Can't Delete Baggage Files

[AaronLiber]

So I have a baggage file with no more references to it in my project, yet the "delete" button is greyed out. I've also manually removed the file from rhbag.apj, yet it still appears in my baggage file list.

Any ideas?

[RoboColum_n_]

I've seen this where there is a spurious entry somewhere in the project that doesn't appear. Try using a find and replace tool to look for the file. If you find it, you can edit the file as necessary. Let us know how you get on.

[HKabaker]

Aaron,

Even if you can't track down the reference, you can get rid of it.

From the RH Baggage Files menu at the left, right-click and select New Baggage File.

If the phantom icon is inside a lower level "folder," make sure you're importing it there.

Probably RH will ask you if you want to overwrite the old one. Click Yes.

Now right-click on the new icon and delete it, or select the new icon and use the red X in the toolbar.

After you save and close the project, look for the imported file in the Windows project folder. If it's there, it is now safe to delete it.

Perhaps you ran afoul of the general "rule" that you should never delete or move a file in the Windows directory view, especially if the RH project is open. If you edit in the Windows view, close the RH project first, and be sure to save the revised file before launching the project again.

Harvey

[Peter Grainge]

You can beat the system that way but there is an important point here. I have never known it to be the case that you cannot delete the file if there is truly no reference to it. As Colum says, a good find and replace tool will find the reference that you cannot find at the moment. It is better to put the effort into finding the cause.

[AaronLiber]

I've done the find and replace...no entires. Going to try to reimport it and then delete that way.

I always edit the rhbag file with RH closed,

[AaronLiber]

Shoot.

Just re-imported and the red "delete" X is still not there. With all other baggage files, if it's used in a topic, you can try to delete it, but will be confronted with a dialog box telling you that you can't delete it if it is still being referenced by a topic.

This file doesn't even give me the option to delete (as do some other baggage files)

[Peter Grainge]

What are you using to search with?

[Aaron_Liber]

I've been using the built in search within RH.

[Peter Grainge]

Try using something better.

FAR from http://www.helpware.net is cheap and free for a trial period or Google for BKReplaceEM, that's free.

[Aaron_Liber]

Running the BKReplaceEM right now. Will report back in 2200 files.

[Aaron_Liber]

...and it didn't work. File is still in my baggage and not delete-able.

ran a replace on the file name to replace it with <null>

[Peter Grainge]

OK if you are absolutely sure you got the search right with BKReplaceEm there are two options.

1] Try again with FAR. I have NEVER known it to fail me on this problem.

2] Get the club hammer out.
Take a copy of your project. Generate a CHM regardless of your normal output. Delete the CPD and the XPJ files and reopen the project by double clicking the HHP file. Now try to delete the baggage file. If that has worked, see the topic on my site about Opening Projects for the detail of what will have been lost. If anything is lost, knowing that the method worked, start again with a fresh copy of the original and follow the detail in my topic.

How big is this project zipped up?

[HKabaker · Accepted solution]

Aaron,

Before you throw away that .cpd file......

Make a copy of the .cpd file.

Launch MS Access and open the (copy) .cpd file.

CLick to view TABLES.

Two tables are relevant: Baggage Files and References to Baggage Files.

The database structure is not hard to fathom.

The Baggage Files table lists and assigns a number to every baggage file that (it thinks) is in the project. If there's an entry here for a file you are certain does not exist, that's a glitch. Delete that record from the (copy) .cpd database. (Alternatively, follow Peter's instructions on how to delete and rebuild a .cpd file.)

The References to Baggage Files table lists each link by baggage file number and topic number. (There's another table that lists and assigns numbers to every topic that -- it thinks -- is in the project.) If the references table has an entry, check the topic that supposedly has a link. If it's a bad entry, get rid of it.

Temporarily rename the original .cpd file and rename the copy as the original. Open the RH project.

(Alternatively, trash and rebuild the .cpd file and open the project.)

Good luck.

Harvey

[AaronLiber]

That worked! Thanks!