Strange issue using H+M with Google Drive File Stream

Please post all questions and comments regarding Help & Manual 7 here.

Moderators: Alexander Halser, Tim Green

Post Reply
User avatar
itexnz
Posts: 137
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:09 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Strange issue using H+M with Google Drive File Stream

Unread post by itexnz »

Hi, I've been experimenting using H+M hmxp projects using Google Drive File Stream (the sync app for Google Drive when using paid Google Apps domains).

Everything seems to work fine, until I convert a topic to no text, save, and then decide to convert the topic back to having text, I notice that rather than create the new topic in the normal Topics folder it creates it in a separate new topics folder (with lowercase t). After closing and reopening the project the topic in the TOC will be shown as a dead link... presumably, because H+M expects to find the file in Topics not topics


Then if I delete the topic in the TOC, the file remains in the separate folder.

Weirdness

Is this a problem with H+M that is only manifested due to the way drive file stream works, or is it a problem with drive stream

Thoughts?

PS. Happy New Year everyone!!
David Scott
Documentation Infrastructure Consultant
https://www.sourceone.co.nz
SourceOne. Documentation, engineered.
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: Strange issue using H+M with Google Drive File Stream

Unread post by Tim Green »

Please don't try to edit uncompressed Help+Manual projects directly in a managed cloud folder like Google Drive or DropBox. You will just get a total mess, because their very basic diffing and merging systems will create a nightmarish stew of different versions of your files, each containing different edits. This will be even worse if you combine it with version control -- then you will get digital hell on earth. Even if you edit single-file .hmxz projects you will often get multiple copies of the project containing different edits. If you want to make it even worse, just let multiple users edit the same project in the cloud folder on different computers at the same time. :twisted:

Managed cloud folders are fine for backups but they shouldn't be used for direct editing unless that is actively supported by the program you are using, and even then you will often get multiple conflicted copies of your work.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
User avatar
itexnz
Posts: 137
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:09 pm
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Strange issue using H+M with Google Drive File Stream

Unread post by itexnz »

good to know... I will consider my experiments at an end :)
David Scott
Documentation Infrastructure Consultant
https://www.sourceone.co.nz
SourceOne. Documentation, engineered.
Post Reply