately.

[doc_guy]

Yeah, I'd log a defect / open a support case (if you have a plan). This shouldn't be happening.

https://www.madcapsoftware.com/bugs/submit.aspx

[ChuckJulian]

I don't get an error message when I use "Preview compiled topic", but sometimes the Progress bar cycles ad infinitum. I click Cancel, save the file, and try again -- usually with success. I love this function because I can see what my changes look like without saving the file first, unlike "building" the project.

Chuck

[KristinRandle]

We love the feature, too. But even when we close the topic...hell, the entire project, and open it again, we either get the progress bar "ad infinitum" or the error. I logged a defect.

[KristinRandle]

For any an all who want to know...

According to MadCap Tech Support our issue had to do with our style sheet importing itself, leading to a circular reference error. We applied the following fix to one project, and so far it appears to work.

1. Right-click on the .css file, go to Open With, and select Internal Text Editor.
2. Once the file is opened, remove this line, which should be the second or third down on the page:
@import url('[file name].css') print;

It was also recommended we use the Clean Project function from the Build menu.