Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

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whyme
Posts: 89
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:58 am

Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

Post by whyme »

Under Document Type Association > Author > Actions there is a button that allows you to export actions, but not a comparable button to allow you to import them. The current documentation is unclear on how to import actions that have been saved elsewhere.
alex_jitianu
Posts: 1008
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 11:11 am

Re: Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

Post by alex_jitianu »

Hello,

If you already have author actions saved into individual files then you need to put them in one of the 2 places we look for them:
1. {framework_directory}/externalAuthorActions - If there are multiple framework subdirectories inside {framework_directory}, using this path structure will make the actions available to all of them.
2. {framework_directory}/{framework_file_name}_externalAuthorActions - Using this path structure will make the actions only available in the framework stored inside the {framework_file_name} framework file.

I'll review the documentation, to see how we can make things clearer. I'll also add an issue to offer an Import action that will copy the files to one of those locations.

Kind regards,
Alex Jitianu
kmank
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:33 pm

Re: Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

Post by kmank »

I am recently getting into this where I have dozens of custom actions that need to be shared.
I have all the actions exported, but it seems very difficult to find where Oxygen is looking for them. Best I can find when I export a default action is that it ends up in the 'AppData\Local\Temp\OxygenXMLTemp' folder. Copying my exported actions to this location and restarting Oxygen does not show the custom actions as available.
Any help on this is greatly appreciated.
sorin_carbunaru
Posts: 402
Joined: Mon May 09, 2016 9:37 am

Re: Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

Post by sorin_carbunaru »

Hi!

When you try to export an action, Oxygen should take you to the folder where the external actions reside for that framework. My colleague Alex already mentioned the locations in a previous post.

You can also check the location by hovering over the first cell of the row corresponding to an action from the Actions table, in the framework configuration dialog:
image.png
image.png (36.59 KiB) Viewed 482 times
Hope this help.

All the best wishes,
Sorin Carbunaru
Oxygen XML Editor
kmank
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:33 pm

Re: Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

Post by kmank »

I was aware of that - but thanks for pointing it out.
When I go to the folder that is displayed (as in your screencap) and place the exported actions from the other machine there, they do not appear in the actions tab. Even after restarting Oxygen.
One thing: I notice that when I export a standard action, the exported file has the name of the action (underline.xml). When I export a custom action, it has a filename of 'oxy_Type.Defect.xml1387598899875284631.xml'. Is this normal?

Update: after a few times going in and out of Preferences and restarting Oxygen, they seem to be appearing, but kind of like they are trickling in a few at a time. Is there a feature to refresh external storage?
sorin_carbunaru
Posts: 402
Joined: Mon May 09, 2016 9:37 am

Re: Add import button in DTA Author Actions menu

Post by sorin_carbunaru »

Hi!

I just tried exporting an action that I quickly created in a framework using the Oxygen GUI, and the proposed name was correct (the action ID value + the "xml" extension).

I also copied an existing action file in the same location where I had the previous action, and after I restarted Oxygen, the action was loaded without any problems.

By the way, I am using a recent installation of Oxygen XML Editor 26.0. Do you happen to use an older version? Or maybe one that uses a CMS?

Cheers,
Sorin Carbunaru
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