Richard Melanson wrote: > I use the import by reference function as a kind of alerting system. My > Engineering group has a bunch of directories filled with schematic and > mechanical drawings they convert to jpg or png or pdf. I then import by > reference from these directories into my Frame file to create a drawing > book. If Engineering is changing a drawing, it is taken out of its > original directory and placed into a pending directory waiting for the > DCO and the new drawing to become available. When Engineering moves the > file, this breaks the import by reference link thus alerting me that my > drawing book needs to be updated. > > Its at this point I run into my problem of not being able to get by the > Missing File window. I have also run into the scenario you state below > where multiple files have been moved for updating. I get an updated > drawing placed back into its original directory, Frame recognizes the > new drawing and moves on to the next missing file and sticks, its as if > the Ignore and Skip functions just don't work.
OK, I see now. If multiple missing files are all in the same new location, say ../pending_graphics, then in the FM Missing Files dialog, you only need to identify the new path once for the first missing file. FM will look in that same location for the other missing ones, rather than bothering you again. Of course, with your workflow, you'll have to point FM back to the original location once the changed files are DCOed. A PITA, for sure... Personally, I think the workflow leaves a lot to be desired. If a graphics directory is the repository for files imported into FM by reference, then those files should never be removed, only replaced by newer versions with the same name. A different alerting system can surely be devised. For instance, if there is a file xyz_123.png in the ../graphics directory, the appearance of a file with the same name in the ../pending_graphics directory should be enough of an alert without the former being removed. If the engineers can't/won't leave the former where it is pending DCO of the latter, then perhaps you should use a different directory as the source for the graphics. Copy all the files in ../graphics to your /docsource_graphics directory. A script could do that. A script could also look at ../pending_graphics periodically to alert you to upcoming changes. Richard Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 ------ rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 ------
