Remove broken links to baggage files

[namedujour]

Yesterday I thought I would take a shortcut and copy/paste the Index file from one project into a another project. The problem is, I was careless and copy/pasted the Table of Contents file by mistake, renamed it for the current project, saw what I'd done when the TOC changed right away, then had to fix things in a hurry.

I put the original Table of Contents file back, but Robohelp remembers links to baggage files from the bad TOC that are not in the current project, and displays them in the Project Manager with a red X through them. I can't find any way to delete them. How do I clean this up?

Thanks!

[Peter Grainge]

1. In the broken project create a new TOC.
2. You will have an option to create it from an existing TOC (Check box)
3. Use the browse button and browse to the project that has a good TOC.

If the other project has an topics that do not have an identical name, you will see the Red X.

Do the same with the index if that is broken too.

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@petergrainge

[namedujour]

Thanks Peter. I'm having the same issue in other projects, though, with or without a TOC problem. I can no longer always delete baggage files, whether or not there is a topic that links to them (I checked an earlier thread that said to do a "Find" for the file, and remove any links). So my projects are getting filled with baggage files that are outdated and I cannot delete them. And there are empty baggage files with red X's that won't delete either. "Delete" is always grayed out, no matter which way I approach the problem.

This problem actually happened in RH9. Now I'm in RH10, and it seems to be getting worse, and for no good reason like a "bad" TOC. I'll try your TOC fix, but is there a solution for other projects?

[Peter Grainge]

This problem seems to be unique to you suggesting something is wrong with your workflow. Normally it is now as easy as adding baggage files when you want them and deleting them when you don't.

This used to be a problem with the X5 version and you could still use the fix for that but backup first.

http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/x5_baggage_bug/x5_bug.htm

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[namedujour]

Here's my workflow: It's a RH9 project imported into RH10. The first thing I tried to do in the newly converted -to-RH10 project was delete the baggage file, and could not.

So I launched RH9 (they haven't removed it yet) and opened the non-updated version of the project from my archives. "Delete" was active on all the baggage files - the same ones I could not delete in RH10 - even though they were still linked to topics. I was able to delete anything I wanted to in RH9, but was only able to delete SOME baggage files in RH10.

Does that help?

[Captiv8r]

I haven't tested to be certain, but perhaps the dev team put measures in place that disallow deletion until any links to the baggage files have been removed?

Just a thought... Rick

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[namedujour]

After I couldn't delete the file, I found a forum posting saying that that's what I should do, so I removed the links. I still couldn't delete the file. Then I even went in and removed the actual file from C:\Robohelp. Now I have a baggage file with a red X, but I still can't delete it.

[namedujour]

I don't know. I was in IT for 12 years, and was a software project manager for seven. This smells like a bug to me. Just saying.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Can you recreate the issue with a small sample RH9 project? Create it in RH9, verify that you can delete the baggage files, upgrade it to RH10 and see if they're disabled. Sent that to Adobe Support.

[namedujour]

Just did that, and yes they were disabled. Removed the links, and they still were disabled. I'll report it.

[namedujour]

I reported it and uploaded three projects to Adobe for testing. One thing I noticed is that the new baggage files I uploaded to the RH10 project had active Delete options. It was only the old baggage files that can't be deleted. So, I suppose if you wanted to, you'd have to delete all your baggage files from RH9, then convert the project to RH10 and add them back in to be able to delete them later on. A lot of trouble, so I'll just wait to see what they say.

Edited: I take it back. I just opened another project I converted to RH10, and the active Delete option was completely random. Some RH 9 baggage files were delete-able, and others were not. It was about 50/50.

[Peter Grainge]

Let us know how it goes with Adobe. There is something very odd here.

For the files you cannot delete, are they still where they should be if you look using Windows Explorer? Are the links to them the same in Rh10 as they were in Rh9?

