* Save Diagram as .pdf in Win10

[drathgen]

Am frustrated with attempts to save my Diagram (a large family tree chart) "Save as .pdf" option. I follow all the usual steps I have ever followed but this time round the saved chart refuses to re-appear as an Adobe pdf file. I am wondering if, now that I have upgraded to Windows 10, the default Family Historian pdf program is incompatible with Adobe's pdf reader. No matter where it is saved to, my search for it, in order to view it and then have it printed out, has totally disappeared, or else Adobe refuses to acknowledge it exists, or when I tell it that it is there, refuses to open it. HELP!!

[DavidNewton]

I think perhaps a first step is to verify that Adobe is set as the default pdf reader.

From the Start Menu Settings > System > Default Apps. Scroll to the bottom of the list on the right and select Choose default Applications by File Type. In the list that appears scroll down until you reach .pdf. The default application, if there is one, will be listed in the right hand column. If it is not Adobe then click and select Adobe, it should be one of the options if it is installed.

David

[tatewise]

There have been many reports of the Windows 10 Upgrade upsetting folder access permissions and thus preventing files from being saved. (It won't be a PDF incompatibility.)

When using the Save As PDF option, exactly where does the dialogue say it is saving the PDF file?
I presume you are using File Explorer to search in that folder?
Can you save other documents in that folder?
e.g. Can you make a small change to your FH Project database, Save it, and when FH is re-opened the change still exists?

If that is not the problem, then try re-installing FH V6, which should re-install the FH PDF (novaPDF 7.7 printer).
If that fails, then uninstall both FH V6 and the FH PDF (novaPDF 7.7 printer) and re-install FH V6.

You could also try reinstalling Adobe Reader.

[drathgen]

Thanks, David. Adobe is set as the default.
Tatewise:- Whether I start with the FH Diagram open and choose File, Print; or go straight to Ctrl+P; or go to "Save as", doesn't make any difference. Both actions go to printer:- FH .pdf; type is novaPDF7 Printer Driver. A second screen opens up "Default Profile (Private profile) "Use folder from LOCAL computer; I set the file name and location; the option "Open PDF with default viewer" is ticked; OK - and the machine tells me it is saved.
I open the folder where it was saved, but there is no sign of it.
I have never had this issue before - every other time, the sequence went as a dream.

Yes, I can make a change to the database, save it and the change still exists -that is fine.

I notice the settings of FH pdf is set at 300dpi; is it possible to set this to a higher default setting, or must it always be changed manually each time it is used?

I would rather not re-install anything.

[jbtapscott]

I am running FH under Windows 10 64 bit and had no problem using the Save As option on a digram - I saw the same prompts / screens as drathgen lists. The only difference (and I don't think this should affect the basic production of the file ) is that I do not have any Adobe software installed, and use the new Windows 10 Reader as my default when opening the PDF file.

[tatewise]

Windows 10 may have upset the file access permissions on that PDF location.
Can you save any other files to that same location as used when saving the PDF?
If you cannot save files there, then that is your problem.

Try saving the PDF to any other location where you know you can save files.
If that works, it confirms the problem is NOT with the PDF Printer.

[DavidNewton]

It seems that the settings in the Default pdf printer profiles cannot be permanently changed. A possible solution is to make a new profile and tick the setting "Show Select Profile dialog when printing" and that will give you the opportunity to choose your own settings. Also, as far as I can tell, when you set your own profile as active it stays active until you change again.

OK this does not apply if you use the Save Diagram as pdf option. That always seems to come up with Family Hstorian Profile (Private profile), a profile that does not show up in printer preferences unless it is actually in use in the save as situation. Again you can change the profile via printer preferences.

David

[drathgen]

I appreciate the comments.
I have noticed that my 'missing' file is in fact there from time to time - it acts as a ghost! I find it when I do a global search. When I try to open it with a pdf program it throws up an error message: "Windows is searching for (Name of File) title - the shortcut is missing." or else it will say "Windows is searching for (Name of File.pdf) to locate the file yourself try Browse" now it is saying "Problem with shortcut. The iten (Name of File.pdf) that this shortcut refers to has been changed or moved" - except that NO!! it has not been changed nor moved.

[drathgen]

I searched the whole PC ad notice all the 'ghosts' are marked as Type 'Shortcut' eve though they have an .pdf extension.

[DavidNewton]

You are coming up against one of the peculiarities of Windows Explorer, it does not show the .lnk extension for a shortcut but specifies it as type shortcut. I suspect that many of these shortcuts are appearing in the Recent items folder, there is no garbage collection to remove shortcuts which are no longer valid. If you double click one of these files then if the file it is pointing at is still there then it will open, otherwise you get the file not found message. To find out the original location you need to right-click the file, select Properties and then examine the Target location in the Shortcut tab. That at least will tell you where the file once was, which may or may not be helpful!

David

[tatewise]

You appear to be ignoring my advice to try saving another type of file to the same location, and to try saving the PDF to a different location, in order to get a better handle on the problem.

There is clearly something faulty with your PC, and whatever shortcuts you are finding, they are referring to a non-existent file. I recognise the messages you are getting as symptomatic of a shortcut referring to a missing file.

[drathgen]

OK, I think I may have solved the issue.
No, tatewise, I did not ignore your comment, I did have a struggle to understand quite what you intended, but I did a Save As on another document of the FH chart into a pdf format into a different location and also into the same location as the missing chart ile and it worked fine.
Then I went back to the FH Chart. I had been saving it AS with 2400dpi - no go; then down to 1440dpi - no go; but it was able to cope with a Save As using 1200 dpi and it works fine.
So it had to do with the size of the save file and the quality of the dpi, not with the intersection of Windows 10 with Adobe nor with FH afterall.
Whew!
Cheers for all your help anyway.

[tatewise]

I suspect you were running into maximum PDF page size limits.
See how_to:creating_a_single_page_pdf_of_a_diagram|> Single Page PDF of a Diagram.

[drathgen]

Yes, that's it. The original size measured nearly 3000 x 600mm.
Anyway it's worked with the reduced dpi for now.
Thanks for the reference to the Forum.