When CommonLook is installed as PlugIn, Acrobat Pro DC force-quits when NVDA reaches empty table cell.

[MaplesMom]

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install CommonLook (Adobe remediation plugin).
2. Open a PDF with empty table cells (necessary for making the table "regular") in Adobe Pro DC.
3. Read with NVDA.
4. As an FYI, I've asked 3 people to look at the same document this is happening on, and none of them could replicate the issue.

Actual behavior:

When NVDA reaches blank table cell, it reads the location of the cell ("Table with 6 columns, 4 rows, row 1, column 1"), and then Adobe force-quits. The end of the Adobe Error Reports says, “ERROR_HB_UNABLE_TO_LOAD_DLL”. The NVDA log for the crash says, “The remote procedure call failed”. However, when CommonLook is uninstalled or otherwise unavailable for use as a PlugIn on Acrobat, this issue no longer happens.

Expected behavior:

NVDA should skip the first (blank) cell of the table and read the whole thing as I arrow through it instead of making Acrobat force-quit.

NVDA logs, crash dumps and other attachments:

Adobe Error Report Details.pdf NVDA Log - Adobe Crash.pdf

System configuration: PC, Windows 10 Pro, 22H2, OS build 19045.3324, Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19041.1000.0. Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7600U CPU @ 2.80GHz 2.90 GHz. 16.0 GB (15.9 GB usable), 64-bit OS, x64-based processor.

NVDA installed/portable/running from source:

Installed on my computer.

NVDA version:

2023.2beta3 (2023.2.0.28878) – though this also happened before I installed the beta version on Saturday. Before then, I was running the most update version.

Windows version: Windows 10 Pro, 22H2

Name and version of other software in use when reproducing the issue:

Adobe Acrobat Pro, Continuous Release, Version 2023.003.20269 64-bit (both new and old Acrobat 64-bit and 32-bit still make this issue happen) CommonLook PDF Version 5.13 64-bit

Other information about your system:

Other questions

Does the issue still occur after restarting your computer?

Yes. I have also reset my computer to factory settings and reinstalled everything, and it still occurs.

Have you tried any other versions of NVDA? If so, please report their behaviors.

Yes. I was using the most recent version of NVDA, and then yesterday I tried the Beta version, and today the Beta version updated, and I am still experiencing this problem.

If NVDA add-ons are disabled, is your problem still occurring?

I do not have NVDA add-ons.

Does the issue still occur after you run the COM Registration Fixing Tool in NVDA's tools menu?

Yes.

[seanbudd]

This is very likely a problem with the implementation of the application/website, as a starting point please submit feedback to the authors to let them know about the problem. Please report it CommonLook and possibly adobe.

Kind Regards, NV Access Software Developers

[MaplesMom]

Well, I’ve already talked pretty extensively with them, including an Adobe guy remoting into my computer for a half hour, and they couldn’t help, unfortunately. Submitting this here is kind of my last-ditch effort. Oh, I also reset my computer to factory settings and reinstalled everything and it still happens. :/

[MaplesMom]

I wanted to post an update on this thread: After working on and stressing about this for about a week, I figured it out and everything works now, and now maybe the glitch is reproducible. I like to turn on the NVDA preference, "Enable [Visual] Highlighting," and I was letting it auto-select all three options beneath that one. Now that I just have "Highlight navigator object" checked, Adobe no longer crashes when CommonLook is installed as a plugin and NVDA hits an empty table cell tag.

[seanbudd]

Thanks! This is a very helpful detail

[Adriani90]

@LeonarddeR it seems this is very probably related to visual highlighter for virtual cursor in browse mode or visual highlighter for system focus. Maybe you have some suggestions on how to fix this.