After checking, I have found that ON no longer puts these files into
separate SectionName_onefiles folders. Now it puts them all in a single
folder called OneNoteOfflineCache_Files which you can locate anywhere you
want via the options dialog.
I just realized something that I really, really don't like about this.
ALL files even for closed notebooks are in this folder. If I close a
notebook, .ZIP it up, and move it to an external drive or burn it to a CD
for archival purposes then those files won't be with it! Not only that,
but if I wanted to dig out those files I would have to look at every inch
of every page in the notebook I was wanting to archive and check which
files were icon-linked to it. Then, since the properties for the link
only report the original name of the file (not the numbered copy produced
by OneNote) there is no easy way to determine which copy is the one
associated with that page. This, of course, is too much trouble.
Not only that, but I lied about it making lots of copies. I had only
initially thought it wasn't making extra copies because it had left old
copies in the SectionName_onefiles folder and those weren't multiplying
(because they were being ignored). I just did a test with a simple text
file. Every time I opened and saved a copy it created 2 (yes, TWO)
additional copies of the file. The old version was left with its old
version number and two new copies were saved with the new changes. These
copies are sequentially numbered as if they are different versions. If
you copy the link to another page in OneNote then it will copy the file
two more times. They keep the same base filename but just increment the
sequence of numbers using up two more versions.
All this essentially makes Icon Links utterly worthless! It's a black
hole of continuously multiplying files that hog hard drive space,
can't be reliably indexed or searched, and can't be archived without
untold hours of tedious work.
What the heck were they thinking? I remember mentioning the possibility
of putting all the audio files in one folder as a way to handle the
possibility of people splitting up pages with audio notes attached to
different parts. But I never expected this! An icon-link can only be
associated with one part of a page. There is no real reason to put them
all in one place.
If they don't switch these files back to the _onefiles folders kept with
the sections then they might as well just take the whole thing out
entirely. Now I have to go through all my notebooks and yank out all the
icon links, store the files where I can find them, and insert text links
to the files. I haven't double checked but hopefully they haven't hosed
that up yet.
Also note, this means you can't drag and drop a file onto a page to print
it as a picture in OneNote. This is because it will also create an icon-
link to the page. This will also copy the file to the
OneNoteOfflineCache_Files folder. I guess you could always do it anyway,
delete the icon, then go back and empty that darn
OneNoteOfflineCache_Files folder every once in a while. {Just don't
delete the OneNoteOfflineCache.onecache file itself in the parent
folder.}
Why Oh Why does Microsoft always do this. They fix a technical part of
something only to totally hose up the basic use of the feature so that it
is essentially worthless! It is as if they are just trying to drive us
crazy!
