Sorry, I'm a bit confused - probably as a result of travelling alot yesterday, getting home late and being extremely tired today.
Are you proposing to change Writer so that you can incorporate something similar to the way Framemaker applies Master Documents to a Page Layout design and the Book features that Framemaker has, so you can add files and then generate an automatic TOC and control your numbering, cross referencing, etc centrally? Then from that to build an onscreen tutorial to tell people how to use that functionality? Don't forget though that alot of the tweaking especially when Framemaker builds books is done in the Reference Page, where the format for the TOC, Index, any other things you use regularly in the document are defined. Scripts are added there too. Writers can also use the Reference page as a dumping ground. Claire On 3 March 2010 17:01, Gary Schnabl <gschn...@swdetroit.com> wrote: > On 3/2/2010 7:54 PM, Jean Hollis Weber wrote: > >> Gary Schnabl wrote: >> >>> A tutorial I would like to see would be a definitive, detailed guide for >>> employing Writer with master documents for creating books and such. Master >>> documents is a major area where Writer compares unfavorably with Adobe >>> FrameMaker. Having a solid tutorial with master documents, possibly with >>> macros, user source files, and sample templates added would be a nice >>> addition. Such a tutorial would need to employ much of the functions that >>> OOo has. >>> >>> If any writer or team of writers and editors wants to author/edit such a >>> tutorial, I would volunteer as its lead technical editor. >>> >> >> Gary, I'm glad you've raised this topic again, as it's something I would >> also like to see us provide, to expand upon and supplement the Master Docs >> chapter in the Writer Guide (which I am in the process of updating). >> Unfortunately, I never have any time to actually contribute to the effort, >> so I hope some others may come forward to work on it. >> >> --Jean >> > > What I had in mind was essentially employing the actual published OOo > chapter files (after being reformulated with a revised (book or whatever) > chapter template as subdocuments for this master-document (bookmaking) > tutorial. That way, the subdocuments would be already available AND be > reusable at a later date after they get revised for future OOo versions. > > The resulting product would then be the entire (printable book) guide: > Getting Started, Writer Guide, Calc Guide, etc. The subdocuments would then > be continually available and updated, along with anything new that got added > along the way. Then, only a small portion of the tutorial itself would need > updating in order to make it also current with future OOo versions > afterwards. > > The tutorial could actually become a standalone manual for creating "books" > with OOo. So, the tutorial would be deemed to serve as an internal > representation using both front-end and back-end "programming." The > front-end is anything specifically related to the specific subdocuments used > for the resulting document, and its back end would deal with the actual > physical output:--a PDF to be sent to a commercial printer or, perhaps, an > ebook formatted for a Kindle or an iPad. > > Anyway, if any writers, reviewers, and editors want to undertake this > project, I could serve as the technical-editor glue that keeps the project > on course. > > > Gary > -- > > Gary Schnabl > Southwest Detroit, two miles NORTH! of Canada--Windsor, that is... > > Technical Editor forum > <http://TechnicalEditor.FreeForums.org<http://technicaleditor.freeforums.org/> > > > > LinkedIn profile <http://www.linkedin.com/in/garyschnabl> > > Elance profile < > http://www.elance.com/php/profile/main/eolproviderprofile.php?userid=1892120&catid=100&edit=true&from=myelance > > > > -- Best wishes Claire Wood
