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Inspiring
July 19, 2012
Answered

Unresolved or out of date cross references in the document

  • July 19, 2012
  • 8 replies
  • 49459 views

hi, i was going to export my document into PDF for press and this massage "There are unresolved or out-of-date cross references in the document" showed up. I can't find out where the problem is, because ID signals no error in the document in the Preflight... i checked all the hyperlinks and converted them into text but it didn't solve the problem.  any hints? thanks a lot

    Correct answer mazlans39801750

    I'm try to view the text in "edit in Story Editor" and search for this item. Delete it if possible, and my problem solved.

    8 replies

    Denis Senatsky
    Participating Frequently
    November 18, 2023

    This little script will solve the ‘Unresolved or out-of-date cross-references’ problem:

    app.activeDocument.crossReferenceSources.everyItem().remove();
    Inspiring
    December 21, 2023

    Thanks, @Denis Senatsky It worked for me.

    Robert at ID-Tasker
    Legend
    June 3, 2024

    >>two dopeslaps to my head<< I was hurrying to get to the ER for my 7P-2A shift because I realized there was a Kenney Chesney concert in Pittsburgh and my shift was going to be awful, not to mention traffic.

     

    The .indd files are at http://www.conovers.org/ftp/AppSAR-Source-Files/

     

    Sorry!


    @keithconover 

     

    For some reason - a bit smaller (*) - attached - but it can't be compared directly with the previous ones as there are extra Destinations not present before.

     

    Still - 352 "broken".

     

    AppSAR-6-Wilderness-First-Aid-1c.txt - raw export done right now

    1a.txt - sorted by ID - when processed alone few days ago

    1c.txt - sorted by ID - processed today with other INDD files present in the folder and automatically opened by InDesign

     

    If you have TotalCommander or something like that - you can compare them:

     

    (*) - the reason why file generated today is smaller:

    Presence of other INDD files made some of the Hyperlinks partially "correct".

     

    So maybe Hyperlink doesn't have to have Source AND Destination to be valid?

    Because some of the Hyperlinks - that had no source/destination before - now have destination - but still no source?

     

    Like this one:

        21615   AppSAR-6-Wilderness-First-Aid-1.indd Hyperlink Document             Solid Hyperlink destination document not found. Please verify the document's location in the Hyperlinks panel before choosing this hyperlink. FALSE Thin 740     Cross-Reference 156          

    FALSE

     

     

        21615   AppSAR-6-Wilderness-First-Aid-1.indd Hyperlink Document             Solid   FALSE Thin 740     Cross-Reference 156           FALSE
        15901   AppSAR-6-Wilderness-First-Aid-1.indd HyperlinkTextDestination Document                 FALSE   22     Weather? There’s an App for That 1            

     

    So are they OK or still "broken"?

     

    mazlans39801750
    mazlans39801750Correct answer
    Participant
    September 13, 2018

    I'm try to view the text in "edit in Story Editor" and search for this item. Delete it if possible, and my problem solved.

    Participant
    March 13, 2018

    hi every one

    this problem from special character  like  ʃ you can see it from show hidden character

    you can take the text to word and remove any style and format then take it again to indesign and the problem will resolve

    typegirl
    Known Participant
    September 30, 2016

    I had 4 such errors and updating my TOC solved it for me.

    SmartGraphicArt
    Inspiring
    December 16, 2015

    I've been chasing phantom cross references in one document in a Book file that was imported from Word. I decided to export the document to InCopy to see if I could find them. Tada! There they all were in the InCopy Story view, showing up as random open Cross Reference tags. I deleted all of the unwanted tags in the Story window and exported the document back to InDesign, and POOF! no more unresolved cross references when I exported the Book to PDF.

    YAY!!!

    Participant
    June 21, 2013

    I had the same problem. After a bit of sleuthing I found the following easy solution:

    Top Menu: drill down: Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks

    this will open a panel, with the offending cross references shown in the list (it will have a little "red flag")

    select it

    then on the bottom / left of the panel you will find an icon (arrow pointing to a page), click that icon and it will take

    you directly to the location of the offending un-resolved cross reference. And you can resolve it!

    Known Participant
    August 24, 2014

    Thank you for providing the answer and may the blessings from the Great Designer In the Sky pour down upon you and may you never be Greeked without your consent.

    Sandee Cohen
    Legend
    August 13, 2012

    I've got a file with the same problem.

    There are no x-refs in the Hyperlinks panel and preflight reports no unresolved hyperlinks/x-refs.

    I've exported the file as a IDML and then re-opened it but still have the same error message.

    I understand that exporting will "strip" away any interactivity, but it concerns me that this message pops up. It feels like the file is damaged somehow.

    In addition, I will be passing the project to my publisher and don't want them or the print shop to be concerned by the error message.

    Participating Frequently
    August 14, 2012

    Have you searched the IDML for the x-refs? 

    Just wildly guessing - they might be embedded in placed items.

    It might be possible to find the location of the bogus reference by breaking the file in half, testing each half, then repeating the process on whichever half has the problem, until you're down to a single page.

    HTH

    Regards,

    Peter

    _______________________

    Peter Gold

    KnowHow ProServices     

    Sandee Cohen wrote:

    I've got a file with the same problem.

    There are no x-refs in the Hyperlinks panel and preflight reports no unresolved hyperlinks/x-refs.

    I've exported the file as a IDML and then re-opened it but still have the same error message.

    I understand that exporting will "strip" away any interactivity, but it concerns me that this message pops up. It feels like the file is damaged somehow.

    In addition, I will be passing the project to my publisher and don't want them or the print shop to be concerned by the error message.

    Sandee Cohen
    Legend
    August 14, 2012

    Peter,

    Thanks for the suggestions. But  how would I search the IDML file? I've create the IDML file and then reopened it as an ID file. Are you suggesting something else?

    I'll try the half document system.

    peter at knowhowpro wrote:

    Have you searched the IDML for the x-refs? 

    It might be possible to find the location of the bogus reference by breaking the file in half, testing each half, then repeating the process on whichever half has the problem, until you're down to a single page.

    Steve Werner
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    July 19, 2012

    If you're creating a PDF for the press, you wouldn't need to worry about cross-references. Export as PDF/X and all the interactivity will be stripped out.