Publisher preflight "fix" to linked documents has resulted in an unresponsive file

[dgroth72]

I have a Publisher document that I ran through preflight before printing to check for spelling and other errors.  Several of my lined PDF files were flagged as needing to be optimized or 'fixed'.  Against my better judgement I accepted the 'fix'.  The file exported to PDF but the resolution on some of the 'fixed' links was poor.  It appears Publisher converted the PDF instanced from "passthrough" to "interpret".  Now the entire document is non-responsive.  I'm unable to open do anything in the original file.  I mean anything - no selecting, no page navigation, no resource manager, nothing.

I did try pasting the pages into a new document but that has the same unfunctional result.  I was able to bring the pages into a new document.  But Publisher is still unresponsive and I'm unable to even delete a page in the new document.

What happened and how can I get my file back so I can edit it?

AIA ACHA D_GROTH Portfolio 2.afpub

[MikeTO]

The good news is you haven't lost anything. I can open your document without issues but I don't have the linked resources.

So to open your document, just rename the folder(s) containing the linked resources to make them unavailable. When you open the document, decline the prompt to relink them.

There are a couple of ways you can proceed from there but first save a backup copy under a new name. You could replace each resource manually or you could use the Resource Manager and its replace feature to find the image in its renamed location and reload the resource.

Good luck.

[Archangel]

For some reason on Windows, the file presents as an  Affinity Photo file. It shouldn't matter but try changing it to an Affinity Publisher file.

Having done that I can load the document and edit it. The Photos are all pixelated but are editable and deletable. Obviously, I do not have the resources that are linked to this document  nor probably the fonts installed that you may be using.

[walt.farrell]

26 minutes ago, Archangel said:

For some reason on Windows, the file presents as an  Affinity Photo file. It shouldn't matter but try changing it to an Affinity Publisher file.

That is just the way you have your system setup. You can change that using File Explorer and Open With, or in Windows Settings where you can assign default apps.

[Archangel]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

That is just the way you have your system setup. You can change that using File Explorer and Open With, or in Windows Settings where you can assign default apps.

Very possibly. I'll have a thorough look.

[NathanC]

Hi @dgroth72,

Could you also possibly provide a copy of the linked resources? I'd like to confirm if this app hang can be replicated via the Preflight fix and subsequent export. I've added a private upload link below if you don't wish to share them publicly.

https://www.dropbox.com/request/jitKWvbnynNTMXpmz8aq

Also, I can see in resource manager that your resources are all linked to a location on the E:/ Drive, is this an external drive or is it local?

Thanks

[dgroth72]

Catchup up on this post and request.  Sorry for the delay.  I was able to import the pages into a new document to restore access.  I then needed to convert all of the PDF links back to Passthrough to gain any sort of functionality back.  Thankfully I was able to export a new PDF for use last night.  This morning I'm unable to open the file to export the linked assets because Publisher is saying it's corrupted.

In this particular project the Publisher file and the lined resources live on a portable SSD drive.

I've attached the newly corrupted file for reference. If anyone can open it I'd gladly package the linked files and send them for testing.

I'm pretty certain the preflight changing all of the pdf links from passthrough to interpret caused the initial meltdown.

AIA ACHA D_GROTH Portfolio 6 edrive.afpub

[NathanC]

Hi @dgroth72 thanks for getting back to me,

Unfortunately the file can't be recovered by any standard methods available to us, so it will need logging with the development team for further investigation into what's caused this. It's possible that the developers may be able to partially the corrupt document but this isn't guaranteed and isn't something we can provide a timeframe for. So the team have as much info as possible we would be grateful if you could answer the following to the best of your knowledge:

1. Which Affinity app and version did the file last get saved in? (ie Photo, 2.4.2)
2. Which Operating System and version are you using? (ie Windows 10, macOS 10.15 Catalina)
3. What error message is shown when trying to open the file? Please include a screenshot of this error if necessary.
4. Is the folder you're saving to syncing to Google drive, OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox or other Cloud services?
5. Do you have any Anti-virus and/or Anti-malware software running on your machine. If so, which one(s)?
6. Was this file a new document or are you trying to save to an existing document when the corruption occurred?
7. Are you able to save a new document to the same location without an error?
8. Can you remember what you were working on or the functions most recently used within the affected document before the corruption occurred?
9. Any other information you think would help us try to find the problem?

18 hours ago, dgroth72 said:

In this particular project the Publisher file and the lined resources live on a portable SSD drive

Going forward we do recommend working locally and then copying to external storage locations after, as doing so often significantly reduces the chances of encountering a corruption and also will ensure you have a local backup.