Mixed Structured / Unstructured and xrefs

[Lin Sims]

Yep, the file I'm importing to has no structure. I'm going to try adding it
and then importing again.

As to why, the highly condensed Readers Digest version is that the company
was moving to DITA using Frame, DITA-FMx, and a CCMS called Vasont. Then we
got bought. My engineers wanted to be able to edit the files while I was on
vacation, amongst other things, so someone higher up in the chain of
command demanded we pull the files out of structured and into unstructured,
which is where they are. The last time I had to do this, I jerked the XML
file with the cross-references out.

The spreadsheets, however, are still being converted into XML files because
it's a perl script which can write XML just fine but knows nothing of FM
binary or even MIF.

On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 5:29 PM, Scott Prentice <sp14 at leximation.com> wrote:

>  Lin...
>
> It's likely breaking because the cross-refs are linking to "elements" in
> the original files, then when you paste into an unstructured file, there
> are no elements to link to. You'd need to run some process before pasting
> into the unstructured file which iterates over all cross-refs and relinks
> them to paras or markers instead of elements.
>
> I know you said not to ask .. but I'm not sure why you're converting the
> structured files into unstructured files. It's OK to have a book that
> contains both types of files (may not be a "best practice" but should
> work). As long as you're dealing with FM binary files, not XML files, you
> can mix and match as needed. Have you tried just adding the structured
> files to the book? You will need to enable the structured interface in FM
> in order to do this, but that should not have any adverse effect on your
> files. It's perfectly fine to edit unstructured files in the structured
> interface.
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> ...scott
>
> On 10/30/14 1:53 PM, Lin Sims wrote:
>
>    Bare bones background:
>
>  We have Excel spreadsheets that we convert to XML files using a script.
> The script also creates a ditamap for all the files and creates an XML file
> that contains a table that links to all the individual XML files.
>
>  We use DITAFMx to convert the ditamap and XML files to a single FM file
> (still in structured). At this point, the xrefs work just fine.
>
>  Here's the tricky part. I then import (by copy) the newly created FM
> files into an UNSTRUCTURED FM file (because that's what the rest of the
> book is in, and no, this is not currently an option to change, don't even
> ask, it's a MESS), which is opened in FM with the structured interface so
> that the structured information can be retained.
>
>  As soon as I copy those files into the container (unstructured) file, the
> xrefs break. I need those xrefs to NOT break, and I don't have time to
> relink 500 or so xrefs every time I create this book.
>
>  I've tried this on the FM install on my desktop, which uses the
> structured interface but is NOT in a DITA/structured environment, and the
> FM install on a server, which uses the structured interface and IS in a
> DITA/Structured environment.
>
> If I open the files on their own, they're fine. If I import them into the
> unstructured document, the links go bye-bye and I can't regenerate them.
>
>  I'm beyond frustrated. Any clues would be appreciated.
>
> --
> Lin Sims
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Lin Sims
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