Problems with PDF export due to parallel installation of List & Label

Problem

Basically, it should be mentioned that a parallel installation of several List & Label versions is not a problem. In this respect, the behavior only occurs on development computers. Customer systems on which your applications are executed are not affected.

If List & Label versions 26 and 27 are installed in parallel, problems with PDF export may occur. As of Service Pack 27.003, the following message is also triggered:

The procedure entry point “Emf2PdfExecuteRecord” was not found in the DLL “C:\Program Files (x86)\combit\LL27\Redistribution\x86\cmLL27ex.llx”.

Cause

The cause of the message is a change within a third-party component in use. The actual problematic behavior manifests itself in the fact that e.g. the direct PDF export or also from the preview is no longer possible. This is caused by the dependency of the modules combit.ListLabel.ConversionTools.x86[x64].dll and cm[x]LL27ex.llx.

Due to the evaluation order of the paths defined in the Windows PATH environment variable, the incorrect combit.ListLabelConversionTools.x86[x64].dll is loaded. More precisely, the combit.ListLabel.ConversionTools.x86[x64].dll of the List & Label version is loaded, which is listed higher up in the order of the PATH environment variable. So it may happen that combit.ListLabel.ConversionTools.x86[x64].dll of List & Label 26 is loaded, which then does not match cm[x]LL27ex.dll of List & Label 27.

Solution

Caution: Please note for the following solutions that the problem can only be solved for one of the two List & Label installations (here List & Label 27), the other List & Label installation (here List & Label 26) then shows the problem.

  • Change the order in the PATH environment variable of Windows (Windows System Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables > System Variables > Path). Make sure that the List & Label 26 paths are listed below the List & Label 27 paths.
  • Remove the List & Label 26 paths from the PATH environment variable.
  • Rename the ‘Redistribution’ folder of the List & Label 26 installation.

Basically, uninstalling the List & Label version that is no longer needed would be the cleanest solution.

Starting from List & Label 28 the behavior does not occur any more, since here the List & Label version number was included with the name of the DLL, so that an unintentional loading of the module combit.ListLabel28.ConversionTools.x86[x64].dll by another List & Label version is impossible.