Indestructible folder

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RJP_Home
Propeller Head
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2021 8:33 pm

Indestructible folder

Post by RJP_Home »

Every other time or so when I try to build PDF output, I get the dreaded "Build Failed" message, because some file or folder in the Output folder is being used by some unknown process. I know it's not Acrobat because I placed some taskkill commands in the target's Pre-Build Event Command window to get rid of all those processes. I can manually delete the Temporary folder and the .mclog file in the actual output folder, but the actual, now empty, folder is impervious to all attempts at being deleted as it is "...open in another program." Given enough time, the other program, whatever it is, eventually releases the folder and it can be deleted. On busy days I can spend an hour just waiting to be able to delete the folder so I can build another version. Any idea what the mystery program is and how I can get it to release its hold on the output folder?
Thanks!
Psider
Propellus Maximus
Posts: 817
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:32 am

Re: Indestructible folder

Post by Psider »

As weird as it sounds, I've sometimes had success closing Outlook. (Also check Word is task-killed.)
AlexFox
Sr. Propeller Head
Posts: 164
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:56 am

Re: Indestructible folder

Post by AlexFox »

Microsoft PowerToys has a File Locksmith/What's using this file utility that is very useful for seeing why a file is locked.
Nita Beck
Senior Propellus Maximus
Posts: 3669
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:57 am
Location: Pittsford, NY

Re: Indestructible folder

Post by Nita Beck »

By any chance, do you have your project — or the Output folder only — sycning with a cloud folder such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. If so, that is your problem. As I understand the process, one of the first things that Flare does is delete the target’s folder and the Temporary folder in the synced OneDrive, etc. folder. Then it has to wait for that deletion to sync with the cloud. So it can’t start building.

MadCap recommends having your project stored in a local folder, not a cloud or network folder. https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare2 ... roject.htm

HTH
Nita
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RETIRED, but still fond of all the Flare friends I've made. See you around now and then!
Nita Beck
Senior Propellus Maximus
Posts: 3669
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:57 am
Location: Pittsford, NY

Re: Indestructible folder

Post by Nita Beck »

… deletes the target’s folder and the Temporary folder in the Output folder
Nita
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RETIRED, but still fond of all the Flare friends I've made. See you around now and then!
RJP_Home
Propeller Head
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2021 8:33 pm

Re: Indestructible folder

Post by RJP_Home »

Nita, that's a good observation and I did think about it at first, so I paused OneDrive syncing and when that didn't work, I moved the project completely out of the OneDrive folder into C:/Flare Projects. That didn't help either. :(
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