How does one parse a syntax error?

[Dov Isaacs]

Rob,

Unfortunately, I don't think that there is any way of really
"parsing" this PostScript error.

It would have been helpful if you gave us a bit more information
as to exactly what version of FrameMaker you were using, what
platform you are on (Windows, Unix, Mac) and how you were 
generating PDF - "save as PDF", printing directly to the
AdobePDF PostScript printer driver instance, or separately creating
a PostScript file and sending it to the Distiller?!?

What is interesting in your PostScript error log is that binary
data is showing as the "offending command." Unless you reconfigured
the AdobePDF PostScript printer driver instance for binary, you
should see nothing except ASCII in the error log.

Lacking any other data about how you were generating PDF and
any other symptoms, my best guess is that somehow, the Distiller
ran out of valid PostScript data mid-stream. During processing of
"page 779" the valid PostScript stream ends and whatever garbage
was in the disk file or in a buffer was encountered by the
Distiller. A few possibilities:

(1)	FrameMaker prematurely ended its output to the driver
without any message to you leaving an incomplete PostScript stream.

(2)	You ran out of space for the PostScript file, whether in
the system's spool directory or as an independent PostScript file.
The fact that you were on page 779 indicates that this could have
been a very large file.

(3)	Neither (1) nor (2) occurred but you somehow got a corrupted
PostScript file due to other known errors that most often result
in text vanishing on a page.

Please supply some more information and maybe we can assist you
better.

	- Dov




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rob Shell
> Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 8:26 AM
> 
> Hi Framers:
> I wonder how one starts parsing an error like the following one below:
> 
> What should I be looking for?
> Yup, I got the page numbers.
> I have miffed, checked the masterpage of the offending file but cannot find
> the offending command.
> 
> %%[Page: 776]%%
> %%[Page: 777]%%
> %%[Page: 778]%%
> %%[ Error: syntaxerror; OffendingCommand: ÿüÿðÀ ? 
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> 
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> 
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> 
> Stack:
> -mark-
> [36 33 true [1 0 0 1 -2 33] 0 0]
> /H
> [40 0 2 -33 38 0]
> /H
> 53
> 
> 
> %%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%
> %%[ Warning: PostScript error. No PDF file produced. ] %%
> 
> Prof. Robert C.-H. Shell