#227 Includes "Update Folder..." in HTML Mode possibly buggy

[Christoph Schiller]

In Alpha 9.1.1, in HTML mode on OSX 10.14.6, there is, in the top menu, an icon that looks like a plate with a fork (just before "Help")
In that menu, there is a "Includes" line with a submenu.

The "Update window" works well, it substitutes the code between two INCLUDE tags.

The "Update folder..." has no effect. Maybe I use it wrongly (but there is no indication in the manual or in the mailing list).
I would expect it to update all html files in the selected folder - but my Alpha only says:
"Folder updated successfully" (after asking whether to update subfolders).
However, my Aplpha does not update any file at all, whatever I answer.

Is this a bug or am I making a mistake?

[Bernard Desgraupes]

Hi Christoph,

I admit that this is not quite obvious. I'm not the original author of this code but, after some investigations, my understanding is that it has to do with "Home" folders. Alpha's HTML mode has a notion of Home Page Windows (see the submenu with this name). When you set a new Home Page Window you can specify an Includes folder (see the attached screenshot). So the "Update folder..." command means "update all the files included in the Includes folder if the current file is part of a Home folder and if this Home folder has an Includes folder".

By the way the "icon that looks like a plate with a fork" is in fact a buoy with a wrench (see attached icon) !

[Bernard Desgraupes]

I have modified the misleading message.
Resolving this ticket as 'expected'.

[Christoph Schiller]

Bernard, can I ask for clarifications? I have all my html files in a Home Page Folder called .../ HTML
I now also have a folder called .../HTML-includes which is defined as Include Folder

Which files (the html files to be updated, and the code parts/snippets to be included) have to be in which folder?

Where is this explained? For a new user it is not easy...

[Bernard Desgraupes]

Hi Christoph, there is some information available in Alpha's HTML mode help in the
Includes section.
My understanding is that the Home Page Folder should contain files that are dynamic and the Includes Folder should contain the files whose contents are inserted inside the <!-- #INCLUDE tags. In other words, the files in Home Page Folder do have <!-- #INCLUDE tags and have to be updated if the portions they include changed.

[Christoph Schiller]

Thank you for all your help - and for your wonderful editor. I still do not get it working, but I also do not want to waste your time any more. I lost too many hours now, just trying. If anybody else ever gets the command "Update folder.." in HTML mode to actually do something, I'd be happy to hear about it. My site is www.motionmountain.net

[Bernard Desgraupes]

Hi Christoph, I started debugging this part of the code and indeed it looks wrong. It is very old and still contains pre-OSX things ! A complete overhaul is clearly necessary. I'm reopening this ticket.

[Christoph Schiller]

Just as feedback to you: It appears that "Includes-Update Window" and "Includes-Update File ..." and "Includes-Insert Include Tags" all work properly. Just the other two (Folder and Home Page) do not seem to work.

[Bernard Desgraupes]

Hi Christoph, I started debugging this part of the code and indeed it looks wrong. It is very old and still contains pre-OSX things ! A complete overhaul is clearly necessary.

This is fixed now. Changes committed to the repository (rev. 1908). The indices must be rebuilt.