An even slicker way to document customized master pages is to put the explanatory text right in the master page because I think few people would ever think to prowl through the reference pages for this kind of information. The body text frame on the master page is nothing more than a placeholder, and any content that you place inside that frame will never show up on the body pages. This provides a very convenient place to self-document each custom master page.
Fred Ridder >From: Steve Rickaby <srickaby at wordmongers.demon.co.uk> >To: framers at FrameUsers.com >Subject: Foxy stuff on master pages >Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 10:06:02 +0100 > >Hi Framers > >In off-group discussions with Angela and others, it's become only too clear >that it's possible to create clever stuff on master pages that is obvious >to its designer but to no-one else ;-) For example, the auto thumbtabs >stuff which came up recently on the group, or anything that involves a >template with complex frames on master pages. Because this often involves >overlaying transparent objects, it can create a maintenance headache for >whoever comes afterwards, as recently witnessed by someone on the group who >had to get an expert to fox out how their template was working [that was a >thumbtabs thing]. It's real important therefore to document how the >template works, if only in a few lines. > >In the case I'm discussing with Angela, switchable page backgrounds, when >the technique is working there are multiple conditionalised anchored frames >on a master page, all the same size, all overlaying each other, and with >their boundaries and anchors nudged outside the displayed area to create >the required crop margins. That sort of thing would be enough to fox >anyone. > >A way to ensure that the description travels around with the template is to >add one or more extra reference pages called 'Notes' or somesuch, and put a >brief potted description of how the template - or it's more foxy features - >operates there. That way the 'docs' can only be lost if someone >deliberately deletes the relevant reference page(s). > >When massing with multiple frames on master pages, it's a lot easier to see >what's going on if you give the various frames a temporary - and different >- fill pattern and/or colored border. When you've finished dickering with >them, you can use the Find > anchored frame feature to select them one by >one and remove the decorations. I use this when building frames for moving >thumbtabs to get the stacking order for the various frames correct. > >Hope this helps someone. > >-- >Steve _________________________________________________________________ Learn.Laugh.Share. Reallivemoms is right place! http://www.reallivemoms.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM&loc=us