Path and file names should conform to the requirements listed in §1.1.2 File, directory, and path names, otherwise you risk run-time errors. Additional considerations:
Path separator can be “\” or “/” (except sometimes!)
Paths that contain spaces must be quoted
Most relative paths relate to the project directory
Paths to other applications must be absolute.
Path separator can be “\” or “/” (except sometimes!)
When you specify a file path in a configuration setting, you can use either a backslash “\” or a forward slash “/” as a separator character. A forward slash is preferred, except in the following cases, where you must use a backslash:.
• Windows system commands; see §34.4 Executing operating-system commands
• Windows command parameters; for example, see §35.11 Archiving deliverables.
In FrameMaker dialogs, the backslash has a special meaning that trashes paths beyond recovery. In Windows API calls, forward slashes work fine, because the original Windows programmers compiled Windows on VAX/VMS machines.
Paths that contain spaces must be quoted
If a path contains any spaces, enclose the entire path in quotes. See §1.1.2 File, directory, and path names and §3.1 Checking set-up and conversion requirements.
Most relative paths relate to the project directory
Most path settings in the configuration file can be either relative or absolute; however, file paths you specify via the FrameMaker plug-in (as opposed to a setting in a configuration file) must be absolute.
Relative file paths can make your conversion project portable. Many support issues arise when a project is moved, after which some buried links stop working.
When you specify a relative file path in a configuration setting, the path is relative to the project directory, with the following exceptions:
• [Setup]TemplateFileName is relative to the directory where your FrameMaker source files are located; see .§30.7.1 Specifying conversion-template settings.
• [Automation]ShipPath is relative to the wrap directory; see §35.3 Understanding path values for deliverables.
• [Automation]CopyAfterFrom is relative to the wrap directory; see §35.6.6 Listing extracurricular files to put in the wrap directory.
Paths to other applications must be absolute
File paths to non-Mif2Go executables must be absolute. However, a better way would be to make sure those executables are on your system PATH, so your conversion project is portable.