At 10:25 -0700 23/4/08, Rene Stephenson wrote:

>Yeah, I think it was you, Steve. Maybe this is something I should approach 
>with FrameScript?

Well, I've not used FrameScript, but my feeling is that it would be overkill 
unless you need a high level of automation. All it would save you is the need 
to leaf through the chapters and select, say, Special -> Table of Contents for 
each one. Once FrameMaker has built a chapter-level TOC for you, it remembers 
the TOC settings in the same way as it does for book-level TOCs - or any other 
generated list.

You should do this, of course, *before* generating the book-level lists, 
because an increase in the length of, say, a chapter-level TOC can throw 
pagination forwards.

>What if I built a pre-publication file management book for this project and 
>put all the chapter-level generated files for the various books in it, updated 
>that book, and then updated the publication book with all the update settings 
>turned on? Would that work?

Wow. Er... no :-( But it might be an interesting experiment ;-)

Basically you are taking FrameMaker outside its envelope: it only deals with 
one level of book-level generated files, and you want to add a second level.

If you try what you suggest, ask yourself what you would be trying to achieve 
by updating the book of generated files? That process would only make sense if 
you were generating further files *from* the generated files to go into the 
file management book. It sort of makes my head hurt.

Put another way, FrameMaker cannot create a chapter-level TOC for you unless 
you have that chapter open.

There is probably some useful exploratory work to be done in messing with 
book-level organisation, ur-books and so on, but I don't think it will solve 
this immediate problem.

>I'm trying to cut down on the time required to verify that all the "in this 
>chapter" type of lists are updated. Having to check it manually for every 
>chapter when there are hundreds of pages in each book and dozens of books due 
>at production is just too time-consuming.

Ok, then you have just answered my first point: you would benefit from 
FrameScripting it. I can't help you there, though, but there are folks here who 
can.

According to Art, Rick's already written one, so there you go ;-)

-- 
Steve

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