resource manager and images being rewritten in the project root

[bogaem]

Hi everybody,

I began using the Resource Manager, and I created two folders, one with HTML files (topics), and another one with pictures present in those topics.

As I transferred the topics to the HTML shared folder the pictures references remained the old ones, i.e. the ones inside the project folder, right?

Therefore I began reassigning the pictures to the ones copied in the pictures shared folder, and here begins to be a little bit illogical and difficult.

I deleted the pictures from the original project folder as I want to save the space and have, of course, the pictures only in the shared folder, however after I reassign the pictures to one of the topics, and I sync it, the pictures I deleted appear in the root folder of the project.

I wanted to have the "common" pictures (they appear in 2 different projects) only in the shared folder (declared as pictures folder in Resource Manager) because if I do a modification of one picture, I would like to have this modification propagated in the second project, right?

And also save some space, as it does not make any sense to me to have the same pictures in 2 places (double space consumed) when I can have them in only one folder.

I would like to know how I can avoid this recopying of the picture files in my project folder, if possible.

The procedure I used was:

1. Found out which are the common topics for the 2 projects and copied them in the Resource Manager shared folder for HTML files.

2. Found out which pictures were on those topics and copied them in the Resource Manger shared folder for pictures

3. I included the shared topics into the project, and reassigned the pictures to the ones that are in the Resource Manager shared pictures folder

4. I saved the topic, and did a sync in the Resource Manger

Did I do something wrong here?

Thank you.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Sorry, but it's simply not possible.

With Resource manager, you will always have copies of the images or topics or whatever is in the resource manager.

Let's say you create a folder off on a drive named X. You have images and topics and snippets there. The goal, of course, is that if any image or snippet or topic in the shared location changes, RoboHelp copies the changed object from wherever it is, to either the project or the shared location so that there are always identical copies. That way, you only have to make the changes once. Otherwise, you would have to open project after project and physically modify the object.

Cheers... Rick

[bogaem]

Hi Rick,

Thank you for your answer.

So, with Resource Manager I cannot have like a repository of common topics & pictures that I can then use in other projects?

I have to have several copies of the same content from the Resource Manger? Is this a sort of svn?

I saw that if I use an external directory to the actual project where I have pictures, RoboHelp will copy those into the project's folder, so a "classic" common repository of resources (a common folder external to projects but available for several projects) is not so simply possible. Therefore I was wondering if there is perhaps a feature/functionality in RoboHelp for this...

Bogdan

[Peter Grainge]

The repository has all the images you may want to use in any of your projects or elsewhere.

Each time you link in a project, that image only is copied to the project, not the whole repository. If either copy changes, you are notified. You then have the choice of updating the out of date copy or breaking the link because for some reason you now want the difference.

Your statement "I saw that if I use an external directory to the actual project where I have pictures, RoboHelp will copy those into the project's folder" is not correct. The Resource pod will show all the images available in the repository but only the ones in used in the project are copied locally.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Captiv8r]

I think we can all agree here that what Bogdan wants to do simply is not possible with RoboHelp.

As I'm understanding it, Bogdan wants to place common content such as images and topics that multiple projects use in a single folder. And each RoboHelp project that would reference those would simply point to the folder only and never ever copy anything from the folder. The project would then simply have to know to reference that folder. At least, until it came time to compile or generate output.

All I can suggest is to file a feature request using the link below. Maybe some future version will work that way.

Click here to file a feature request

Cheers... Rick

[bogaem]

Thank you very much Rick,

Unfortunately, I figured this out too, so I have to enter it as a desired feature, and hope that they will do it in a next version.

You understood perfectly what my purpose is. Yes, I would like to have like a common pool with identical things in all the projects like logo pictures, introductions, about topics, support topics, and pick them up as links as I need them in projects, and only at compile time to have them brought in the file(s) that I am generating, this way I can keep the projects "thinner".

Thank you for the link to file a feature request. I will do that and hope they will implement it in a future version.

Have a great day,

Bogdan

[bogaem]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your response.

I understand pretty well right now from my own trial and error and from what I got from the forum how the repository manager works, and it is OK, though it is not quite what I was needing right now.

What I was stating in my comment about a folder outside the projects, was a folder that is not necessarily in the Resource Manage, but a standalone one in which I thought I could store the "common" things for 2 or more projects (identical pictures & topics), and it was from this folder that I tried to take a topic and RoboHelp copied it, together with pictures, in the project's folder, and therefore defeating the purpose I wanted to give it.

The Resource Manger has its roles, very close to the svn principles, however I would like to have things not copied a thousand fold, if I have a thousand projects containing the same things (logo picture, an about topic,...), but to have them once, in a common repository where from I can pick them as I need them.