Multiple docs best procedure?

[UpperWest]

I would like to import 400+ fairly short documents into Flare as topics of a project and allow each topic to keep the individual name that it had as a Word doc. Then, I will use them for two purposes: As HTML pages for management by Red Dot, and as topics in a large Word or PDF output. Do I need to import them one at a time and copy each file name into a dialogue box in Flare? Should I begin by importing one of them to create the project, then importing the rest as topics?

[wclass]

Will the content of these topics be maintained in Flare or stay in the Word document. If in Word I'd suggest you import them one at a time (or in carefully selected groups) - tedious I know.

However, you can import in groups of files successfully if you can then "throw away" the Word document. On the "Source Files" tab of the "Import" page there is a button down the bottom that let's you "Add Files" - you can add as many as you want to the one import file, and you can use Control-Click to select more that one file from a folder at a time.

I probably wouldn't import all 400 in one go - there are a few issues. All files grouped together must have the same import properties applied, like they all break on the selected H1 or H2 heading levels, and the paragraph mapping is taken from the first one in the list so your styles would need to be the same. For short documents this is usually OK. Also, if you ever reimport they are ALL reimported in one go.

I suggest you create one import file for each set of Word documents that can be imported as a group. (If you are comfortable editing text files you can generate import files pretty quickly by editing the file names - but not for the feint hearted).

What I suggest you DON'T do is create one import file and import one (or more) documents, and then just change the the file that the import file points to. It's the Import file that controls what the created folders/files and images are called, and you can end up overwriting previous work.

[UpperWest]

Thanks Margaret, excellent comments. Perhaps you or anyone can give me more specific advice based on this further description. These 400+ documents, each 1-3 pages, will be maintained in Flare from now on as XML documents. Mostly, they will be used as XML documents, but not with a Flare publication target. Rather, they will be elaborately tagged and put into a taxonomy system housed in Red Dot CMS. The reason for Flare is that when we take on a new client, the client usually wants a Word or PDF printed version of all of these rather complex doucments printed out as a book. Also, the Training Dept, and various phone support groups, often want to FAX nicely formated PDF versions of individual documents to clients in response to specific questions. Since each document covers a separate subject, they must keep something close to their current unique and meaningful file names. I will experiment more and try to keep this string updated. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[ccardimon]

Methinks the best answer to this would be an ice cold dirty martini.

Hey, I didn't say it was a practical answer. Merely the best.

I've been in your shoes many times. I look forward to what others have to say.

[lacastle]

i'm trying to take all 350+ of my framemaker books and import them into Flare. i will not be using frame again for any output. so far, i have 1 import file that has the settings that i like, and since every framemaker doc was created with the same original styles, the import should work exactly the same on each file. as soon as i import a document, i move it from the "import folder" and separate the images from the topics into the Resources/Images folder. the problem is, removing the source file and adding another does not always work.

What I suggest you DON'T do is create one import file and import one (or more) documents, and then just change the the file that the import file points to. It's the Import file that controls what the created folders/files and images are called, and you can end up overwriting previous work.

why is using 1 import file a bad idea? am i expected to have 350+ different import files even though i'm never going back to Frame, and none of the topics need to link back to the source? why doesn't it always work to remove the old source file once it's imported, and reuse the import file with a new document?

has anyone else imported a ton of frame books successfully (without a need to go back to frame)?

[lacastle]

even after deleting my import file and creating a new one from scratch, the old imported topics and images are showing up. how can i reset the import file and remove its associations with previous files? is this a bug?

[Doug Eaton]

I am guessing here... haven't yet tried this out. We will be importing and converting legacy FrameMaker docs as the products evolve. If you have a good import file, maybe it makes sense to turn that import file into a template, and use the template to create a new Flare project for each new FrameMaker book. Granted, if you have hundreds of books, that's hundreds of Flare projects, but this process would separate the content from different books fairly easily.

[lacastle]

I think I have figured out the answer to this problem. It is a weird bug.

I can import the 1st FM file fine.
I can delete that one from the import file, and import a 2nd FM file fine. (making sure to move the files or change the name of the folder they import into so that the next import doesn't replace all the existing files.)
The 3rd FM file does not import. all the 2nd files import again.
If i accept the 3rd import anyway, and then choose to import the 3rd FM file again and override the existing files (did not change the folder name as above), the 3rd file works fine. there is an error message that pops up for me, but it doesn't look like it impacts anything.
So far, the 4th-6th files have imported fine with no problem (deleting the old filename from the import, adding the new one, and reimporting - all in the same import file).

Manually importing FM files seems to me like it should be normal functionality for Flare. And the Add and Remove buttons in the import file make it seem like this should work. It's just that 3rd file hurdle that stopped me in the past. now that I've jumped it and moved on, it looks like it's working for me.

i'm still in contact with MadCap support about this. i'll post more if Ryan tells me this is a bug that is being addressed.

[lacastle]

I figured out another way to import multiple FM with one import file. (I am importing in one Flare project, then copying the imported files to my working project.)

-Create an import file (import the first FM file, set up the style matching, etc.)
-This creates a NewImport folder in the Content Manager
-Copy the NewImport folder and paste it to create Copy of NewImport
-In Windows Explorer, move Copy of NewImport to my other Flare project Content Manager
-In Windows Explorer, rename Copy of NewImport to real file name

The problem was deleting the first NewImport folder and trying to reimport another one. Something in Flare likes to see the NewImport folder if i'm going to "reimport" on top of it. Since I copied the original folder, it doesn't matter if i replace all the files in it with the new "import".

I've done at least 20 of these imports in a row with no problems so far! I just remove the old source file, add the new one, save, and reimport! I don't even get the "override" screen anymore either.

I don't think importing multiple docs is such a bad idea after all!