Relative/absolute paths for searching included projects

[Heitmann]

I have a problem with MS project 2003 professional, which sometimes
stores
links to subprojects as absolute paths. I want relative path references
for
subprojects, so that they are included from the same folder where the
main
project is. How can I impose this? Details follow:
I have a master project, including subprojects, some of which are
linked
between each other by task dependencies. I got the whole set of files
as a zip
file. I unzipped them to a directory on a shared folder of a MS windows
server
2003 computer. Then I started making modifications to individual files;
before
each major modification, I copied the whole folder to a new one (v1.5
-> v1.6...),
in order to have complete snapshots of the project evolution at
previous times.
At a certain point, MS project started to link the subprojects using
absolute
paths: The master project in the v1.6 folder thus referred to
subprojects e.g.
in the v1.5 folder. The only way to circumvent this was to reassign
manually
each subproject to the new folder. I cannot do this procedure at each
update
of the project.
I tried to go back to the zipped folder, and created test versions,
which
however had all relative paths, which is what I wanted. The whole thing
looks
like a bug to me (unpredictable behaviour). I tried also to save the
folder
to the local disk of my computer; it maintains the path reference to
the
shared folder even if the network is not connected (then it says it
doesn't
find the files).
So my question is: how/where can I ask that subproject tasks are
looked up
in paths relative from the main project? E.g. "SubProj1.mpp" instead
of
C:\projects\v1.5\SubProj1.mpp"?

 

[DavidC]

Hi Heitmann,

Unfortunately that is the way the project references links between project
files, using the DOS path. I agree it is a real nuisance. One thing to try
when you do get that link back to an old folder is to simply open the Project
Links dialog box select a task and "browse" for the correct file location.
This should then change all the DOS references for that file. The only thing
is that it may already have found the new reference and you may have two
references, the new folder and the old folder. If this is the case then it
is unfrotunately a manual delete of the old folder reference. Whta you have
not made entirely clear is whether the original files are in one folder then
that folder zipped up, or do they start out in different folders to each
other?

The problem seems to happen when one or more files are separated out of the
original folder, stored in a different location then sent back to be included
in yet another folder.

The way I manage project like this is to make sure that all files that are
interlinked reside in one folder. Then as you have done, I copy that folder
to create a new version being the version as of today and then update the
original folder and files.

I have in fact just done exactly that in order to maintain a status as at
end of June, and that has kept the correct DOS references.

Hope this helps

Regards

DavidC

 

[Heitmann]

Ho DavidC,

thanks for your ideas.

One thing to try when you do get that link back to an old folder i to simply
open the Project Links dialog box select a task and "browse" for th correct
file location.

That's what I do, but if I have to do it every day, it become
cumbersome.

Whta you have not made entirely clear is whether the original file are in one
folder then that folder zipped up, or do they start out in differen folders to each
other?

I got the original files all in one zipped folder, and unzipped them t
a single folder.
After observing the path problem, I tried to repeat this procedure fro
the
original zip file, in order to understand when the problem arises; bu
I always got
relative paths in that test. Maybe, as you suggest, I somewhere i
between
had done some copying/moving, although it doesn't seem to me.

The problem seems to happen when one or more files are separated ou of the
original folder, stored in a different location then sent back to b included
in yet another folder.

The way I manage project like this is to make sure that all file that are
interlinked reside in one folder. Then as you have done, I copy tha folder
to create a new version being the version as of today and then updat the
original folder and files.

That's an interesting approach. I used to copy the old version to th
new version,
work on this, then copy it again etc.; in this way a path error, onc
it has appeared through a
copy process, can propagate. Your method seems to avoid this.

I'll continue some tests, maybe reconstructing the present projec
status from the
last good (non path-corrupted) folder, and see how it evolves.

Cheers

Henric

 

[Heitmann]

Now I'am sure it is a bug of MS project. I had the problem again,
despite taking care of correctly copying the old versions and always
making the modifications to the project in the same file. Perhaps it is
not possible to save projects on a shared disk of a Windows server. I
will now try to always work on my local disk, and just make zipped
copies on the server's disk (for avoiding that MS project, due to a
wrong path, makes changes in already archived versions).
It is really a bad problem. It happens when you don't expect it, and
then you have to restore your work and check that nothing is lost.