What are External Files?

Migrating to Author-it Cloud

One of the tasks of Author-it Cloud Migration Toolkit is to check the database for all files used by the library that are stored outside of the database. These are your external files.

External files includes publishing templates, images used by the templates, and image files used for linked images. It also includes any other external files referenced by objects in your library.

Author-it Cloud Migration Toolkit does this by checking each object to see if it has any pathways to publishing template files, linked image files, or any other files listed in the object properties. The pathways are checked in all objects that can reference files, these include file objects, book objects, title page objects, index objects, media objects, style objects, publishing profile objects, and table of contents objects.

In this example, a book template object references several external files.

Print tab: The Print tab references the Word publishing template.

Web tab: The Web tab references the HTML frameset. It also references all of the extra files used by the templates used to create the output when publishing to HTML pages.

Example of Referenced Files in Book Object

When Author-it Cloud Migration Toolkit checks the database it creates an External Files Report that lists all of the files that it finds in the pathways referenced by the library objects.

The report also identifies any files or folders that can no longer be found at the pathways in the objects. These files may have been moved to another location, or may have been deleted from the folders because they are no longer required in the library.