On Tuesday 29 April 2008 09:00, you wrote: > Steve Litt wrote: > > My LyX file keeps reverting to a blank document class. I have a feeling > > it's something in my \frontmatter, but can't be sure. Basically, any time > > I do anything involving Document->settings, my custom document class goes > > away. > > This puzzles me. Your document class shouldn't change unless (a) you > select a new class or (b) the document class is one that is unknown to > LyX. But of course (b) shouldn't happen except when you open the > document, and (a) isn't something likely to happen accidentally unless > you're doing something with accelerators.
I've had a little sleep now so perhaps I can think better. I believe I had been editing my layout file when it first happened. > > But I've done a little experimenting, and here's one way this can > happen. First, you have to be using a "local" layout file, that is, a > layout file that is not in your LyX user directory but instead in the > directory with the source file. I'm using a layout file in the source file directory. However, there's a symlink to a the same name in /home/slitt/.lyx/layouts. However, around that time I was editing TWO DIFFERENT documents using that same layout -- one tiny one with just the front matter in order to fine-tune my front matter, and one with incomplete front matter but a whole 11 chapters plus appendix. I needed to work with the small file to eliminate 12 second compiles. In addition, I was editing another document that used a different layout and resided in a different directory. The purpose was that it was a completed, perfectly formatted book from which I could copy, and then paste to my new book. I'm not sure, but I think the current directory while editing the completed book might have been the directory housing the NEW book. I tried very hard, and I think succeeded, from saving the completed book. The errors I found were on the new book. One more thing that might provide a hint. At least some of the times I observed this automatic switching away from my custom document class, when I scanned the list of available document classes to "put it back", my custom document class was listed twice in the document class. This document class switching is intermittent, and while I can't say for sure a correspondence between it appearing twice and it evaporating, I cannot remember a time it disappeared when it was not listed twice, and I cannot remember a time when it did not disappear when it was listed twice. > Second, you have to "Save as..." to some > other directory. If you then open Document>Settings, all will seem well > until you hit OK (or Apply), at which point... > > > There's a little warning, but nothing that says DANGER, YOUR SOURCE FILE > > HAS JUST LOST EVERY CUSTOM ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS CHAPTERS, AND IF YOU > > SAVE IT IT WILL COST YOU HOURS OF WORK. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, ABORT THIS > > LYX SESSION WITHOUT SAVING AND RESUME FROM A BACKUP!!!!! > > ...you'll get the warning: Using default document class because class > YourLocalLayout is unknown. But you should also get a window labeled > Parse Errors, showing you the dozens of layouts that have changed. (You > can even click on these, and you'll be taken to them.) I don't know if > that is what is causing your problem, but it is a bug, to be sure. I got the parse errors, but IIRC I didn't get any other errror message. > > Are you using a local layout? etc? Yes, but there's a symlink name to it in /home/slitt/.lyx/layouts. > Is that the error you are getting? > Are you getting the Parse Errors window? I got the parse error window. There were about 8 cryptic errors. Steve Litt Author: Universal Troubleshooting Process books and courseware http://www.troubleshooters.com/
