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Nicholas,

After you establish the cross-references between the various files, be sure to save all the files. This makes sure that the reference IDs are saved. I think it should then work.

Also, you may have to update the book twice. As part of the update book, Frame updates the text insets. I think it does it before it updates the cross-references. So, when it updates the text insets (the referenced files), the cross-references are the old ones.

Van

Thanks. I will try that and let you know how I get on.

Hi Van,

I tried doing what you advised, but unfortunately no luck. Maybe I should explain some more.

I have topic files (e.g. task.fm, reference.fm, etc) stored in folders by category (all the tasks in one folder, all the refrences in another). I make a cross reference using the following syntax <CrossRef>Section\ <$paranum><Default � Font> from a reference.fm to a task.fm. I save those files in their respective folders and then import the refrence.fm and task.fm into two different "placeholder files" which are part of the overall book.

When I make the cross references in the reference.fm file to the topic.fm file the result is "see Section 1.0.1". It will be imported at the correct heading level in the placeholder, and should take on the numbering properties from that file (for example "see Section 4.1.1"). But this does not happen. After importing by reference, and updating the book (twice as suggested), the cross reference is still "see Section 1.0.1".

Am I doing something wrong?

Nicholas,

As I wrote my original post, I was not sure that it was correct. I have not done anything as complicated as you are trying to do. But I have done the following:

I use text insets in regular documents in a book. The text inset has internal cross-references, which update correctly when used within the surrounding document. I also create cross-references from OUTSIDE the text inset, and even from another document, to content inside the text inset. Again, these cross-references update correctly.

HOWEVER, I have never been able to create a cross-reference from INSIDE the text inset to something outside it, say in the surrounding document. I have even tried to do this by opening the text inset file, making the cross-reference, and saving both the text inset and the surrounding file. The cross-reference looks correct, but does not update correctly when it is not open. I cannot remember if it worked if I kept the text inset file open during the update or not; my guess is not.

For the purposes of the book, the text inset files are NOT part of the book; therefore, any cross-references from the text inset files to other files cannot be updated. So, you might try adding the text inset files to the book, so they are updated as the book is. When you print, do not include them in the printed (or PDF) file. In theory, I think this should work, but I cannot guarantee it. I thought I tried it in the past and it did not work.

In my case, I have generated files, such as the TOC, as part of the book, which is typical. Then I insert those files by reference into other documents in the book. WHen I update the book, the TOC is updated correctly and all the links in the PDF from the TOC work. This is where it is required to update twice to get the TOC updated correctly in the documents.

If this suggestion does not work, then my guess is that Frame has made the decision NOT to update cross-references that go from inside a text inset to the outside. The other way around is OK. In your case, your cross-references start inside a text inset out to the book and then inside another text inset, which is much more complicated than what I tried to do.

Hope this long explanation provides some help,
Van

Nicholas,

Your cross-references are internally structured as being between files
when they are initially created. When you import these individual
files by reference into your holding file, the insets still reference
the original files. There is nothing that you can do at the FM
interface level that will break that reference to the external file.
(If in doubt, create a MIF and examine the contents, especially the
inset sections).

It could be possible to create a FrameScript that would run through
your holding file, convert the insets to text and then use the
XRefSrcText property of the cross-ref to match up with the
corresponding MText marker property in the holding file and rebuild
the cross-ref to point to the new location.

You would also have to consider that any updates would have to do the
reverse, i.e. find the original inset boundaries, remove the flattened
inset contents, reinsert the updated files and then re-create the
cross-refs. 

This would not be a trivial task.

From your descriptions, it sounds like you're trying to use a DITA
construct for your documentation without actually using DITA. You
might be better off biting the bullet and going the proper DITA route.

Hi, and thanks for your advice. We are intending to move to DITA, but not just yet. This execise was to see if we could use the DITA principles of reusing topics in a document restructuring project we are entering now. It looks to all intents and purposes that it may be to complicated to do without DITA.

Thanks Van. I will try a few more options.