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[WiscoLori]

I am having this same problem in RH 10.  I have a few PDF files in my Baggage folder that I cannot delete.  They both have red X's through them in Project Manager.  I used to be able to delete baggage by just selecting the file and pressing Delete.  Now nothing happens.  There are no links to these files.  Did you ever figure this one out?  Thanks!

[namedujour]

Yes I did. Not elegant, but the only solution I found was to rename the original project, create a new project from scratch with the old project's name, import all the HTML files from the original project, then add the baggage files I wanted. I copied the Glossary and Index files into the new project, renamed as needed. When I was sure everything worked, I deleted the old project. The new projects work fine.

I manage about 40 projects, so I'm doing this on an as-needed basis. It really doesn't take that long to do.

The advantage to doing this is that you also have the Multiscreen HTML5 single source layout in the new RH10 project.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

One way past this might be to re-create the file. You can use Windows Notepad to just create a file with a single word in it. Save the file and rename it from whatever it is to your PDF filename.PDF. Then copy it to your RoboHelp project in the same location as where RoboHelp is expecting to find the PDF. The whole point is to trick RoboHelp into believing that the file is present. Once you manage that, the red X should then disappear. Once that happens, the ability to Delete should then work. But you may need to first ensure nothing is linking to the file.

Cheers... Rick

[namedujour]

Clever! I didn't even think of that! However, I'm finding that I can't delete a baggage file whether it has a red X or not, as long as I added it to a project before the RH10 upgrade. I'm actually deliberately upgrading everything to prep it for Multiscreen HTML5 down the road - not being able to delete a baggage file reminds me to upgrade that project.

[WiscoLori]

Hey thanks, I'll try that.  My baggage files were created in RH 10 so don't have the RH 9 complication.    Does anyone also know what the proper way is to get a PDF baggage file into the project?  I've been copying the PDF into the source folder via Explorer, and then right clicking on the Baggage folder within the RH PM, selecting New, and then navigating to the source folder and selecting the PDF.  I'll let you know if the trick worked shortly. 

[namedujour]

That sounds like the right way to insert a baggage file. You don't have to copy it into the project, though, unless it makes it easier for you (I do that sometimes because the navigation pane defaults to the project folder, and that's easier than scrolling around for a file). You can just navigate to where it is, and add it to the project from there.

I haven't had that problem at all in RH10 projects. At one point we discussed topics that link to the baggage file, and how you may need to unlink the file first - I've never had an issue with that causing any problems, but it might be something for you to look at.

[WiscoLori]

Oh ok, thanks. Wasn’t sure about that. I have both a link to the PDF file within a topic, and a link directly from a TOC book. Both are working. But I just have these old PDF baggage files (I had renamed the file several times playing around with it) that I cannot delete. I’m trying the trick now. Hope it works!

[WiscoLori]

Ok, I tried the trick but it didn't work.  I created a text file with the word test in it, saved it as a .pdf with the same file name as my problem pdf file, and copied it into the appropriate folder.  The red X went away, but it still will not let me delete it.  It is not linked anywhere.  😞  Very weird.

[namedujour]

This is where you may want to report it as a bug, and refer to this thread in your report. The Adobe developers should contact you about it. Good luck!

[WiscoLori]

Thank you.  What trouble can these unwanted baggage files cause?  Any?  Or are they just an annoyance?  I just want a 'clean' project. 

[namedujour]

They make the project bigger, so it takes longer to publish, unnecessarily.

From a practical standpoint, I caught myself linking to outdated baggage files by accident, instead of to their replacements.

[WiscoLori]

Ah I see.  Yes I agree why confuse myself more?    Still trying to figure out how to get rid of them but am on a deadline so...  Will report the bug asap.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

Aside from just disliking the red x, they should cause no problem. Sorry the trick failed.

I have to somewhat disagree with the suggestion that the Adobe developers should contact you. You should not expect that they will. Of course they may, but unless they need other information or can possilby offer an alternative, my guess is that you won't hear from them.

Cheers... Rick