emergency -- Word problem regarding "nesting too deeply"

["Kim McGarghan" <kmcgarghan -at- nssolutions -dot- com>]

Hi.

I've been revising a huge, ugly, mean technical manual for ages now.
Let me start by saying I've already searched the web, including the
Microsoft knowledge base, and haven't been able to come up with anything
entirely relevant or helpful.

***
I'm revising a 300+ page technical manual.

(1)  The product has *dozens* of menus.

(2)  Nearly every menu can be viewed in an HTTP interface or via
Telnet/console.  Nearly every menu item function is duplicated (i.e., if it
exists in the console options, it will *usually* exist in the web
interface).  The menus and options' names are not identical across the
interfaces ([in part, perhaps] because no one was watching closely before
they hired me!).

(3)  Each menu has a minimum of two screen shots.  Some have as many as
twenty.

(4)  All screen shots have been saved as .jpgs to make them smaller.

(5)  Each menu is now a separate document so that I only have to revise the
item in one place, then link.

(6) Each screen shot is likewise linked to the file / imported AS link.

(7) Each menu is then added to the appropriate chapter of the six chapter
manual.

***

Each menu is presented as follows:

Name of menu
Screen shot .jpg of Telnet/console screen
Caption for same
Screen shot .jpg of web interface, cropped
Caption for same
Introductory paragraph blurb
TABLE:

Telnet/Console option and name
	description of option and screen shot .jpg as needed
		Web interface option and name

Example:

FLORIST MENU

Florist Menu Screen Shot:
Caption:  "Florist Menu Screen, (Telnet/Console)"

Florist Menu Screen Shot:
Caption:  "Flora Screen, Relevant Portion (Web)"

Telnet/console interface:        Description:
Web interface:
<a> Arrange flowers (Tel/Con)    This command allows you to arrange flowers.
Flower Arrangement (WEB)

                                 [Insert graphic here of arranged flowers]



***

You may gather that this is a monster for upkeep, especially since we do
write upgrades.  Now that I'm trying to bring these all together into their
respective chapters, I keep getting a 'files nested too deeply' error.

The closest thing I can find to this error is one involving a known bug with
Word 2000 and mail merges.  It can only be fixed if you have less than 20
link levels.  If I understand them correctly, only five menus with four
links each would disqualify me from using the fix.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can get all the [expletive deleted] files
together in one place without setting this puppy off?

I have tried having the whole manual in one document, and the size is
prohibitive, to say the least.  Even going down to jpgs instead of bmps
didn't save me from having 7M chapters.

I would love to convert to FrameMaker if I were quicker, but I'm under the
usual time crunch.  This revision is already running behind. Any ideas?  I'm
desperate!


"If you care enough, you can have an impact."  Harry Chapin

Kim McGarghan
Senior Technical Writer
Network Storage Solutions, Inc.
14020 Thunderbolt Place, Suite 500
Chantilly, VA  20151
(703) 834-2234 (work)
(703) 834-2221 (fax)
mailto:kmcgarghan -at- nssolutions -dot- com
http://www.nssolutions.com





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