Target and/or MadBuild assistance please

[sdcinvan]

Hello all,

Happy Friday!

Is there a setting in the project target to instruct MadBuild (or Flare) to NOT publish?

The reason I ask is that several of my projects have a large number of targets, however, I have no desire to publish many of these targets on a daily basis (they are just there for when I need them). The 'problem' is that my daily builds occur automatically on a MadBuild server. It has instructions to build every target it finds and that can take a substantial amount of time.

I know I can simply remove/hide these project targets but my preference would be to somehow, switch them off until required.

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[NorthEast]

Set up a Batch Target in Flare, and run the batch target from the command line.

Then if you want to change what is built/published by the batch target, you can do that in Flare, and don't have to edit the command line.

[sdcinvan]

Set up a Batch Target in Flare, and run the batch target from the command line.

Then if you want to change what is built/published by the batch target, you can do that in Flare, and don't have to edit the command line.

Thanks for your response, Dave.

The MadBuild process is entirely automated with a shell script. It works like this:
- Manually initiate a content push from my workstation to git
[I pack up and go home ]
- Then a series of shell scripts initiate a copy of the Flare projects to a MadBuild server (facilitated by a demon server)
- A DOS batch file (on MadBuild server) automatically initiates a MadBuild of every project (searches for all the .flprj files)
- When the builds are complete, another batch automatically moves the output files to the master build repo..
- Any doc with a complete/released flag automatically gets copied into its appropriate Google docs released folder.
Done Latest doc builds and final releases are available to anyone who needs them. It may sound complicated but it is actually non-intrusively elegant and dependable.

But because I am often testing many different types of builds, my target folder contains many more targets than I actually want to send to the repo. It would have been cool if Flare had a switch to turn on/off whether a target is seen or ignored by MadBuild. But I guess my requirement is probably highly unusual so there is no point in sending this to MadCap, as a feature request.

No problem, I can just move these targets into an 'archive' folder until I need them.

[doc_guy]

I think the problem stems from the script that is looking for all .flprj files, which as far as I can tell, must be a custom script written by somebody in your organization. I've never heard about a script like that before. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Since, by my assumption, the script didn't originate from MadCap, MadCap has no control over whether or not whether a project gets included or not. You would have to ask whoever built the script how you could control which projects get pulled into the build.

As Dave suggested, MadCap's solution to this is to create batch targets, which you can schedule to run at any time you want, and can include whatever targets you want (leaving out those you don't want). In your case, you'd have the batch target publish the projects to a publishing destination that your script can use to move the output files to the master build repo.

You can still have the same functionality: you initiate the build in Flare (and go home), and then Flare takes care of your next two steps, and then your existing process takes care of the rest.

[NorthEast]

- A DOS batch file (on MadBuild server) automatically initiates a MadBuild of every project (searches for all the .flprj files)

Instead of using the command line to build all targets in each project, set the command line to run one specific target in each project - the batch target.

Code: Select all

madbuild -project <project> -target <target name>

Then just set up the batch target in each project to include which targets you want to build.

[sdcinvan]

- A DOS batch file (on MadBuild server) automatically initiates a MadBuild of every project (searches for all the .flprj files)

Instead of using the command line to build all targets in each project, set the command line to run one specific target in each project - the batch target.

Code: Select all

madbuild -project <project> -target <target name>

Then just set up the batch target in each project to include which targets you want to build.

I think there is a misunderstanding of what I wish to change in my methodology. The build all batch makes this process a push and forget mechanism. To change the batch file to build specific targets would require several edits per month or as projects change.

All I wanted was to have a way to temporarily disable certain targets at certain times. The most convenient way would have been at the target configuration. Clearly, the easiest way to accomplish this is to either change the target's extension to make it unrecognizable by the batch or temporarily move the select targets so that they don't get pushed.

[sdcinvan]

I think the problem stems from the script that is looking for all .flprj files, which as far as I can tell, must be a custom script written by somebody in your organization. I've never heard about a script like that before. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Since, by my assumption, the script didn't originate from MadCap, MadCap has no control over whether or not whether a project gets included or not. You would have to ask whoever built the script how you could control which projects get pulled into the build.

As Dave suggested, MadCap's solution to this is to create batch targets, which you can schedule to run at any time you want, and can include whatever targets you want (leaving out those you don't want). In your case, you'd have the batch target publish the projects to a publishing destination that your script can use to move the output files to the master build repo.

You can still have the same functionality: you initiate the build in Flare (and go home), and then Flare takes care of your next two steps, and then your existing process takes care of the rest.

It's my own/co-written script.

I think the best way to handle this would be to either change the extension of the target or move it outside of the Flare project hierarchy.

What I was hoping for was a way to switch a target from active to inactive... kind of like the Conditions switch(es).

[NorthEast]

- A DOS batch file (on MadBuild server) automatically initiates a MadBuild of every project (searches for all the .flprj files)

Instead of using the command line to build all targets in each project, set the command line to run one specific target in each project - the batch target.

Code: Select all

madbuild -project <project> -target <target name>

Then just set up the batch target in each project to include which targets you want to build.

I think there is a misunderstanding of what I wish to change in my methodology. The build all batch makes this process a push and forget mechanism. To change the batch file to build specific targets would require several edits per month or as projects change.

All I wanted was to have a way to temporarily disable certain targets at certain times. The most convenient way would have been at the target configuration. Clearly, the easiest way to accomplish this is to either change the target's extension to make it unrecognizable by the batch or temporarily move the select targets so that they don't get pushed.

The method I suggested would allow you change which targets in each project are built and published, without modifying your batch script.

Your batch script would point to a single batch target in each project - and this batch target would control which targets in that project are built and published.

So if you want to change which targets are built/published in a project, you open the batch target (in Flare) and select/deselect the targets in that project.

So your script might look like this, with a batch target called 'batch' in each project controlling which targets are built:

Code: Select all

madbuild -project project1.flprj -target batch
madbuild -project project2.flprj -target batch
madbuild -project project3.flprj -target batch

So you don't need to make changes to the batch script or change filenames, you only change the settings in the 'batch' target

[sdcinvan]

Thanks for your persistence Dave. I appreciate your effort.

I shall definitely consider your suggestion when I have more time to grasp the idea. Deadlines are looming and my focus is on getting my work completed and published. I'll post an update on how I made out in a few weeks.

Thanks so much!

[alt_jennifer]

Might I also suggest that you add a simple 3-5 letter code onto the name of the targets that you want to be ignored. For example, "DRAFT User Guide PDF.fltar". In your script, you can instruct it to do exactly what it's doing, just ignore any .fltar files that start with that code ("DRAFT" or whatever else). Then your on/off switch is as simple as adjusting the target filename.