Problem with Referenced Images

[_Kevin_Ko_]

Hi all,

I have some documents that all follow the same structure.

doc1\doc1.book
\*.fm
\images\A.jpg

doc2\doc2.book
\*.fm
\images\A.jpg

In both documents, I have an imported image file that I want to be "images\A.jpg".

my doc2 directory would have been created by copying and renaming doc1 (because they all follow the same document template/format). But in doc2's .fm file, my referenced image file's path is "..\doc1\images\A.jpg", referencing to the original file.

I've tried renaming doc1\images\A.jpg to doc1\images\B.jpg, and opening the doc2 .fm, which then says it can't find "..\doc1\images\A.jpg" and asks me to replace it with another file. So, I use "images\A.jpg" (which is in the doc2 directory). That seems to work. But this seems to also change the link in the doc1 .fm file to point to "..\doc2\images\A.jpg".

So, the problem seems like both .fm files will always point to the same image file. I don't know how to disconnect these, so that they can work independently from each other. i.e. each doc directory (doc1 and doc2) is self-sufficient.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
Kevin

[_Van_Kurtz_]

Kevin,

If I understand you correctly, you have created the doc1 folder, inside is the doc1.book, *.fm files, and an images folder. One of the *.fm files references the A.jpg image in the images folder.

Create the doc2 folder, then copy all the files and folders inside doc1 to inside doc2. Do this in Windows Explorer, NOT FrameMaker.

Rename the doc1.book inside the doc2 folder to doc2.book. Everything should be as you want it to be.

NOTE that if you open doc1/*.fm in FrameMaker and then save it as doc2/*.fm, then FrameMaker recalculates the path to A.jpg to point to the file doc1/images/A.jpg, because FrameMaker assumes you want to retain your links to the original image files. The difference from the procedure above is that you are doing the copying within FrameMaker, not within the Windows file system.

Van

[_Kevin_Ko_]

Hi Van,
Thanks for your response. Everything you described above is correct.
Yes, I'm doing the copying in Windows Explorer. So, I would have assumed that the references would have stayed as "Images/A.jpg". But somehow it's not so.

And I can't seem to de-link the references.

e.g.
doc1/main.fm points to Images/A.jpg
doc2/main.fm points to ../doc1/Images/A.jpg

Whereas, I would like:
doc1/main.fm points to Images/A.jpg
doc2/main.fm points to Images/A.jpg

[_Van_Kurtz_]

Kevin,

Copying and pasting in Windows Explorer should get you exactly what you want, so I am not sure what the problem is.

You say you cannot delink them. In the anchored frame, select the jpg and press Delete. Then select the anchored frame and select File > Import > File and select the A.jpg file in doc2/Images.

It should all work as you expect. I think you are doing something not quite correctly, but I cannot figure out what it is.

Van

[Tigdave]

It sounds like you copied the files by using "Save As". If you do this, FM will "stretch" all links (xrefs and graphics refs) so they point to the old files in the old locations.

Copy the FM files and graphics using the normal operating system commands or utilities such as Windows Explorer, and make sure FM is shut down when you do it. The links in the new document will then look for files using the same relative pathnames.