Restoring a deleted document

In a client/server environment, content objects are never really deleted; they still exist on the server. Instead, they are removed from the Library folders so that they are not visible within the Library itself. However, they will appear in the Deleted documents view, from where developers can display and restore them. The only way they can be truly deleted is by the Administrator purging them. The advantage of this is that you can always (up until the point that the Administrator has purged it) “un-delete” a content object, if you realize that you deleted it by mistake.

To restore (un-delete) a content object, carry out the following steps:

1. From the Library screen, click on the drop-down button for the View field (which will normally indicate Details view) on the View toolbar, and select Deleted documents. A list of all of the content objects that have been deleted (but not purged) is displayed, as shown in the following screenshot:

   

2. Right-click on the document that you want to restore, and select Restore from the context menu. This is the only option available on this context menu.

The document is restored to the Library, and placed back in the folder it was originally deleted from. This location is also shown in the Original location column in the Deleted documents view. This will create another version in the version history for the content object—just as deleting it did. This is shown in the screenshot below:

Exporting and importing content

If you are working in a stand-alone environment and want to share your developed content with another user, you will need to export it from your Library so they can import it into their Library. If you are a developer working in a client/server environment, it is unlikely that you will need to export your content because all users will be able to access it in the same Library. However, even then there may be a need to export your content, for example:

• Your company may use a “staged” approach to implementation, whereby all content is developed in a Development library before being migrated to a more secure production environment

  If you are working with multiple libraries, then it is recommended that you always export/ import folders, and not simply Outline Elements and their contents. This will reduce the possibility of elements that appear in multiple outlines being overwritten on successive imports.

• You have developed content in one environment (for example, your personal stand-alone environment) and now want to bring it into your company’s client/server environment
• You want to take a copy of everything you have done, as a personal back-up
• You want to export all of your content before upgrading to a new version of UPK and importing your content into the new version’s Library

Whatever the reason, UPK makes it easy to export content. In this section we’ll look at just how to do this.

You would not normally use this approach to export content for translation.

Exporting content objects

You can use the Export function to export content objects as an archive, publishing options, sound files, and content objects for localization. This section covers exporting content objects as an archive.

You can export any type of content object to an archive: Modules, Sections, and Topics, as well as Web Pages and Packages. You can also export any of the objects in the System folder, such as Templates and Publishing Packages.

To export a content object, carry out the following steps:

1. In the Library, select on the content objects that you want to export. You can select a single object, or multiple objects of various types. You also have the option of selecting a folder and exporting all of the content within the folder.
2. Select menu option Tools|Export|Documents. The Export dialog box is displayed, as shown in the following screenshot:

   

3. Click on the Browse button next to the Export content to: field. The Save As dialog box is displayed, as shown below:

   

4. Enter a suitable file name for your export file in the File name field.
5. Note that UPK will automatically select a file type of Content archives (*.odarc) and add the file prefix .odarc (for OnDemand Archive. Note the reference to OnDemand even though the product is no longer called OnDemand!).
6. Click on Save to confirm the destination folder and file.
7. Back in the Export dialog box, under Selection Options, select whether you want to export only the specific content that you have selected (Export my selection), or the selected content and all related documents (Export my selection and related documents). Related documents are typically content objects such as web pages that are linked to the selected object(s). You can see a list of these objects by clicking the View related documents link. Depending on how you have organized your Library, you should normally export entire folders and their contents, not Outline Elements. Otherwise, you risk missing out objects that are not directly linked into the Outline, such as Packages. You also risk having broken links when you (re)import the content object(s).
8. Click on Export. The selected content objects (and all related documents, if you chose that option) are exported to the specified file. While this is being done, a progress indicator is displayed for the object currently being exported, and the overall percentage complete. The export may be very quick, especially if you are only exporting one or two Topics so don’t blink or you’ll miss it. An example of the progress indicator is shown below:

   

9. Once the export is complete, you are returned to the Library.

As the content is exported to a single file, you can easily send the file to another Developer for importing into their UPK Library, save it to CD as a back-up, and so on. How to import content objects is described next.