UpdateFields() just hanging

Aspose.Words Product Family
1

We have aspose.words 20.3.0. We are working in a document, and call UpdateFields() and it goes into the method, but never comes out. Its been in there for over an hour. Is this a known issue in this version? Is there something in particular that causes it? Is there someway to handle this scenario?

2

@dmerkle1

It seems that you are experiencing an issue with the UpdateFields() method hanging indefinitely in Aspose.Words version 20.3.0. This behavior can occur for several reasons, and while it may not be a widely reported issue, there are some considerations and best practices you can follow to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the problem.

Possible Causes and Solutions

  1. Document Complexity: If the document you are working with is particularly complex or contains a large number of fields, it may take a significant amount of time to process. Consider simplifying the document or breaking it into smaller sections to see if that helps.

  2. Field Types: Not all field types are updated by the UpdateFields() method. Fields related to page layout (like PAGE, PAGES, and PAGEREF) are updated during rendering. If your document contains many such fields, it might be worth checking if they are causing the delay.

  3. Dirty Fields: If your document contains fields marked as “dirty,” they may require special handling. You can control whether to update these fields by using the UpdateDirtyFields property. Setting this to true will ensure that all fields marked as dirty are updated.

  4. Normalization: If you have made changes to the document that affect field types, consider calling the NormalizeFieldTypes() method before updating fields. This can help ensure that the fields are in a consistent state before the update.

  5. Timeout Handling: If the operation is taking too long, you might want to implement a timeout mechanism in your application to handle such scenarios gracefully. This way, you can avoid indefinite hanging and provide feedback to the user.

Example Code

Here’s a simple example of how to update fields in a document while considering the above points:

Document doc = new Document("YourDocument.docx");

// Normalize field types if necessary
doc.NormalizeFieldTypes();

// Update fields
doc.UpdateFields();

// Optionally, handle dirty fields
doc.UpdateDirtyFields = true;

// Save the document
doc.Save("UpdatedDocument.docx");

Conclusion

If the issue persists after trying these suggestions, consider upgrading to a newer version of Aspose.Words, as there may have been bug fixes or performance improvements in later releases. Additionally, you can reach out to Aspose support for further assistance, providing them with details about your document and the specific fields involved.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

3

None of that seemed to help.
However, the issue was caused by two pages of the document. Let me know if you can make sense of this:
Page 1 had a heading 1.3 underneath was a big picture with a couple empty paragraphs at the end of the page. On the next page was another similar big picture with no empty paragraphs at the end of the page. If I added one empty paragraph under the second page, or removed one empty paragraph from the first page, the UpdateFields() starts working…

4

@dmerkle1 Could you please attach the problematic input document here for testing? We will check the issue and provide you more information. Unfortunately, it is impossible to analyze the problem without a real document.