File handling bug – should look for Links relative to .INDD file, not direct pathname.

[scotw74004221]

InDesign is opening up links over the server because that's where I copied the file from, even though the Links folder is right outside the .INDD file on my local drive. Like HTML, InDesign should look for the Links relative to the .INDD file and not the actual path of the file. If I unmount the server, it opens up fine and uses the links local on my hard drive, as it should.

I don't see a setting for this in File Handling preferences. Any way to force InDesign to work how it should? There is no reason why it should go get links across the server, and if I save it like that, the links will be broken next time it's opened because it saved an actual direct path instead of a relative path.

Thanks for any advice.

[Bill Silbert]

A quick way to fix the issue might be to use InDesign's Package option (File>Package). It will create a new folder for the job on your hard drive containing the InDesign file, Links and a Document Fonts folder. This new folder should then replace your original job folder. BTW I have found that working over a server can lead to this and many other issues. I would recommend working on the job on your hard drive and using the server to backup the work after each work session.

[scotw74004221]

Thanks Bill. Yes, I am copying the InDesign file and the Links folder to my local hard drive and that's the issue. When I open the .INDD file on my local drive, it should look for the Links folder right next to the .INDD file that's on the local drive, but instead, it goes over the VPN to the server where the file originated. It shouldn't do that. It should first look for it relative to the .INDD file, like HTML works. But it's first choice is to use the absolute path for the Links. If I unmount the VPN server so it's not there, then the .INDD file opens and InDesign finds the links right there next to the .INDD and it's nice and fast. But the first choice should be relative path, not the absolute/direct path.

Thank you for taking time out to offer suggestions!

[Bill Silbert]

Actually, the behavior you're describing is how InDesign has always worked. It will always look for imported graphics in their original location first. This usually makes perfect sense in terms of making sure that the links are their every time you open the file. My suggestions here are pointing out that a file should always have the location of the imported graphics fixed by the user the first time you bring the folder onto your hard drive from a server. As I said in my first post it is never a good idea to work directly off of a server. It really tend to complicate one's life doing so.

[scotw74004221]

Bill,

Again, I'm not working directly on the server. I copy it from the server to my local drive, then I make my edits, export out a PDF, then copy the .INDD, Links folder, and PDF to the server. Then, when someone opens InDesign, it asks for the links on my local hard drive. That's the problem. It's actually less of a problem if we open the .INDD file from the server and make our edits (multiple designers here) so that the links to the images doesn't change between local drives for multiple designers. On Windows, InDesign works over VPN just fine. On the Mac, you get the colored spinning wheel a lot for files that are only 6 megs in size, which is why I have to copy it to my local drive.

Thanks for you help!

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

If the original path is valid / exists - InDesign will try to load files from there and show missing links if they are not there. 

It's rather correct behaviour - it would be quite dangerous if InDesign try to open "closest" files  instead of the linked ones?