Re-importing content from Word & HTML source files

Import content

Important Note: This is a specific use of import functionality, and is not the recommended best practice for most Author-it users.

Best practice for most users is to import legacy content just once, and then maintain the content in Author-it only. This book discusses a very specific different use of re-importing where users edit externally, and use Author-it only for publishing.

The intent of the re-importing functionality is to support a specific business need where Word and/or HTML source content is managed in one system and then re-imported into the Author-it library for publishing purposes only.

In this use case, the Author-it content is overwritten at each re-import, and is not edited directly in the Author-it library.

Re-importing is the ability to import and overwrite existing Author-it content based on modifications from the external Word and/or HTML source files.

This guide looks at how the following objects and settings are used when you are re-importing content:

  • The Import Profile - enabling settings for re-importing Word and HTML content.
  • The Import Folder - used when existing content is to be overwritten.
  • The Import Book and the Topic object, Hyperlink object, and File object - how the objects are affected by the re-importing process.

Example of the re-importing process, using Author-it for publishing only

  1. Users create content in Word and/or HTML files.
  2. Users import this source content into the Author-it library.
  3. Users publish the imported content, taking advantage of Author-it's publishing capabilities.
  4. Users modify the source files outside of Author-it.
  5. Users re-import the source files into the Author-it Library, overwriting the existing content.
  6. Users publish the re-imported content, taking advantage of Author-it's publishing capabilities.
  7. Repeat from step 4.

In summary, in this example, users edit content outside of Author-it and import it only to publish. This requires that each re-import overwrites previously-imported content in Author-it.

To overwrite content in the Author-it library

Re-import the source files into the same folder used by the previous imports.
Depending on the content that has been modified in the source files, existing objects in Author-it are overwritten and updated, or in some situations new objects are created and replace the existing content.

To avoid overwriting content in the Author-it library

If you do not want content to be overwritten you can use security to protect the content by removing the ability to "modify" content:

  • By means of Release States.
  • By means of Folder Action Permissions.

See also: Cautions - before you Re-import content