TOC not generating properly in situation where the TOC is not in the same folder as the BOOK file.

[Oscar_the_GamingWriter]

Hello FM community,

What I'm going to describe I've done for many years. And for some reason, it just stopped working.

Using FM2019 unstructured. My only desired output is PDF.

I am, as I've always done, setting up my TOC in the references pages. My format is likeso:

<$paranum> <$paratext> <$pagenum>.

This has worked forever. Suddenly, I can't get it to work and I'm going blink trying to figure this out.

The only odd thing I have is I have 24 books that must be cross-referenced. So per other entries in this forum, I make certain that all 24 book files are in the same folder. Then my individual book source files are each in their own subdirectory. 

This was working fine with the first several books I created. The cross-references work. The TOC is generated just the way I want. 

And now....the TOC simply won't generate. The only time it generates is on the initial Update TOC when you first setup which heading tags are included. But after that....I cannot get it to do anything.

I have noticed that each time I try to create the TOC for each book, FM automagically places the TOC file in the same folder as the book. As soon as its created, I do a Save As and Save it into the folder I want it in.

(As I want it in the sub-directory for the individual book that the TOC is for, I delete it from the book (using FM's delete tool). Then I re-add it to the book (Insert -> files). I re-add the new TOC file that I did a Save As on in the prior step. I'm thinking the problem is in this part of my process. 

NOTE: When you initially create the TOC, FM will assume you want it in the same folder as the Book file, and I don't. I want the TOC for the individual book in the individual book folder, not the Master folder which contains all 24 of my book files.

Can anyone help? ideas? Appreciate any help.

[frameexpert]

Hi Oscar,

This is pretty much how FrameMaker works; the book's generated files must be in the same folder as the .book file.

-Rick

[Oscar_the_GamingWriter]

Appreciate the response Rick. 

The interesting thing is, in this project I have 25 books. The first four books I was able to place the TOC in the individual sub-folder for the individual book, and it seemed to work.

I'll try it again, this time keeping the TOC in the same folder as the book file. Will post here how it goes.

Thanks again,

Oscar

[frameexpert]

Keep in mind that a FrameMaker book is just a pointer to a bunch of files. So you could have a .book file in the individual folder (with its TOC, etc.) and then other one in the "project" folder (with its TOC, etc.). Both books would point to the same components, except you would have two sets of generated files, one in the individual folder and one in the "project" folder with the rest of the .book files.