LR vs Indesign -- file import issues

[normp49520190]

I don't know where to ask this Q.  When importing, it balks at forward slashes in file name.  In the import error window it shows that the / was replaced with a colon (:) but it still won't import.  It ONLY works if I go to the orig file and change the name.  BUT, BIG PROBLEM:  All my photos are used in Indesign and when a finished project is packaged, all files are linked.  If I change the file name, all links will be broken.  I'm talking about many 1000s of photos.

How do I import files without changing the name and wrecking my InDesign work?

Thanks,

Norm

[johnrellis]

To clarify, when you say, "When importing, it balks...", you're referring to importing into LR, correct?  If so, I think you're out of luck.  You don't say which platform you're on, but I'm guessing Mac (since it's difficult on Windows to get a "/" into a filename).   On Mac, LR always treats "/" and ":" as illegal characters; go to Preferences > File Handling:

You can tell LR to treat more characters as invalid, but "/" and ":" are always invalid.  (The same is true on Windows.) 

The only way to get them to import into LR is to rename them.

[normp49520190]

John, thanks for your quick response.  I was afraid of that!  Yes, on the Mac.  I can't believe that two major Adobe products, LR and ID can conflict like that.  For my work, it makes using LR useless, and I just started importing...

In the window you embedded, the second line suggests that LR will replace a / or : with a dash , but it doesn't.  Is this supposed to be a comment to the user telling us that we're supposed to do that?  Really seems a strange way to communicate if that's the case.  If not, it sure doesn't make the change on it's own.  Am I wrong?

Thanks.

[johnrellis · Accepted solution]

In the window you embedded, the second line suggests that LR will replace a / or : with a dash , but it doesn't.

The Help says, under Set Import Preferences:

I think the intent was that when you import pics and select Copy or Move, the illegal characters would be replaced with the "-". But that doesn't seem to happen in my tests -- I think that replacement functionality is just broken.