Flare 6.10 Applying Conditional Text fails

[Catatcustomh]

Hi all,
I'm running Flare 6.10 and I am having no luck applying conditional text to graphics files. I am a new user to Flare, but my boss, who is running Flare 4.2 is not having the same problem. In fact, she can apply the conditional tags and when I use her files, those tags come over and are visible in 6.10.

Also my graphics appear in my Word output.
I don't see the colored conditional tags in Content Explorer.

What I am doing:
In Content Explorer, I find my new .png graphics files, right click on them, choose Properties.
The Properties box opens to the Conditional Text dialog. I click the box next to my manual. When I hit ok, I get the following message:
"Apply Dialog Failed: Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

If anyone has any insight on this, I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Cat

[i-tietz]

Workaround 'till the next patch comes up: Put those images into a folder and apply the condition to the folder ... I mean ... just in case that still works ...

[Catatcustomh]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply below. The images are in a folder and I just tried to apply the properties/conditional text to it. It didn't work. The first time I tried it said there were 'read-only' files with an extentsion of .svn in the folder. I can't see any such files.
When I tried it again, it just gave me the error message below:
"Apply Dialog Failed: Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

I wonder if anyone at MadCap can confirm if this is a bug or my error?

The workaround that we can do involves opening and closing the files in Flare 4.2, which isn't optimal.
Thanks
C

[Catatcustomh]

Today I've been learning about our versioning software. The SVN files are usually invisible (but I switched them on). They aren't the problem. At least Flare 4.2 works fine with our versioning.

The conditional text just does not apply. I am doing a Flare course next week and hoping that gives some insight into the problems.

Thanks
C

[Catatcustomh]

It appears that I can apply the conditional text (in the Properties menu) if I have created the project myself and created the TOC myself. If I am using an existing project, created in 4.2, I can't add conditional text.
I think this is a 'not-upwardly-compatible' bug.

Thanks
C.

[NorthEast]

If you apply a condition to an image, that information is stored in a 'props' file. For example, if your image is MyImage.png there'll be a file named MyImage.png.props. Therefore, if you copy just an image file but not its props file, then it won't have the associated condition tag information.

Also, are you using the same condition tag set files (*.flcts) in both projects? If the condition tags are different between projects, then a condition you've applied in the other project might be 'invisible' in your current project if it does not also have that same condition defined.


Finally, when you say you can't add/apply conditional text, what do you mean?
Are the conditions not listed at all (in one project), or are they listed but you can't apply them (and if so, what happens when you try?).

[Catatcustomh]

Thanks Dave for your reply below. I was doing all of the things that you mention correctly. I sent this into Flare as a bug report and got a prompt response from Rob H. there, which I am very grateful for, btw, thanks.

The problem goes away when I zip and unzip the files. Why this is, I am not certain, but it "cleans" the files.
There was also a suggestion that I delete some of the previously generated files - like output, users, analyzer files, but to clear up my problem, I only did the 'zip and unzip' process.

I'm very please to have this problem figured out