Importing a Flare help system into Flare

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leep
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Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by leep »

Is there any way to import a Flare help system into Flare and have it generate a genuine Flare help project that will output the same exact Flare help system that was imported in the first place? I tried importing the help system using the Import File Sets method--no dice, as I expected. If there is no way to import the help system as a project, I'll have to do a lot of extra conditioning work, so if there is a way, I hope someone can tell me. Thanks.
Nita Beck
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by Nita Beck »

I don't know any way to achieve what you're after. Flare-generated output files are very different from source Flare files, as I assume you already know. Source Flare files are heavily manipulated by the build process. For example, variables, snippets, and cross-references are processed. Other things are generated to replace the many proxies that may be present, such as miniTOC proxies and menu proxies, to name a few. New CSS is generated based on the skins. I just don't know of any way to "deconstruct" Flare-generated output back into a source Flare project.

Sorry. :(
Nita
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leep
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by leep »

Not at all. It's what I expected. Thanks for the response.
Valiant
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by Valiant »

I am sad to see this isn't an easy option. I am left in a situation where a former co-worker did not properly back her work up to our network and I have no way to recover her work.

I did import the Flare output into a new project. There is a pattern to what needs deleted in the files so I can probably use a mass delete to fix the content files.
The TOC will need recreated as the import put it all at one level.
Nita Beck
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by Nita Beck »

Without meaning whatsoever to trivialize the task before you, I strongly suggest that you put the finished project into source control. I am constantly amazed that some authors, such as your predecessor, don't understand their professional responsibility to safeguard the corporate assets they invent. Yes, these assets might all be digital rather than physical widgets in a warehouse, but the corporation spent cold, hard cash having those assets invented in the first place.
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Valiant
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by Valiant »

It is in Source Control, but not bound to it, so it requires manual check ins which she did not do. ;(
ChoccieMuffin
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by ChoccieMuffin »

A completely off-the-wall suggestion, but if she is an ex-colleague, could you get the IT bods at your work to see if they can recover the Flare project from her machine?
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Valiant
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Re: Importing a Flare help system into Flare

Post by Valiant »

ChoccieMuffin wrote:A completely off-the-wall suggestion, but if she is an ex-colleague, could you get the IT bods at your work to see if they can recover the Flare project from her machine?
Ideally, yes. But since everyone is working offsite, we have not been able to get the laptop from her.
I am hoping someday we do, but for now I have had to word back from the output files.
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