Hi Edwin, thanks for response.
I have really like used Outliner...for special projects only. I have hundreds of Word documents, and ending up with multiple versions is a recurring nightmare.
I made up an example to show what I mean, sorry for length:
Example:
Assume: For a new book, created a new Folder "BookA" and save the project file there, and will export any new documents individually there too. Create 1 new Word file within the project, and import 3 Word documents from different files, all of which are edited and changed.
CREATE NEW:
"BookA" project (saved to C:\Documents\BookA\BookA.worpj)
ArticleA (saved in project file)
IMPORT OLD (all from different folders)
ArticleB (import from C:\Documents\Bookideas\ArticleB.doc)
ArticleC (import from C:\Documents\Magazines\Summer2011\ArticleC.doc)
PublisherListD (import from C:\Documents\Resources\PublisherListD.doc)
I make changes to all 4 of the Word documents, new and old, and save the project. When project is re-opened, everything is there with changes. Voila! Easy! Works Great. Except....
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*PROBLEM 1: Multiple Versions of documents with same name
My "old" documents ArticleB, ArticleC and PublisherListD are also still out there in different folders...now outdated. For example I have:
PublisherListD (1st) in C:\Documents\Resources\PublisherListD.doc
PublisherListD (2nd) in C:\Documents\BookA\BookA.worp = now revised and contained within the project.
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*PROBLEM 2: A Windows SEARCH won't find the updated Word file buried in the project file
Worse, the document contained inside the "BookA" project is invisible to any Explorer search I might do for it. So if I do a SEARCH for "PublisherListD" I will only find the old, 1st file, unless I REMEMBER that it has actually been updated and is hidden in "BookA" project. Ha ha ha. It might happen for some of the files, but not hundreds.
Find: PublisherListD (1st) in C:\Documents\Resources\PublisherListD.doc
Invisible: PublisherListD (2nd) in C:\Documents\BookA\BookA.worp = now revised within the project
I'll end up making revisions to the only one I find in the search...compounding the problem more.
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*PROBLEM 3: Exporting only makes MORE copies/versions of documents with the same name/search terms!
Worse, if I save/export all the files in the project at the same time, I get a THIRD copy of the Word document with a slightly different file "1. - PublisherListD" (3rd). Now they are in different locations/folders too.
PublisherListD (1st) in C:\Documents\Resources\PublisherListD.doc
PublisherListD (2nd) in C:\Documents\BookA\BookA.worp = now revised & in project.
1. - PublisherListD" (3rd) in C:\Documents\BookA
And on it continues...if I make another change either the 1st or 3rd versions, then I end up with massive confusion since they really differ from the hidden file contained in the project file.
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PROBLEM 4: If the most current document is stuck in a project file, I can't use it anywhere else.
As the previous poster noted, when they are in the project file, "you also give up the ability to link them to other programs, easily email them, etc".
The scenario seems more complicated when I consider that a master file like "PublisherList" is a file that will be used as reference or content for many different projects. How could I know which project file has it...or which one has the "latest" version?
When I get to "BookG" or "BookQ", and want to use the "PublisherList.doc", do I need to "remember" that--oops, that is now contained in BookA.worpj (or BookJ.worpj)? The original one in the Resources file is no longer accurate, and exporting copies seems helpful until you realize that the moment you reopen the project file and edit they are outdated.
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PROBLEM 5 I could manually export each document back to where it was imported and overwrite it...except that the Outliner program and I have no idea what folder the original one is stored in!!!!!
I would have to go thru the export process for EACH document in the project file and copy over the original one? That could be ok...except the program seems to automactically open to a generic folder to save things, so it doesn't even remember where the imported document comes from..neither do I!
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However, this 5th problem might be on to something. What if you could set it up so that we could choose "automatic replacement of original files with revised ones"?
If users wanted to, each time we exited the program (if we chose in some master setting), any revised files in the project file would export and replace the original one we imported. Then whatever was revised in the project file would be the same as the original document. If a document was created in the project then no worries because no need to export it unless we wanted to.
In other words:
Import
PublisherListD (1st) from C:\Documents\Resources\PublisherListD.doc
Revise to
PublisherListD (2nd) in C:\Documents\BookA\BookA.worp = now revised and contained within the project.
Upon exit, instead of making another copy/version via export to
1. - PublisherListD" (3rd) in C:\Documents\BookA
Simply (!) SAVE AS/REPLACE
PublisherListD (1st) from C:\Documents\Resources\PublisherListD.doc
Ir really think this program rocks, which is why I bothered to create this real-world example. I get that it makes sense to keep the SQlite file, but this would eliminate the version problem since we could choose to always have the files match upon exit.
Not sure how or if it could work in reverse: if we again changed the original Word document, then re-opened the project file, could Outliner tell that the original imported file had been changed? That might be too much to ask for!
I am not very technical, so this might be asking for the moon. But it gives you something to ponder. Thanks again for a great program and listening to your users!