WD97: Error Message: 'The RTF file .\<name> is corrupted at offset...'

ID: Q164012

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to compile a Word 97 Rich Text Format (RTF) file in the Help Compiler that ships with Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or the Microsoft Visual C++ 4.2 Help Workshop, you may receive the following error messages:

HC4002: Warning:

The RTF file .\<filename> is corrupted at offset <###>

HC4005: Warning: The .\<filename> help file has not been created.

CAUSE

Word 97 writes a few new RTF flags. The older Help Compilers do not correctly discard the new RTF flags and instead attempt to process them. Since the flags are new, the Help Compiler fails during the compilation process.

RESOLUTION

This problem is corrected in Help Workshop version 4.03, which is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library:

Hcwsetup.exe

For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

An updated Help Workshop version 4.02 is available through the following sources:

Microsoft Office 97, Developer Edition

Microsoft Developer Network - Library - Jan 97
    Updated Microsoft Help Workshop 4.02\HELPSHOP\SETUP.EXE

Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows Version 5
    Enterprise and Professional Editions
    \DevStudio\Vc\Unsupported Tools\Hcw

NOTE: Visual Studio 97 ships the older 4.01 compiler.

MORE INFORMATION

Help Workshop is a program that you use to create Help (.hlp) files, edit project and contents files, and test and report on help files. Help Workshop takes the information in the project (.hpj) file to combine the topic (.rtf) files, bitmaps, and other sources into one Help file that can be viewed using the Microsoft Windows Help program.

Help WorkShop 4.02 compiles help files from RTF written both by the 16- bit versions of Word, such as Word 6.0, and also the 32-bit versions such as Word 7.0 and Word 97.

Help Workshop 4.02 does not compile projects created in the MS-DOS version of the Help Compiler.

A help file created in Help Workshop 4.02 does not run under Windows 3.x because the Help Workshop 4.02 creates 32-bit help files and Windows 3.x is a 16-bit operating environment.

REFERENCES

For additional information about the Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q162962 New Features in MS Office 97 Developer Edition Tools

Additional query words: help compiler rtf


Keywords          : kb3rdparty kbinterop word97 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: August 12, 1999