Global Project Linking - can't UNlink when imports too many

[Cecily]

I've been experimenting with global project linking. I successfully imported a couple of topics from one project into another, updated them in the source and saw those changes in the destination. Then I imported just a glossary from the same source into a different destination. Still OK thorough various edits and compiles.

But somehow (I got click-happy when compiling?) it has now imported lots of other topics that I don't want.

The Project Import Editor has a Reimport option, but I can't seem to do the reverse and if I delete them in Content Explorer of the destination, they just get reimported when I compile.

So then I opened Project Import Editor, unticked Auto reimport, deleted the files in Content Explorer and compiled successfully.
But when I reticked Autoreimport, it imported everything (even tho Auto Include Linked was not ticked), rather than the single file I wanted and that was the only one selected in the reimport dialog.

So how do permanently unlink the files I don't want whilst being able to autoupdate the one I do?

[Bea Lac]

Hello,
I've also been experimenting Project Linking since 2 weeks.
I noticed it's difficult to correct a wrong import file : it's more simple to delete the flimp file and create a new one, when it has began to bug.
Did you try this :
-delete the linked files in Content Explorer of the destination
-delete the flimp file
-create a new one that import only the glossary.

On the other hand, I experimented to remove few specific files from the import and it seems good working :
-with Flare I save one linked file in the desination project.
-Flare prompts me the file is linked.
-I choose to go on and remove the link.
-A message tells me the file is now in the removed link list.
-You can see the removed file list in a tab of the flimp file.
-At the next reimport (automatic or not) the files from this list will never be re-import.

Regards.

[Cecily]

Thanks, Bea. Why didn't I think of that?

I still had to delete each file from the Content Explorer, compile and check the project in and then create a new flimpfl, but it worked, which is what matters.

I'm still not sure how I imported the extra topics, but I'll be more careful what I click in future.

Longer term, I hope MadCap add an unlink feature in the Project Import Editor.

[Cecily]

I'm getting really annoyed with this now.

It was all OK. I'd compiled one of the child projects numerous times and it only imported the single file from the parent that I wanted it to.

Then, after the parent project had changed (but not the actual file to import), when I compiled, it started to import everything from the parent. I cancelled, but it hung. I removed all the erroneous files and looked at the import file, which still only listed one file to import, but as soon as I tried to recompile, in they all came.

Why is this happening now - or at all?

How do I stop it happening again?
When I'm only importing one file, deleting the flimpfl and recreating it is not such a big deal, but I'm losing all confidence in the process.

If it's relevant:
* In the flimpfl, Source Project tab, I have Auto-reimport ticked, which should just mean any updates to imported files are brought in, rather than it automatically imports extra ones.
* In the flimpfl, Source Project tab, I have Auto-include linked files unticked, because I don't want any other files imported just because they link to the one I'm importing.
* The projects' Content and Project directories are bound to TFS and the whole thing rebuilt on a build server as part of a continuous build process.

[Cecily]

I think I have this sussed: it pays to be specific in the Include Files field of the import file (even though you also specify individual files in the Import dialog).

I had selected Include Files: All Files because there wasn't a Glossary option in the drop down list. Then I used the (Re)Import dialog to deselect everything except the glossary and when I looked at the Imported Files list, nothing else was shown - even several sessions and compilations later. What probably triggered the reimport was updating one of the files in the master project, at which point it looked at the pattern in the Include Files field (rather than those listed on the Reimport dialog and the Imported Files tab). What I should have done was put specific files in the Include Files field, either typing directly or via the Edit dialog, and using semicolons as separators.

The crux of it is that if the parent topics have changed since the last compilation, the Include Files filter imports everything that fits the pattern specified (e.g. *.flglo), regardless of any past selections in the (Re)Import dialog, which is per importation.

[Skooter]

I had the same problem when I mistakenly imported a lot of image files. The problem was compounded by the fact that I can't see the link icons in the Content Explorer (due to a Subversion Tortoise Svn version control related issue to do with Windows Explorer overlays) so it took me an age to manually select and get rid of the linked files. I raised an enhancement request for some sort of 'remove linked files' option.

Re:What are people's views on the relative merits ... of sharing content?

Using a Global project for shared resources and also re-using content by linking between multiple smaller projects seems much better to me (despite a few glitches with the Import process). I'd previously used condition tags in larger projects, but that got really messy... )

[Cecily]

Re:What are people's views on the relative merits ... of sharing content?

Using a Global project for shared resources and also re-using content by linking between multiple smaller projects seems much better to me (despite a few glitches with the Import process). I'd previously used condition tags in larger projects, but that got really messy... )

See http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... =13&t=7571.