Error: "Object Reference not set to an instance of an object" when creating a PDF

This support note applies to:

Workpapers (NZ)
AO Workpapers (AU)
AE Workpapers (AU)

Article ID: 37572

In MYOB Accountants Enterprise (AE) and Accountants Office (AO) Workpapers when you use the Create PDF option you may experience the error "Object Reference not set to an instance of an object". This can occur if one or more of the files cannot be successfully condensed into PDF format, for example a large MS Excel file.

If this is occurring for just one client, eliminate it by discovering which document is causing the problem through a process of elimination, as described below.

If the problem is occurring for all clients, disable Protected Mode in Adobe Acrobat Reader. There are instructions on the Adobe website to help with this. Reboot your computer for the change to take effect.

To exclude files from the PDF creation

Open the client and click Client Accounting. The Client Accounting options are displayed.
Click the Workpapers tab and open the Workpaper Period. The Workpaper Period opens.
Click Create PDF in the Tasks panel. The Create PDF window opens.
Deselect the Linked Documents as required and click Share It. The PDF is created with only the select options.

To identify which document/s is causing the error, subsequently add back linked documents to be included in the PDF creation. When you identify the problematic document, then simply exclude only this document from the PDF creation.