LinkBack doesn't link back to original file
 

I'm an IA, and I've been trying to develop a system whereby I can develop wireframes in one OmniGraffle document, then paste these into our documentation template in another OmniGraffle document.

I've been doing this by exporting the wireframe doc as .png files, which works but is time consuming. LinkBack looks like what I want, but doesn't seem to quite work right. Here's what's happening —
[LIST=1][*]I go to a wireframe canvas and select all[*]I use copy-as-pdf from the edit menu[*]I go the deliverable doc, and paste[*]I double-click on the PDF object in the deliverable doc[*]It opens for editing in a [B]new[/B] OG window[*]I make changes, and save[*]The object updates in the deliverable document, but not in the original wireframe doc[/LIST]
I was really hoping that editing the LinkBack object would mean I was editing the original wireframe in the wireframes doc, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Is this how LinkBack should work? Am I doing something wrong?

LinkBack doesn't go back to the originating document, it just stores enough Graffle-specific information so you can edit it on the fly without needing the original document.

So, this is how it should be working.

LinkBack doesn't link back to original file
 

It would be a great feature enhancement to have what Jackson describes. Any chance that this makes the product backlog? I know lots of Information Architects that would love OmniGraffle to work in this way.

bv

My understanding is that linkback isn't an omni product, it's another beast entirely.

You'd have to talk to the LinkBack folks

-- Morgan

That kind of linking (effectively "live linking") has a lot of challenges. The immediate ones come down to an issue of document ownership. With LinkBack, the embedded object _belongs_ to the parent document, so we don't have to worry about it getting moved or deleted, or getting notifications when it is edited. There are also huge challenges with that kind of system when the originating document is copied - what should the embedded version reflect? Usually the original, but sometimes the user is really intended to hand off ownership to someone else - the distinction isn't always apparent to end users who simply know that their document doesn't work.

I'm not going to claim that it won't happen, but it's a huge challenge. Several previous platform-supported solutions have gone by the way in the past (for instance, OS 7's Publish & Subscribe and NeXTSTEP's dynamic data links).

And yes, any other applications have to add explicit support for allowing their content to be embedded elsewhere, which is why LinkBack doesn't work with just any source applications. The LinkBack source is freely available (and that's how people embed it in their apps), but that architecture would have to be extended and you would have to get other developers to adopt it if you want to have this capability across multiple applications.

This is the reason i moved to illustrator + indesign;

I can have master design in different file, and export all the states and screens as individual files.
Then i can link the individual files to various other documents; concept docs, visual design docs, functional prototypes.
If a icthy bitchy detail changes, I just re-export and relink files, which should take a few second instead of several hours.

This allows me to have on 'Master design' file, and different files for different communication needs.

I'd love to see ability to link files instead of embedding them, I might get back to graffle.

Linkbacks within Omnigraffle won't update
 

Hi, I think my problem is related to this thread.

I'm trying to create master objects within an Omnigraffle document. I select the shapes and "copy as pdf" and then paste it to create multiple instances.

I can then double click to edit and it opens in a new window. However, when I close it, it prompts me to save it as a whole new Omnigraffle. If I do this, it doesn't update the instances of my object on my main canvas.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong, or what's going on?

Cheers
Nik

[QUOTE=nikolai_evans;92871]Hi, I think my problem is related to this thread.

I'm trying to create master objects within an Omnigraffle document. I select the shapes and "copy as pdf" and then paste it to create multiple instances.

I can then double click to edit and it opens in a new window. However, when I close it, it prompts me to save it as a whole new Omnigraffle. If I do this, it doesn't update the instances of my object on my main canvas.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong, or what's going on?

Cheers
Nik[/QUOTE]


Ignore me! As soon as I posted I tried saving before closing the window and that worked! I'll get my coat...