When you no longer need to use a file in your project, you can remove it from its folder. Keep the following in mind when removing files:
When you remove a file from your project, it is also removed from your authoring system and placed in the Windows Recycle Bin. Once you empty the Recycle Bin, the file is permanently destroyed. For more information, see Restoring deleted files.
You can only remove a single file at a time from any folder in the Project Manager. Use the Topic List to remove multiple topic files (*.HTM) from your project. For details, see Removing topics.
Use the Project Manager to remove topics (.HTM files), text-only topic files (.TXT), map files (.H, .HH), custom windows, build tags, and baggage files (.BMP and .ICO) from your project. Do not use the Windows Explorer to remove project files because all the references to the topic will break, resulting in broken links.
If you remove a topic, all references to it will no longer work. However, the program can automatically remove all references to the topic at the same time it removes the file. When you remove a topic, the program prompts you to select whether or not you want the references removed.
There are consequences involved in removing topics (if the program does not remove all references to it). Hyperlinks in other topics that link to the topic (or any bookmarks it contains) will no longer work. These links can be in the form of clickable text, Related Topics controls, Related Topics controls, image maps, images, multimedia, or popups. All books or pages in the table of contents that are targeted to the topic (or its bookmarks) will no longer work. Any keywords that are associated with the topic will no longer be valid.
Make a backup copy of any file you are unsure of removing beforehand. If you change your mind, you can always import the backup file into your project. This is especially handy if you empty the Recycle Bin and then realize that you need to recover the file.
Print a hard copy of the file on your default printer and keep it handy in case you need to read its content.
Make a backup copy of the .CHM file so you can find the topic and cut and paste its content into your project if necessary.
View and print any pertinent reports before you remove the file. These reports can be especially useful if you need to track down the history of your project to find out what happened to files you think are missing.
You can look up and remove some references to the topic before you remove it. Use the Topic Properties dialog to find and remove keywords and style sheets. Drag the topic into Link View to see the topics that have links to it. From there, you can open the topic and remove links to the topic. (The program can automatically remove all references, so this is not a requirement.)