XML read errors--failure to open dtd (DITA)

Question

Hi all,
I've run out of ideas and places to look on this one, I hope someone can help.
The specs: WinXP Pro, Frame 8.0p277. Built-in DITA. Not using DITA Open Toolkit. No major issues except for previously discussed conref problems which, many thanks to Scott, seem to be under control.
The context: I'm a freelancer, on contract to a financial institution. I work part-time in my own office (up-to-date, preferred set-up) and part-time onsite. I can't go into detail, but the set-up is less than ideal. I have to do much back-and-forth portaging of project and template files, and they are often corrupted when I reopen them.
Specs onsite I'm not sure about, but it's definitely Frame 8 with the first patch. I'm pretty sure they haven't installed any others, so the 8.03 patch shouldn't be an issue. (I'll check and report back, if that info is needed.)
The error: Came out of the blue last week, my first day back in my office after three days onsite. Now, every time I open or create any xml file, using any template, I get an XML Read Report Log error that reports a failure to open the DTD, and a parse error in the document prolog. I don't know where it's coming from, and I don't know why it started happening. I modified structapps once, many months ago, but hadn't touched it since, and I've never touched the r/w rules files in either location.
(I realize I should test this scenario onsite, but I daren't risk importing trouble, if it started here.)
Specifically, the error reads: Could not open DTD file: C:\Documents and Settings\path-to-project-files-folder\ditabase.dtd Parse error at line 9, char 1: Error procssing external entity reference.
I don't understand why it's looking for the dtd file in the same folder as the project files when I've never stored it there, and I have the following in the structapps, and r/w rules files.
DTD: $STRUCTDIR\xml\dita\default-app\dtd\ditabase.dtd
Read/write rules: $STRUCTDIR\xml\dita\default-app\DITA-Topic-FM\topic.rules.txt
The R/W Rules statement reads: writer external dtd is public "-//OASIS//DTD DITA Composite//EN" "ditabase.dtd";
I can go completely cross-eyed after a few hours trying to parse these docs myself. The answer may well be right in front of me, but for the life of me I can't see it. I hope someone else can.
Karen

Answer 1

Hello Karen,
Have you been able to resolve this issue? I'm encountering a similar issue while going through the FrameMaker 8 Help topics: Processing XML > Migration from Unstructured FrameMaker to XML > Getting started with structure.
I have followed along with all the examples all the way down to the "Testing XML round-tripping" topic. When I go to the step: Export the FrameMaker file to XML, and select my XML application, I get a parsing error similar to what you had mentioned above.
The Help topics have you first build an EDD for a simple document (proposal) - successful.
They then have you open a new document and import the EDD - successful.
They then have you add formatting to the EDD and then reimport into your document to test it. - successful
They then have you build the structured app by saving the EDD to DTD. You are then supposed to create a template by removing all the content from your original file that they had you open and save it as a template. Then you are supposed to edit the application definition file. Finally you copy the template and the DTD to the Adobe FrameMaker 8 folder. - successful
I've done this process twice and each time I get the same Save to XML Log error message when trying to export my document to XML.
The first things that are displayed are the path the source and destination folders.
Next is the XML parser error messages (Document Prolog).
There are basically 2 parsing errors, line 3 and 9.
line 3, "Could not open DTD file" C:\DOCUME~1\MICHAE~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\$STRUCTDIR\XML\Preface\Preface.dtd
Error in processing external entity reference"
line 9, "Could not open DTD file" C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/michael_randall/My%20Documents/FrameEDDTemplatePractice/$ST RUCTDIR/XML/Preface/Preface.dtd
Error in processing external entity reference"
Please let me know if have any new information.
Thanks,
Michael Randall