How to filter out the pictures?

[dragonwave]

I usually store all my pictures in one folder locally and import them in the fm files I am developing. Is there any easy way to filter out the pictures that are not used in the book?

[Bob_Niland]

What version of FM?

If it's 11 or 12, there may be an Archive hack you can use to essentially un-archive the unneeded imports.

If you want to write a script to process MIFs, grep for:

grep ImportObFile *.mif
grep TiSrcFile *.mif

The results can then be parsed to create a list of used imports, and perhaps move them. Delete what's left.

For a small number of imports, it's probably easier to move everything to a subdirectory, open the document, then move back each file as FM complains about it. Then delete the subdir.

[dragonwave]

Thank you. Yes, FM 11. So does that means I can use your write-a-script way? Can you give any detailed instruction, for example step 1, step 2...? I have no idea about the script thing.

[Bob_Niland · Accepted solution]

See: http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2011/07/create-a-book-packager-using-extendscript.html

This is supposed to copy all the used graphics to ./insets/ and update the references. Then you could delete the entire original imports subdirectory.

I've never run anything higher than FM9, and so have no experience with it. Other forum users may have some tips. Based on the chatter on that blog article, there may be some issues.

We're on FM7.1/Unix for production, and use our own local csh&sed Unix scripts to perform the same function.

[Arnis Gubins]

For more information on the available Archive utilities and scripts, see this thread and follow the additional links in the messages:

compile graphics for translation in framemaker 11

[dragonwave]

Sorry, forgot to ask first, does your archive-hack way the same with the write-a-script way?

[FieryPantone]

Handled something very similar recently with help from a colleague, a spreadsheet and a DOS box – compared a list of referenced graphics (thanks to FM) with a list of all graphics in the directory (thanks to the Copy as path) and created a discard.bat from the results :-}

A reliable and re-usable script would have been far more elegant, but as someone whose only programming experience is Pick DataBasic plus a bit a ColdFusion I'm not sure about the ROI for me :-}

[dragonwave]

The following script is useful from some helper above.

Create a Book Packager using Extendscript « TechComm Central by Adobe