DropBox Error Messages and Frequently Asked Questions

Last reviewed: 01/21/2011
Article ID: R10992

The information in this article applies to:

Summary

This article discusses error messages encountered when using the DropBox feature of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software, and answers some frequently asked questions about the DropBox.

About the DropBox

The DropBox is a temporary holding area for any type of file on your computer. You can save reports and statements directly to the DropBox as PDF files from any Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program. To do this, select the DropBox option in the Print dialog and click OK. Files in the DropBox can be printed, saved or renamed. You can also drag and drop files to the DropBox from any Windows folder, and/or drag and drop files from the DropBox to any Windows folder.

Error Messages

Version 16 Messages

Unable to find/initialize the library "stpdfgen.dll", PDF output not available
This error indicates that a required DLL file, stpdfgen.dll, could not be found in the program folder. To correct this, locate the file and copy it into the program folder. You can determine the program folder by selecting Help | About... from the menu bar (e.g., Help | About Tabs3). Alternatively, you can reinstall the program to replace the missing DLL file. Reinstalling the program will not affect your existing data.
dropbox.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close.  We are sorry for the inconvenience.
This error is generated by Microsoft Windows when a program fails to respond. One cause of this message occurs when the server where the STI application is stored is shut down while a user is still in the application. Verify that the server is running correctly, and that the workstation can access the server. There is no need to send an Error Report to Microsoft when encountering this error message. Error reporting is built into Windows XP and Internet Explorer, and can optionally be disabled (see Microsoft Article Q310414).
DropBox has been closed. Do you want to open DropBox? If you select No, DropBox will remain closed for the rest of this session.
This message is displayed when you attempt to print after the DropBox has been closed manually. Clicking Yes will re-open DropBox; clicking No will keep DropBox disabled for the rest of the session.

Version 16 Messages

The following messages can only be received when running Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Software Version 16 and later.

An e-mail from DropBox is waiting to be e-mailed. Please send or close that e-mail before starting a new one.
This message is displayed when the E-mail button in the DropBox is used to open an e-mail message, and that message is not sent before the E-mail button is clicked a second time. Click OK to close the message dialog, and then send, or save and close, the pending e-mail message before attempting to open a new e-mail message.
 
An e-mail containing a file(s) from the DropBox is waiting to be e-mailed. The e-mail window must be closed before the DropBox can be closed.
This message is displayed when the E-mail button in the DropBox is used to open an e-mail message, and then the DropBox is manually closed or the last Tabs3/PracticeMaster program is closed before the e-mail is sent. Click OK to close the message dialog, and then send, or save the file to an alternate location and close the pending e-mail before closing the last Tabs3/PracticeMaster program or exiting the DropBox.
 
One or more of the selected files cannot be printed. Do you want to continue printing the other selected files?
...or...
None of the selected files can be printed.
This message is displayed when either a file in the DropBox has no file extension, or the file extension is not associated with a Windows program. The DropBox uses the default printer that is assigned to the program associated with the file extension of the selected file(s) in the DropBox. For example, if PDF files are associated with Adobe® Reader, selecting to Quick Print a PDF file sends the print job to the printer that is associated with Adobe® Reader.
 
To assign a file extension to a program
The following procedure can be used to assign a file extension to a program after you have installed a program that can handle the desired file format.
 
  • Windows 7 and Vista
    1. From the Control Panel, select Programs.
    2. Select Default Programs.
    3. Select Associate a file type or protocol with a program.
    4. Double-click the desired file type.
    5. Select a program, or click Browse to find the appropriate program and click Open.
    6. Click OK.
    7. Click Close.
       
  • Windows 2000 Pro, 2000 Server, 2003 Server & XP Pro
    1. From the Control Panel, select Folder Options.
    2. On the File Types tab, under Extensions, select the desired file type.
    3. Click the Change button.
    4. Select a program, or click Browse to find the appropriate program and click Open.
    5. Click OK.
    6. Click Close.
 
You may be unable to open the attached file when Outlook is not open
If Outlook is not running in the background when you select a DropBox item and then select to e-mail the item, you may not be able to open the DropBox item until the new message window is closed. This is an issue regarding how Outlook handles the "mail to recipient" command sent by DropBox. It is resolved by updating Outlook to the most recent program files (dated after 5/20/2010).

Frequently Asked Questions

Version 16 Frequently Asked Questions

The files I put in the DropBox yesterday are gone. Where did they go?
The DropBox is a temporary holding area. When all Tabs3 and PracticeMaster programs are closed on your workstation, the DropBox will also close, and any files in the DropBox will be deleted. It is a good idea to check the contents of the DropBox before closing the last Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program on your workstation.

Note:  Although files in the DropBox will no longer be in the DropBox after the DropBox is closed, files that are open and cannot be deleted when the DropBox is closed will remain in the DropBox's temporary file location on the hard disk until the next time the DropBox is opened, at which point they will be deleted.


