Who is this article for?

Administrators responsible for managing document preparation.

Server Access is required.

This guide offers essential insights into troubleshooting document preparation, equipping you with the knowledge to  address possible causes and optimise system performance.

1. Stuck Preparing

1.1 Possible Cause: Queue Backlog

With a single server, Please Review handles a maximum of two preparations simultaneously. If numerous documents are submitted for processing, they may queue behind ongoing preparations since the system currently lacks a distinction between queuing and actual processing on the front end. To monitor this, access the Runtime\bin\AdminClient.exe application on the backend and navigate to Queue, then Document Preparation.

Items marked with Q are queued, P indicates processing, and F denotes a previous failure. Additionally, logs can be viewed on the right-hand side, provided you're on the server that processed them (e.g. in the case of a load-balanced setup) and the corresponding prepare log hasn't been removed from the logs folder.

You can also query the database to find the queue information, using this query:

SELECT * FROM T_QueueEntry WHERE QueueEntryType = 'PrepareDocument';

Note: There might be old document preparations from earlier attempts that users didn't remove after sending them for processing. If there are many documents ahead in the queue, users may need to wait.

1.2 Possible Cause: TaraService Stopped

1. Check Services.msc to see if TaraService is running. If there is no status next to the TaraService entry then the TaraService needs starting. 

2. After restarting the TaraService, it's important to monitor the Runtime\data\log\TaraService.log file for any records indicating previous document preparations that might have caused crashes.
3. Since we attempt all document preparations twice, a second crash might occur, necessitating another restart. If users have submitted the same document multiple times, it could lead to further crashes. Although documents causing the TaraService process to crash are uncommon, you can configure the service to automatically restart upon failure to mitigate delays. Additionally, our support team can investigate such documents to prevent future challenges caused by them.

1.3 Possible Cause: TaraService Zombified

If TaraService shows as running in Windows Services but isn't processing queued documents and has outdated logs, and regular restart attempts don't work, the process may be in a zombie state.

1. To fix this, open Task Manager by right-clicking the Windows Start menu icon on the PR server.
2. Find TaraService.exe in the process list (if you have multiple instances, right-click the columns.
3. Select Columns, and enable Command line to identify the specific instance), then right-click and end the task.
4. Afterward, restart the service through Windows Services and monitor the TaraService logs – it's important to watch the logs because if the service crashed during a document preparation, it will attempt to retry that task upon restart, and if that specific document is causing the problem, the issue might occur again.

2. Office Licensed

1. Please Review utilises Microsoft Office to execute the preparation of most Office documents. However, if Office is not licensed, you may encounter an error message in the log. This error might only appear the first time Please Review encounters this issue.

ERROR [48] exception closing ole server <Pleasetech.Tara.OfficeServiceCore.FileConversion.AbstractOfficeOLEConverter>
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x800A11FD): This method or property is not available because the license to use this application has expired.. 
at Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.ApplicationClass.Quit(Object& SaveChanges, Object& OriginalFormat, Object& RouteDocument)
at Pleasetech.Tara.OfficeServiceCore.FileConversion.MSWordConverter.DestroyServerApp() in E:\Build\PleaseReview7.3\Main\OfficeService\OfficeServiceCore\FileConversion\MSWordConverter.cs:line 95

2. You may also observe indicators suggesting a zombie Office process that keeps the document open while repeatedly attempting to process it. Such signs may appear in a prepare log, like the following example:

Exception:System.IO.IOException: The process cannot access the file 'C:\Pleasereview\Runtime\Data\Temp\doc123456_b57f32bb-263b-428f-bb3b-e18bdc9bb6e5.dir\123456.docx.docx' because it is being used by another process.

3. To verify this, log in as the same user running the TaraService. Then, attempt to open Word as that user and check if you can open the original Word document. Pay attention to any messages that may appear during the process.

3. Root Element is Missing

When the root element is missing, this is a potential indication of document corruption especially in modern Word files like .docx or .docm formats.

1. Load the affected file into the Open XML SDK 2.5 Productivity Tool for detailed insights into the corruption location within the file. This tool is available on GitHub and can be used for troubleshooting modern Excel and PowerPoint files.
2. The error may stem from corruption within the Custom XML section of the document.
3. Utilise Word's document inspector with a duplicate of the document to remove the custom XML and resolve the issue.
4. Custom XML often integrates additional features provided by third-party Word extensions.
5. Investigate the source application responsible for generating the custom XML, as understanding the origin may shed light on the cause of corruption.
6. The presence of a root element typically denotes an empty file in XML, suggesting that data may not exist within the specific custom XML section in question

4. Restricted to Domain

1. If the document indicates that it's restricted to a domain, then the server hosting Please Review must be within that domain. We rely on Word on the server to handle document processing, and security restrictions like this could lead to preparation failure if Word can't verify this when called upon.
2. If Ideagen hosts the server, this setup won't function as intended. The restriction would have to be lifted for the document to be prepared in Please Review, and then reinstated afterward. For security purposes, you might consider disabling document downloads during the review process and subsequently deleting and purging the review.

