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A
Anonymous
July 1, 2011
Question

Images no longer showing in Project Manager panel, but in project RH8

  • July 1, 2011
  • 2 replies
  • 1416 views

In a project with 2400 topics and 3400 images we decided to move the images to a project_images folder so we could just remove the html folders in Production when we update.  Drag & drop images from previous location to new folder...forever!  All was good...Then we shut the project and opened it back up again and only 6 images now display in the Images/project_images folder.  In Windows Explorer all 3400 are there.  If you go to a topic in RH the images display - with the right paths.  They are picked up appropriately when you compile.

They just don't display in the Project Manager panel...making it very difficult to drag them into topics!

We have tried:

1.  Deleting the .fpj file in the project_images folder and adding a new image hoping it would rebuild itself

2.  Tried renaming the project_images folder to something else - RH HATES that and just hangs.  I gave it overnight to figure it out...it never unhung.

3.  Tried creating a new folder - again RH hangs and must be manually ended

4.  Moved a topic with images to another location - topic moves fine.  Images move...but do not show up under Images

5.  Imported a topic with images - the new images show fine...the old ones still are invisible.

This is two days of work moving the images...we hate to start over and have no idea if it will do it again.  We did this on another project - same problem - but moving a folder resolved it.  That is not working here.

Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!!!  RH 8.02.208

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2 replies

E
eeddings
Inspiring
August 12, 2011

Wow, what a hassle.  I never saw this issue until we upgraded to RH9 and tried to use the resource manager to link images.  I've never been as frustrated with RoboHelp as I am now after fifteen years of using it.

We've always had an "images" folder within the root of our projects.  We never saw this "image disappearing" problem until now.  After pulling my hair out for a couple of days, I think I have nailed down why this is happening (aside from the .cpd clearing).

Envision a project structured like so:

Root Folder

   |---Folder A

   |---Folder B

   |---Images Folder

          |---Folder C

          |---Folder D

If I drag/drop a new image from the resource manager into a topic that resides in Folder C or Folder D, the image is placed in the root of the project.  Okay, not ideal.  Why don't images dragged/dropped out of the resource manager retain the resource manager's folder structure?  Another post for another day...

Regardless, I want to move the image to my images folder.  If I then drag/drop the image from the root of the project folder into the Images Folder, the rhsharedresource.apj is updated, and the link is retained no problem.  All right!  This is what I want to see, as I already have too many snippet files doomed to be in the root of the project because they can't be moved and are already causing lag when opening and working in projects.  Another post for another day...

As long as the new image is only referenced in topics residing in or beneath the Images Folder in the project's structure, the image will never disappear from

the project manager, even when the.cpd is cleared.  This is because the topics referencing the image in the Images Folder are within the Images Folder's folder structure.

If the image added is then added to any folder above the Images Folder in the project's structure -- Folder A or Folder B -- the next time RoboHelp is closed and reopened (if you have clear the .cpd checked in RH Options) the image is gone.  BAH!  GAH!  UGH!

Remove the reference to the image from the topics in Folder A or Folder B and the image reappears in the Images Folder the next time RH is opened.  Wow, magical!

So, if you never move an image from the Root Folder of the project, you will never see the image disappear from the project manager because it is at the highest level possible and every folder within the project will be beneath the image in the folder structure.

Sure, if the image disappears, you can rename the folder, add a topic, etc. the project manager refreshes and all of the images magically reappear.  But, as soon as you close RoboHelp and clear that .cpd, they're gone again.

That's what I've found.  Too bad we personally can't restructure the projects we're working on because of a dim-wit Dev call forced on us to use static URLs instead of map IDs to call the topics.

Anyway, I am thinking a project structured like this is now the way to go:

Root Folder

     |---Images (aka Resources) Folder

              |---Topics Folder A

              |---Topics Folder B

Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Peter GraingeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 12, 2011

What you saw as an Image folder in older versions of RoboHelp was not a true folder unless you created a folder so named. RoboHelp showed a folder with that name but under it was a list of all the folders in your project. Rick Stone explains that here.

http://www.robowizard.com/RoboWizard/NewProject.htm#MonthlyScry/122004.htm

In Project Manager the first icon allows you to view things the old way. I wonder if viewing that way would fix the problem. Logically it should make no difference but it is surely worth a try.

You could put the images in a folder with topics and then filter PM to show or hide them according to what you are doing.

I have to repeat what you are seeing is not normal and when you have the time it would be worth trying the same thing in one of the supplied samples to prove that. Click Open on the RoboHelp Starter page and then click Samples in the ribbon on the left.

If you have the time to create a simple test project with the structure that gives you grief and check the problem does occur there, I will take a look. See the Contact page on my site.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Peter GraingeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 2, 2011

Teri

I think I mentioned when you first hit this problem that RoboHelp is not good with folders that only contain images, usually it is easily fixed with the renaming trick. It is wrong to say that RoboHelp hates that as it puts others off trying it and it is the normal and tried method. It may hate it in your case as it is likely just too many images in one folder.

I am dubious about deleting the FPJ file. Not something I would try on a live project. Did you try deleting the CPD file?

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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A
Anonymous
July 4, 2011

Peter, thanks for chiming in!

OK..."hates" is a strong word...I'll refrain from that in the future.  RH 'fails to respond' to renaming the folder with images in it is a better statement...just stops functioning.

We have rebuild the .cpd file innumerous times - that does not help.

I did not realize that RH doesn't like folders with nothing but images in it...that is news to me.  or is it the number of images?  I might have some leeway in moving some to different folders as this project has 4 distinct parts and I don't think images are shared between them.  Is there any specific guidance on that thought?  like I need at least 3 htm files in the folder...?  or that I should not have more than 2,000 images?

Thank you again for your advise!!!

Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Peter GraingeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 4, 2011

It wasn't the use of the word "hates" that I was picking up on. My point was the generalisation as I believe the problem is your scenario.

I did not realize that RH doesn't like folders with nothing but images in it...that is news to me.  or is it the number of images?

Often folders will work OK with just images but I have seen various posts about problems with image folders where the folder only has images. I don't think it is related to the number of images but the number you have would concern me.

For most of my images I keep them in the folder for the topic they are used in, using common folders for shared images.

I've not tested it or recommended it before but maybe putting one topic in the folder and then applying a tag so that it is never generated would help. Just a wild guess.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

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