Images and their location in the filesystem

[ccardimon]

I grab a screen capture using Snagit. I name it and save it to a directory named for the version of the project. Then I insert the name image in its proper place in the project.

There have been enough versions of the project that I now have several directories, each containing dozens of images. When a screen capture needs to be refreshed, i have to figure out which directory I put it in originally, and save the new screen shot in that directory. Makes it easier to name it the same thing and overwrite it. Then I insert the refreshed sceen capture into its proper place.

I am spending more time finding the originals of these screen capture than I am updating the user guide. I have too many directories to search.

I was thinking of moving all the screen captures related to one project into a directory named for that project. Probably should have done this earlier.

What problems could that cause for the project if the screen captures that have been placed are now saved in the Content - Resources - Images folder?

[alaltenburg]

I may be misunderstanding what you are asking about, but I will give it a try.

Have you checked the folder where your project is located on your computers hard drive? There is a content folder>resources>images where every image is located for the specified project. When I create a new screenshot, I save it to the images folder in content. Then I can insert them into my project and the have a specific file name.

Andrea

[ccardimon]

Thanks for replying, Andrea.

You don't bother with any folders or directories other than the content>resources>images folder specific to your project, correct?

If memory serves, the way I save and store images was Snagit's default method at the time. I never bothered changing things. I got Snagit first, then got RoboHelp X5, then migrated over to Flare.

I guess it is time to update my methods.

[KevinDAmery]

When a screen capture needs to be refreshed, i have to figure out which directory I put it in originally, and save the new screen shot in that directory. Makes it easier to name it the same thing and overwrite it. Then I insert the refreshed sceen capture into its proper place.

It should not be necessary to reinsert the image if you saved the new screen shot with the same name and in the same location. Flare accesses the files by reference, so if you change the referenced file the change is picked up automatically.

What problems could that cause for the project if the screen captures that have been placed are now saved in the Content - Resources - Images folder?

That folder structure is "normal" for Flare, so it won't cause problems in and of itself. However, be sure that you move the files using Flare's Content Explorer so that it can update the links to the files - if you move the files outside of Flare, it won't know where they went and you'll have a project full of broken image links. The simplest way to do this is to select the images in the original folder and drag them into the Images folder: Flare will ask you if you want to update the links, at which point you tell it to do so.

[ccardimon]

Thanks, Kevin.

Addendum -- I just tried it and your way is much easier. You guys have saved me hours of work. Trust me to find the difficult way of doing things.

Here's a thought. How about a stickie somewhere on these wonderful forums? It could say something like, "If You Use Snagit for Screen Capturing, Read This." Then someone could say that instead of using Snagit's default method of saving images, which is in the Snagit Catalog, to change this option and save screen captures to your Flare project's content>resources>images folder.

If I had been doing this for more than two years, perhaps others are also making this small but potentially time-consuming mistake.

[Adrian Durand]

To comment on my own experiences,

I use quite a few images in my project, and save the aptured images in folders relevant to the application (separate from the Flare project).

When I insert the image into the project, the file is automatically copied into the Resources\Images folder in Flare.
Therefore, when I need to update any images, I always save them to the relevant application folder and re-insert the image into Flare.

Regards

Adrian