Disappearing graphics in Framemaker files

[Spectrum Writing]

All,

 

Now that I can catch my breath after a major panic, hopefully, I can
accurately describe a problem that I just had in a large Framemaker book -
one that I had NEVER seen before and one that took some weird fixes.
Working on a Win 7, 64-bit system, 12GB memory, dual quad processors with FM
9.0 all patched and current. I have a Framemaker book file with 14 files in
it, two of which are some standard generated files, a TOC and an Index. I
have been working on this book for over a month now without any issues.
Today, I opened all the files in the book and all, and I do mean >ALL<
graphics were just apparently "gone" from each and every file. Every single
solitary anchored frame that had an imported graphic (by reference) file was
blank, but yet when the files opened, I did not get the message about "FM
cannot find a graphic file." I also have graphics on my Reference pages that
are pulled into some paragraph tags that I had and these too were gone -
poof! I couldn't really fathom what I was seeing. In fact, when I opened and
viewed the Reference page for each of these files, the graphics on the
Reference pages were "gone" as well. Only the name of the graphic above its
anchored frame was displayed. 

 

I first opened a file in a completely different book in a completely
different directory that uses the same Reference page layout and reference
page graphics and all was OK, so I tried MULTIPLE times to import this
reference page into the files with the apparently missing graphics to no
avail. I would select File > Import > Formats, confirm that Reference
Page/Page Layouts/Paragraph Tags, etc. was selected and with an affected
file open, import from this good file. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch. Nothing in
the affected file was being changed  - the Reference page stayed blank, etc.
In desperation,  in an affected file, I selected an anchored frame and
imported the apparently missing graphic into an anchored frame and VOILA!
>>ALL<< and I do mean all the graphics "reappeared" in all their glory in
all their anchored frames - no error messages, nothing. This included the
graphics that were pulled in by reference pages.  

 

I repeated this process for all the affected files - reimporting a single
graphic into a single anchored frame to update all the missing graphics.
Here's the real kicker - in some cases in which I reimported the missing
graphic, it was displayed on top of the same graphic - like I was importing
over an already existing graphic, even tho' the existing graphic wasn't
displayed until I reimported it. It was like FM lost its memory and simply
forgot the path to the graphics folder, and nope, I hadn't moved any
folders, renamed files, etc. It was the same old book in the same old place
with the same old file structure that I have had for a month now.

 

Has anyone ever seen this before and if so, do you have any insight as to
what would be the cause of this? I can't imagine that with 12GB RAM, memory
would be an issue. I had standard applications open on my desktop that I
always have when working - Outlook, MS Internet Explorer, Skype, PowerGramo
(a recording app. for Skype), and the application to which I am writing.
This has been my MO since the cows came home, and I have never seen it
before, and I hope to never see it again.

 

TIA,

 

TVB

 

 

 

 

 

Tammy Van Boening

Owner/Principal

Spectrum Writing, LLC

www.spectrumwritingllc.com

info at spectrumwritingllc.com