Global project linking problem w/ LINGO workflow

[simona]

Having followed the global project linking and folder renaming advice in this thread: http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... 13&t=15985, I have now manouevered myself into a nice little problem.

My project setup is like this:

#1) Global DE project (DE = German), w/ style sheets, variables, conditions, skins and folders & files named, e.g. "Resources GLB DE/Styles GLB DE/styles.css"
#2) Global EN project (identical, just w/ folder & files names "Resources GLB EN/Styles GLB EN/styles.css" + destinations & targets (reason: different output/publishing folders than DE)
#3) Local (child) DE project w/ German topics, importing global resources from Global DE project #1, while destinations and targets are local
#4) Local (child) EN project w/ English topics, importing
------ a) global resources from Global EN project #2,
------ b) destinations & targets from Global EN project #2, and
------ c) translated topics from Lingo project #5
#5) project created during export from Lingo, after first importing & translating Local DE project #3

I'm trying to have DE and EN workflows for updates & builds almost identical, as Nita Beck advised, but during my first tests (when targets & destinations were still local in my EN projects,too), I realized that this would mean I have to manually edit each target & destination AFTER the Lingo translation and PRIOR to EN builds, because they are output to different folders than the DE project. So I came up with the above setup and this workflow instead:

step 1) edit/create topics in my primary DE project (#3)
step 2) build & publish DE project #3 to DE output folders
step 3) import this up-to-date DE project #3 into Lingo (or rather, instead of importing, it is called "Update project" in Lingo)
step 4) translate new content in Lingo (DE -> EN) with the help of the TM
step 5) export translated project from Lingo (= project #5)
step 5b) rename project #5 to the project name required in step #6 (necessary because LINGO requires a new export file name each time)
step 6) in Flare, open local EN project (#4) to reimport new/updated topics from project #5
step 7) build & publish local EN project (#4)

I was pretty proud to have come up with this, until I noticed that it doesn't really work. The problem is that topics in local project #3 use GLB DE folder names for styles (from Global project #2). That works fine within the DE workflow, because it means that I can tell my global from my local resources at one glance in my local DE project (#3). But in my EN workflow the result is, that projects #4 and #5 (both EN projects) now also have folder names with "GLB DE" in them, while targets (from global EN project #2) link to styles in GLB EN folders.

Does this make any sense to any of you?

Right now this is all so confusing, I really do not see how a translation workflow using LINGO & global project linking can be managable. Any time I might save during the actual translation process by using LINGO is currently eaten up by my failing attempts to create smooth workflows for both languages. LINGO requires that each export file gets a new name, so I cannot simply overwrite the previous export. If I have the targets & destinations in the local EN project (identical to the DE workflow & setup), I end up having to manually edit them each time after LINGO export so that they build & publish to the right destination folders. If I maintain targets & destinations for EN workflow at the global project, as outlined above, I have the above-mentioned problem that their style settings point to the wrong (DE) folders (error: missing link).

I'm going crazy here, can anyone help?

[Nita Beck]

You are not going crazy! Your scheme is complex because you've chosen to use the language codes EN and DE in folder names. I would not have done that, anywhere. By having those differing folder names, you create different link paths. The only place where I would have ever used the language codes is in the OUTPUT folder/file names. You really do want the folder structure (including folder names) to be identical between the English versions of the global and child projects and the German versions of the global and child projects. Does that make sense? (Sorry. I realize my reply to your long questions is very brief. I've got a busy day but wanted at least to bring up the point about the folder names.)

[simona]

Well, DUUUHHHH!!! me

Typical. As a German saying goes: "I couldn't see the forest because of all the trees!"

Thanks Nita, much appreciated

[Nita Beck]

You're welcome! Glad I could point you in the right direction.

And here in the U.S. we say "I can't/couldn't see the forest for the trees."

[freocelt]

Hi we are about to embark on a localisation project from english to spanish.

I understand the workflow from either creating/updating a project in Lingo. But what is the best way to reimport into flare?? We currently have a centrally located English project do I need a new project for the spanish content??