Teri,
In your first paragraph, you describe an issue with linked media that is modified and in your first question you talk about an issue with linked media location.
Your source control solution is likely modifying the linked media’s timestamp. InDesign sees a “new version” based upon the time stamp and provides you with a warning. You may want to look into options to preserve file timestamps.
Answer 1
InDesign looks for linked media in the following three locations and order:
1. In the last location the media was linked
2. In the “Links” folder with the InDesign file
3. in any subfolder of the folder containing the
There is a preference under File Handling called “Default Relink Folder”. You can choose from:
Most Recent Relink Folder – This is the default.
Original Link Folder – This looks in the original location from when the link was placed. I have not checked; however, I don’t believe that InDesign will still more than one link location. It is likely that it would be dependent on the current setting at the time the file was produced (i.e., you may not be able to select this option and then expect it to find the original location of the file.)
Answer 2
As I mentioned above. It is likely an issue with how your source control handles file timestamp. Look for options on how Perforce stores files. You may find an option to preserve file timestamps. This would likely correct your issue.
Answer 3
I would look into the fixing the issue through timestamp preservation. My workflow generally contains unique file names. If you do not believe that similar but different content will ever share the same filename, updating shouldn’t be an issue. You can update all of them at once through the links panel.
Depending on the situation, I use both linked and embedded solutions for collaborative environments. In deadline driven environments where every minute counts, I prefer linked documents and the use of InDesign books to break up sections. In less time-sensative projects, I go with embedded. As you know, a large InDesign document with embedded media can be sizable. If I have someone update even some minor text within a large document, I then have to wait for the entire document to sync back to the cloud and eventually back down to my machine. Keeping clean InDesign documents, breaking sections into separate InDesign documents using the books pallet, and linked media ensures a lightweight.
Again, preservation of file timesstamps should be your first choice. Let us know if that works or what your solution is.
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