Skip to main content
Inspiring
January 30, 2023
Answered

Does Framemaker look for missing image files the way that InDesign does?

  • January 30, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 688 views

My company is looking to migrate from their current Sharepoint site to a new Sharepoint drive; currently all of our images are located on drive #1. If we move those images to drive #2, I expect the links to be broken, but then if I relink one of them through Object Properties, will Framemaker try to relink other missing files from that directory automatically? Or is this something a script might be needed for? Or should we just not do that... we have a pretty fair amount of images connected to a decent number of books. 

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Barb Binder

    Hi @services2@mancomm.com:

     

    if I relink one of them through Object Properties

    I am careful about not breaking links in my own work, so relying on my (potentially faulty) memory... but I thought FrameMaker pointed out that you have missing files when you open a document, and then prompts you tell it where to find the first file, and it will find the others, if they are in the same folder? But via Open and not through Object Properties?

     

    ~Barb

    3 replies

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2023

    Hi @services2@mancomm.com:

     

    if I relink one of them through Object Properties

    I am careful about not breaking links in my own work, so relying on my (potentially faulty) memory... but I thought FrameMaker pointed out that you have missing files when you open a document, and then prompts you tell it where to find the first file, and it will find the others, if they are in the same folder? But via Open and not through Object Properties?

     

    ~Barb

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    Participant
    March 26, 2024

    Hello?
    I have a question.
    I know FrameMaker show me the message the document has missing image files but I want to know if there is the way to know missing image files in document without opening the document?
    For example, If I open the book file and publish it to PDF, It just publish without any warning message that document doesn't have image files.

    Is there only one way that I need to open all files to check missing file?

    Bob_Niland
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    March 26, 2024

    re: …if there is the way to know missing image files in document without opening the document?

    Not really, and this wouldn't be limited to FM. Verifying the referencing or importation of any external object into any application, requires having access to the list of declarations, and the only way to do that is to open the file and inspect it.

    For FM, the easiest way to do that is to open the file in FM.

    If the document is saved as both .fm and .mif, it's pretty easy to write a script that scans the .mif and provides a list of imports, and perhaps checks their availability.

    frameexpert
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 31, 2023

    If all of your images are in the same folder on drive 1, and you point the first missing image to drive 2, FrameMaker SHOULD figure out the rest of them. I do have a commercial script called PathChanger that writes image data to a CSV file and allows you to find/change all of the paths in Excel. The script then updates all of your FrameMaker documents to point to the new patths. It is at frameexpert.com.

    Inspiring
    January 31, 2023

    Thanks, I'll be able to test that first method in the next couple of weeks.

     

    Bob_Niland
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 31, 2023

    I haven't had to use what I seem to recall as the Use New Path option in the missing image dialog in some years (and FM version), but it worked as long as all the images were on the new path (whether local or network files).

    You can always download the trial version and see.