Omni Systems, Inc. Mif2Go User's Guide, Version 55

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> 8 Generating WinHelp > 8.6 Managing graphics for WinHelp > 8.6.2 Avoiding the GDI resource leak

### 8.6.2 Avoiding the GDI resource leak

If the WinHelp you create is used on Windows 9x or Windows ME systems, WMF graphics can eat up all GDI resources with amazing speed. An operating-system defect causes a GDI resource leak, which can crash the system when a user pages through a WinHelp file that contains WMF graphics.

The GDI resource leak happens with all WMF graphics, regardless of source. This can rule out WMF as a graphics format if you have clients using Windows 9x or Windows ME. The problem does not occur on Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP; nor does it occur with formats other than WMF.

If you have FrameMaker graphics that include just a single bitmap and no other elements, you can get around the problem by mapping any non-BMP formats to BMP (see §31.3.2 Changing graphics files for RTF output). Do not direct Mif2Go to wrap BMP graphics in WMF (see §31.2.6 Embedding bitmap graphics in WMF for WinHelp); that is, make sure [Graphics]EmbedBMPsInWMFs=No.

The issue becomes acute when your graphics include callouts or multiple BMP elements. In that case, you have two choices:

• Use Mif2Go graphics processing. This is a three-step workaround:

1. In a first conversion pass, allow Mif2Go to create WMF files from the graphics in your FrameMaker document; see §5.7.2.1 Using Mif2Go native graphics processing.

2. Create matching BMP files with an external program that can import the WMF files; see §5.7.2.3 Using third-party graphics converters.

3. In a second conversion pass, set [Graphics]NameWMFsAsBMPs=Yes to make the RTF output refer to the BMP files instead of to the WMF files; see §31.3.2.1 Substituting graphics files for RTF.

• Use FrameMaker export filters. This is a simpler workaround, but the results might be of poor quality:

– Direct Mif2Go to use FrameMaker export filters to make BMP graphics instead of WMF graphics; see §5.7.2.2 Using FrameMaker graphic export filters.