Using Prism 3 for Windows, nothing happens when I select the File... Export command. No dialog comes up.

We discovered that the File Export command in Prism 3.02 and earlier uses an older API (Application Program Interface) designed for Windows 3.1. We didn't detect this error, because it worked fine with all versions of Windows (95, 98, ME, NT4, XP, 2000) until May 2002. Some update in some versions of Windows (we haven't yet narrowed it down) won't work with that API, making exporting impossible with Prism 3.02 (and prior versions). We have fixed this bug in release 3.03.

Please update to version 3.03. If that doesn't solve the issue, read on.

Prism 3 cannot export a file, and won't even get to the export dialog, if the graph (or layout) sheet name contains some special symbols. We know that the presence of "<" in a sheet name will preclude exporting. There may be other symbols too, so use regular text for your sheet names.

One user solved the problem by deleting all the temporary files on his computer. Another deleted the file PRISM3.CNF from the \WINNT folder. After deleting those files, exporting worked fine. We cannot explain why. Please note that the PRISM3.CNF file can be hard to find. Most windows versions are confused by the CNF extension, and show this file as the "Prism 3 speed dial file" (even if you have told Windows to show all extensions). Search for "Prism3.*" to find the file. You might have multiple copies of Prism3.cnf on your computer. Find, and delete, them all.

Prism cannot export at high resolution unless you install the graphics export library. If you installed from a CD, this is automatic. If you downloaded Prism, the graphics export libarary was a separate optional download. You can download it free from www.graphpad.com/support. Prism ought to show the export dialog even without the export library, albeit with fewer choices. But perhaps Prism is confused in your case because the export library is missing. Install it and see if that restores the export command.

Finally, you can export via running a Prism script rather than using the command. The script can be very short, something like

   GoTo G  2
   ExportWMF newgraph.wmf

See the Prism User's Guide for details on scripting. And view QA 586 for additional information on exporting high-resolution tiff files.