Need help with merged projects RH10

[namedujour]

I have a project that needs to display the same merged projects from different single source layouts.

The project is Retail Sales. The single source layouts are Call Center and Field. Both single source layouts display the same two merged projects. Some of the topics I publish from each single source layout need to be different, both within the merged projects, and in the main parent project. I control them with conditional build tags.

The Call Center single source layout works. Both the merged projects display correctly. Blocked topics are blocked appropriately. Everything is wonderful, birds are chirping, and honeybees are gathering nectar. There is a rainbow.

However, the Field single source layout does NOT work. NONE of the merged projects display. I haven't even gotten to test the conditional build tags because I can't get the merged projects to work.

I have created new single source layouts to replace the Field multiple times, to no avail. I have checked and double-checked output paths (one goes to Call_Center and one goes to Field), both to my PC and to the publishing server. They both go to a different folder on the same server, so it apparently isn't server-related.

I went through the single source layout dialogs for both parent and child projects screen by screen, taking screen shots and printing them out. I compared them side-by-side, and identified a very few very superficial differences (like "apply the same style sheet to all topics"). I changed these minor things in the "DOESN'T WORK" single source layout, and published, then checked the output before addressing the next minor difference. Nothing changed.

I also have other projects that don't permit me to create merged projects AT ALL. And the programmers can't troubleshoot with me until Friday.

Does anyone have any thoughts what might be the problem? Getting merged projects to work almost seems totally random, and I can't identify why that is.

I have RH11 installed on a new PC, but haven't taken delivery yet. Is this something RH11 might address?

Thanks much!

[namedujour]

My latest tests were to delete the folder that I uploaded Field to, and try again, uploading the parent and one of the merged projects again. No dice.

Then I used the single source layout for Call_Center, and selected output for both that and Field. No dice. So it isn't even the single source layout that's the problem.

I'm running out of ideas. Thanks.

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Are you excluding the merged project from the TOC in your output?

Try the following to troubleshoot: Duplicate your working SSL. In the duplicate, change one thing, generate and check whether it still works. If all goes well, you will find one setting that breaks it. I hope this will help you to identify the problem.

Kind regards,

Willam

[namedujour]

Do you mean am I applying conditional build tags to the merged projects? (no) Or is there some other way I might be "excluding" them that I'm inadvertently applying? (help!)

I tested them in RH11, and they still don't work. I'm going to test some shell projects in RH11 to see if they work - if they do I may need to just recreate the projects in the later version (not a bad idea - when I went from RH9 to RH10 I found I couldn't delete baggage files I'd uploaded in the earlier version, so I've been bracing myself for this all along)

I've worked with merged projects for years, and never encountered this kind of problem before, so it may be that something went corrupt. In multiple projects (...?). Your SSL suggestion is a good one. I'm going to try that if the new RH11 project doesn't work.

Thanks!!

[namedujour]

Update: Merged projects work again when I create a new project in RH11.

I'm beginning to suspect corruption in some file. We switched servers a month or so ago, and something may have gotten hosed in the transfer, which is may be why the problem affected multiple projects. At any rate, I have a lot of rework to do, recreating every project from scratch, but it's better than the alternative. Thanks