5. Word experienced an error trying to open the file

This error message occurs when attempting to open a file in Word on the server. To troubleshoot, try opening the file in Word to see if the same error message appears. It's important to note that the message may contain additional instructions (e.g. Ensure there is enough free memory and disk space). While sometimes relevant, it may not always be the cause of the issue.

6. Troubleshooting Excel conversion error

Full Error:

MSExcel.Prepare failed to complete due to exception. ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800AC472 -
A> 7/15/2024 11:00:18 AM Exception:Pleasetech.Tara.Common.TaraException: MSExcelConverter - Document conversion type: MSExcel.Prepare failed to complete due to exception. ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException: Exception from HRESULT: 0x800AC472
at Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel._Workbook.SaveAs(Object Filename, Object FileFormat, Object Password, Object WriteResPassword, Object ReadOnlyRecommended, Object CreateBackup, XlSaveAsAccessMode AccessMode, Object ConflictResolution, Object AddToMru, Object TextCodepage, Object TextVisualLayout, Object Local)

1. Test file conversion:
   • Open the file in Excel.
   • Attempt to save as XML, then as HTML.
   • Note any error messages.
2. If no errors are visible:
   • Log into the PR server as the TaraService user.
   • Repeat the conversion test.
3. Check file compatibility:
   • Test with a basic .xls file (older Excel format).
   • Test with a newer .xlsx file.
4. Verify software versions:
   • Check PR and Office versions.
   • Older PR versions may be incompatible with newer Office versions.
   • Upgrading PR might resolve the issue.
5. If the issue persists:
   • Send the problematic document to Support for further investigation.

Note: If you're unable to reproduce the error, consider logging on to the server as the TaraService user to replicate the exact environment.

7. Troubleshooting PDF preparation

Prepare logs should be looked for but since v6.x these do not always appear so you may need to look in the TaraService.log

For PR v6.x, these rely on PrizmDoc for PDF handling so you may need to refer to Prizm Troubleshooting.

For PR v7.x and higher, you may need to look for the TaraService.log and provide these to support for investigation. 

8. NodeJs not installed correctly

If you see this error in the TaraService logs when it restarts:

Node.js is missing or wrongly configured. <Pleasetech.Tara.ServerJsRunner.NodeVersionChecker>

Reinstall NodeJs and then restart TaraService. It can be found in the Redist folder as part of the PR installation.

9. Unable to cast COM object of type... (TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND)

Full error:

initial conversion attempt failed, trying again <Pleasetech.Tara.OfficeServiceCore.FileConversion.AbstractOfficeOLEConverter>
Pleasetech.Tara.Common.TaraException: MSWordConverter - Document conversion type: MSWord.Prepare failed to complete due to exception. ---> System.InvalidCastException: Unable to cast COM object of type 'Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.ApplicationClass' to interface type 'Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word._Application'. This operation failed because the QueryInterface call on the COM component for the interface with IID '{00020970-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}' failed due to the following error: Element not found. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8002802B (TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND)).

This error suggests Office is not behaving correctly and the known fix for this is to do a full 'online' repair of Office. Right click on the Window icon and select 'Installed Apps' (this is available in since Windows 11, for older versions you would need to select Settings and navigate to Apps > Installed Apps). From there find the entry for Office (it may be called Microsoft 365 or similar) and then find the modify or repair options to get to do a full repair. For more details see Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support

To be clear here, this is something that needs to be done on the server, not on the end user's PCs.

10. Other errors

1. Common errors:
   • Retrieving COM class factory error 80070005/80080005 for CLSID {000209FF-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
   • Prepare failed to complete in 300 seconds
   • Understanding the Preparation Error: Repaginate Command Failed (Command failed at Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.DocumentClass.Repaginate).

Note: Some errors have dedicated articles detailing their resolution.

2. For Unaddressed Errors:
   • Escalate to Support.
   • Provide the Prepare Log from Runtime\data\log folder.
   • For PDF preparations without a prepare log, provide the TaraService.log file from the time of the attempted preparation.