Finding orphan files
Use the Find Orphan Files command to search a local site or folder for “orphan” documents or resource files. An orphan document is one to which no other document in the same site has links. Similarly, an orphan resource file (such as an image) is one that is not used by any document in the site. The presence of orphan files can indicate a problem; for example, you may have renamed a document but neglected to update links pointing to it in other documents. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check for orphan files before publishing a site.
If you have created a site using the Site Wizard, the Find Orphan Files command may find several orphan image and other resource files even if you have not changed or removed any links in the site. This is normal and is not a cause for concern.
To find orphan files in the current local site
- Do one of the following:
- On the Tools menu in the main window, click Find Orphan Files in the Search section.
- On the Tools menu in the Site Manager window, click Find Orphan Files.
- Click site, and then click Find.
Any orphan files in the current local site will be listed in the result box at the bottom of the Find Orphan Files window. You can open a document in the list by double-clicking its file name.
To find orphan files in a specific folder
- Do one of the following:
- On the Tools menu in the main window, click Find Orphan Files in the Search section.
- On the Tools menu in the Site Manager window, click Find Orphan Files.
- Click Folder, and then enter the path of the desired folder in the box. You can click Browse to locate and select a folder, or click the triangle to choose from a list of recently searched folders.
- If you want to include subfolders of the specified folder in the search, click Include subfolders.
- Click Find.
Any orphan files in the specified folder will be listed in the result box at the bottom of the Find Orphan Files window. You can open a document in the list by double-clicking its file name.