Where on the hard disk are the files in the DropBox stored?
The location where the files are saved is different for each user and is based on the Temp File Path and OA Temp Directory. The Temp File Path and the OA Temp Directory can be determined by selecting Help | About... from the menu bar. (For example, in Tabs3, select Help | About Tabs3.) A folder named STITemp is created under the Temp File Path, and a unique OA Temp Directory folder is created under the STITemp folder. The following are examples of where files in the DropBox could be stored:


I have six files in the DropBox that I want to save. What is the easiest way to do this?
Use one of the following procedures to do this:

  1. In the DropBox, press Ctrl+A to select all the files.
  2. Right-click the selected files and select Copy. This will copy all selected files to the Windows clipboard.
  3. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where you want the files saved. Right-click this folder and select Paste.


    4.      ...OR...

  1. Right-click the first file and select Save As.
  2. Browse to the location where you want the file saved.
  3. Enter a file name for the file and click Save.
  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each file you want to save.

What is the difference between sending a file to the DropBox and selecting the File option and saving it as a PDF file?
Sending a file to the DropBox is more convenient if you plan on e-mailing the file. Dragging and dropping a PDF file from the DropBox to your e-mail message allows you to quickly and easily attach the file to an e-mail. If you would rather save the PDF file for historical purposes, then you may be better off selecting the File option and saving it as a PDF file. Unlike the DropBox, selecting the File option and saving it to a PDF file will create a physical copy of the file at the location you choose, e.g., your computer's My Documents folder.
 
The DropBox also offers a few advantages if you are working with multiple statements or reports. It automatically assigns a file name and saves each statement or report to a common location, so you do not have to keep browsing to the desired location and entering file names. When you are done generating statements or reports, you can select all of them in the DropBox and drag them to the desired location all at once.


Can I start Tabs3 and PracticeMaster programs without starting the DropBox?
Normally, the DropBox is opened when any Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program is opened, and stays open until the last Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program is closed on the workstation. However, you can optionally configure a shortcut to start a Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program without starting the DropBox by modifying the shortcut's target to include the /NO_DROPBOX startup option. For example, if you are modifying your Tabs3 shortcut and Tabs3 is installed in S:\STI, you would change the Target field of your shortcut to be as follows:

S:\STI\TABS.EXE /NO_DROPBOX


I renamed a file in the DropBox, but now I can't open the file. What happened??
When renaming a file in DropBox, it is important to preserve the PDF extension after the file name. For example, if you rename "Reprint_Updated_Statement_3.pdf" to "August_Statement.pdf", you need to retain the ".pdf" following "August_Statement". Otherwise, Windows will not know it is a PDF file and will not be able to open the file with the designated application for PDF files, e.g., Adobe Reader.

Note: DropBox will always display file extensions whether or not Windows is configured to display them.


Why is the DropBox option dimmed and unavailable in the Print dialog?
If the DropBox option is dimmed and unavailable in the Print dialog (i.e., it cannot be selected), this indicates that the DropBox window is not open. There are several possible reasons for this, including the following:

When the DropBox has been manually closed, the first time any report is run, the "DropBox has been closed" message will be displayed. You can close and restart the Tabs3 or PracticeMaster application to reopen the DropBox. Verify that the /NO_DROPBOX startup is not being used. If the DropBox option is still not available, try rebooting the computer. Use Windows Explorer to browse to the folder where the Tabs3 or PracticeMaster application is installed, and verify the DROPBOX.EXE file is present. If this file is not present in the folder, reinstall System Configuration.
 
When I drag an object from the DropBox to the Worldox DropZone, the DropZone seems to hang or crashes. Why is this?
This is an issue with the Worldox software. Updating to Worldox GX will correct this.
 
Why do the margins change when I send my statement to the DropBox as a PDF, in comparison to when I print my statement directly from Tabs3?
This issue arises from settings stored in the Adobe® Acrobat or Reader program.  If the Adobe® software is set to automatically scale the page, it can cause the margins to change when the statement is saved as a PDF file through DropBox.  Use the following procedure to check what scaling is set to in the Adobe® software:
  1. From the Adobe® File menu, select Print.
  2. In Adobe® software version 9, 8 or 7, select None in the Page Scaling section.
  3. Click OK.
Adobe's Support Knowledgebase addresses this issue on the Internet at:  http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/323299.html, "PDF File Prints Smaller or Larger than Expected".
 
Why can't I drag and drop a file from the DropBox to Outlook 2007?
When running Windows XP, it is not possible to drag and drop a file into Outlook 2007. Instead, you can copy and paste files from the DropBox to a new Outlook e-mail message. Alternatively, if Outlook 2007 is set up as your default e-mail client, use the E-mail button in the DropBox to start a new Outlook e-mail message with the selected file(s) attached.

Version 16 Frequently Asked Questions

Using the E-mail option in the DropBox, I created draft e-mails to send to a few of my clients. When saving the e-mail to send later, I noticed it did not save in my Drafts folder. Why did this occur?
When Outlook 2007 or 2003 is set as your default e-mail client, Draft e-mails created in the DropBox are saved to the Inbox folder in Outlook until they are sent. This is because of the way Outlook handles Simple MAPI calls, and cannot be changed by selecting a new folder for draft e-mail messages.
 
Why can't I paste a file from the DropBox into a Windows Mail new message as an attachment?
It is not possible to paste files into Windows Mail or Outlook Express e-mail messages. Instead, you can drag and drop files from the DropBox to a new Windows Mail message. Alternatively, if Windows Mail is set up as your default e-mail client, use the E-mail button in the DropBox to start a new Windows Mail message with the selected file(s) attached.

References

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