Serious crash in Publisher, no access to edit

[Peter Labrow]

I'm working on a 300-page book in Publisher, with lots of text and photos. All has been fine up to today, when any edit causes Publisher to crash entirely.  I can't edit or delete a single thing without it crashing. I've made a copy of the file via save as, that crashes also. There is no crash report, Publisher simply dies. I've tried more than 20 times to edit this file. 

[Hangman]

Hi @Peter Labrow,

Are you able to upload the file in question along with any linked files in a zip file so we can take a look at what is causing the file to crash?

[Peter Labrow]

2 minutes ago, Hangman said:

Hi @Peter Labrow,

Are you able to upload the file in question along with any linked files in a zip file so we can take a look at what is causing the file to crash?

I wish I could but I can't. The nature of the file means I cannot post it on a public forum, the work is confidential. Also, the linked files are many and collectively large.

[Peter Labrow]

I have narrowed this down, I think, to edits on a specific page - even though (since this is a book) it's mainly on one page, but the text is one long set of linked frames for the whole book. Copying that text out, removing any formatting and pasting it back in has no effect, same problem. I've created new pages moved the text block, deleted the old pages, same problem. I've deleted that specific frame (after making it small so the text moves backwards) and it still happens on the new frame.

[Hangman]

Hi @Peter Labrow,

I completely understand and not a problem...

Try creating a blank new document with the same settings and then using Document → Add Pages from file to add all the pages into the new document to see if the new document also crashes.

If it does, then repeat but add the pages in small batches, depending on how many pages are in the file, e.g., add pages 1 to 10, save and test, and if all okay, add pages 11 to 20 and so on, until you find out the problematic page range. Once you locate that, add the pages in the problem range one at a time until you identify the page or pages causing the crash. Then insert a blank page in place of the problematic page or pages, and then add the remaining pages to the document so you end up with a working document.

Edit: I've just seen your other post, so it sounds as though you've already narrowed it down. Try the above, being mindful of the page causing the issue and let us know if that works... You may need to create a new text frame on the problem page and relink the text.

[Peter Labrow]

8 minutes ago, Hangman said:

Hi @Peter Labrow,

I completely understand and not a problem...

Try creating a blank new document with the same settings and then using Document → Add Pages from file to add all the pages into the new document to see if the new document also crashes.

If it does, then repeat but add the pages in small batches, depending on how many pages are in the file, e.g., add pages 1 to 10, save and test, and if all okay, add pages 11 to 20 and so on, until you find out the problematic page range. Once you locate that, add the pages in the problem range one at a time until you identify the page or pages causing the crash. Then insert a blank page in place of the problematic page or pages, and then add the remaining pages to the document so you end up with a working document.

Edit: I've just seen your other post, so it sounds as though you've already narrowed it down. Try the above, being mindful of the page causing the issue and let us know if that works... You may need to create a new text frame on the problem page and relink the text.

Doesn't help I'm afraid. New document created, pages brought back in, crash. Then brought back in only the known good pages, extended it to the page with the issue, make edit - fine. BUT, then bring in the rest of the document (which was previously fine and remains fine) but go back to the offending text which was fine on import - and again it crashes.

[Hangman]

Just now, Peter Labrow said:

Doesn't help I'm afraid. New document created, pages brought back in, crash. Then brought back in only the known good pages, extended it to the page with the issue, make edit - fine. BUT, then bring in the rest of the document (which was previously fine and remains fine) but go back to the offending text which was fine on import - and again it crashes.

If it is specific to the text itself, could you cut the text from the document (assuming that itself doesn't cause the crash) and paste it as plain text into TextEdit. Does the document still crash without the text? If it doesn't, copy and paste the text back into the document and reformat it using the appropriate text styles (if using). That would determine whether it is the text itself causing the issue...

The other thing to try is renaming the folder containing the linked images so that it breaks the link between the document and the image files on opening the document. Don't relink them when prompted on opening the document and see whether you still get the crash. This will determine whether the document crashes without being linked to the external files, as it could be one of those causing the crash.

[Peter Labrow]

13 minutes ago, Hangman said:

If it is specific to the text itself, could you cut the text from the document (assuming that itself doesn't cause the crash) and paste it as plain text into TextEdit. Does the document still crash without the text? If it doesn't, copy and paste the text back into the document and reformat it using the appropriate text styles (if using). That would determine whether it is the text itself causing the issue...

The other thing to try is renaming the folder containing the linked images so that it breaks the link between the document and the image files on opening the document. Don't relink them when prompted on opening the document and see whether you still get the crash. This will determine whether the document crashes without being linked to the external files, as it could be one of those causing the crash.

The first one, already done - copying it out, converting to plain text, still fails.

Just tried your second suggestion. Still crashes.

[Hangman]

17 minutes ago, Peter Labrow said:

The first one, already done - copying it out, converting to plain text, still fails.

Just tried your second suggestion. Still crashes.

I'd be happy to look at the file privately if it is something you could send via a private download link, WeTransfer or similar, after which the files will be deleted, but I appreciate that may not be possible for the reasons mentioned earlier.

Alternatively, you can request a private Dropbox link by replying here, and then someone from the Serif moderation team can provide a link for you to upload the files to so they can take a look internally, if that is an option...

[Peter Labrow]

18 minutes ago, Hangman said:

I'd be happy to look at the file privately if it is something you could send via a private download link, WeTransfer or similar, after which the files will be deleted, but I appreciate that may not be possible for the reasons mentioned earlier.

Alternatively, you can request a private Dropbox link by replying here, and then someone from the Serif moderation team can provide a link for you to upload the files to so they can take a look internally, if that is an option...

Either/both of those is an option, happy for any help. I've been on this three hours. I problem I face here is more commercial than technical now. Despite having to recreate the work, I can start again in InDesign, which is an option, and I know I can finish. I'd prefer Publisher, but at the moment it's impossible to proceed - and there is the worry that this could happen again. So, if you are happy to help and Affinity is happy to look at this, then great.

[Hangman]

9 minutes ago, Peter Labrow said:

So, if you are happy to help and Affinity is happy to look at this, then great.

Hi Peter,

I've just sent you a PM with some contact details. Let me know if that will work for you, and if s,o I'll take a look at your file and report back as soon as I've been able to determine the cause of the crash...

[Hangman]

Just a quick update for anyone following this thread to say that the issue has been resolved following a factory reset of Publisher...

[Peter Labrow]

@Hangman I am seriously indebted to you for identifying the fix. Very much appreciated.

[Hangman]

Hi @Peter Labrow,

That's absolutely no problem at all, I'm glad I was able to help...