Each field in the document is linked to the source data using a combination of:
- The name of the data source
- The name of the field
- The record’s key field value
Therefore, if the fields are no longer showing as linked (or updating with new data) then almost certainly one or more of these have changed.
The most common cause of this problem is due to a different data source being used to the one that was originally used to create the document. If this is the case, then try the ‘Adopt Fields’ menu option: providing the key fields and field names are the same as the original data source, the Adopt Fields function will relink the fields on the document to the new data source (it’s advisable to back-up the document first). The Adopt Fields function can adopts field on the current document layer (the one with the pen icon next to it in the Layers panel), or all layers in the document.
If that doesn’t work use the “Report->Document Report” menu option, which will show the data source name, field name and key field values for each of the links in the document. To keep the size of the report down it’s probably worthwhile copying a few of the links to a new, empty, document and then reporting on that new document. Based on the contents of this report, a data source would need to be created using the name shown in the report, ensuring the key fields that are selected and the field names in your source data are also the same as those shown in the report.
During the normal operation of EasyCatalog, it’s often unnecessary to create new data sources — existing data sources will be listed on the File->New EasyCatalog Panel menu and can be opened from there. If a new data source needs to be created, ensure that its name, key fields used and field names are the same as the original data source.