RE: Real Life Migration to Structured Doc
I generally have to agree with what is written below, but I have to take a minor exception on (a) regarding 'the line that you can do it with DITA or DocBook'. Out of the box does a good job, but unfortunately the 'good job' is at scaring people away. That being said, I'll have a freebie of a pretty good DITA lite template with documentation and more for the world at large in a week or so. I'm literally waiting on a few scripts, a test and some docs and then it's ready. Sure I've needed some updates to the software and I'm pushing Frame in directions it doesn't normally like to go, but in the end I'll have something that works in 7.2 and does 99% in 7.1 as well. It's going to be distributed via my website and updates will continue to be rolled out. It does use some inexpensive third party software and is a subset, but it's pretty solid. The exception I have is that you need to consider what you are willing to adapt in your content as well. Just because it has 'always been written that way' doesn't mean you have to stick with it. Sometimes it's worth sacrificing or changing things to save time/money on your deliverable. If you can manage to use a DITA standard then you are in luck later when changes are needed or third party tools have to be invoked. I'm off to a client site, but I'll post more info on the DITA lite template set soon. I'll happily offer to provide an online venue where I can show it in use if people are interested. Email off list if you would like to have me present a 'how to use the template' session in a live online video presentation. If so I'll email you more info and, if there seems to be enough interest (say over 20 emails to me) I'll send a quick note to the list. Bernard Bernard Aschwanden Publishing Technologies Expert Publishing Smarter [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.publishingsmarter.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marcus Carr Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 6:12 PM To: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: RE: Real Life Migration to Structured Doc Dominick A. DeFlorio wrote: We must move to structure to meet our future XML goal, but are unfamiliar with both the transition and method to do so. We are also unfamiliar with the possibilities and cost involved. We are merely looking at all of the possibilities and the long term value for our dollar. Here's how I'd do it: a) Design the structure - if you aren't experienced, don't do it yourself and don't buy the line that you can do it with DITA or DocBook. Get a professional to do proper analysis and design, including documentation about how to use the DTD or schema. This is a critical step - don't scrimp here. b) Save all of your data out of FrameMaker as XML - don't use FrameMaker as a migration tool because if your structure evolves based on infrequent cases, you'll end up spending too much time trying to re-baseline your dataset. c) Use XSLT to convert from XML to your target structure - if you find that you need to make changes, make them and re-run the whole dataset, so you can be certain that all documents are consistently handled. Get help with this if you're not experienced, otherwise you'll get in a mess. Be prepared to also make changes to the data manually - the alternative is to loosen the structure in the DTD or schema, but that's a last resort. Make the data consistent, and be ruthless about it. While you're at it, learn not to be scared to work with native XML - angle brackets don't bite. d) Build the FrameMaker application - concentrate your own efforts on the part of the process that you're most familiar with and learn the parts that will give you the most benefit. e) Train your users - give them as little information about XML as you can get away with. All they need to know is that there's a mechanism in the background that ensures that the documents are structured consistently with the rest of the dataset. Items a) and c) will cost you money, but it's well spent. Do it properly from the start and you'll only do it once - try to do it on the cheap and you can spend the money next time around. I've seen it more times than I could count in the 15 years that I've been involved with SGML and XML conversions. Plenty of very bright people have tried to migrate to structure on the cheap - so many smart faces, so much egg. -- Regards, Marcus Carr email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Allette Systems (Australia) www:http://www.allette.com.au ___ Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. - Einstein ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit
FrameScript commands in Structured FM
Hi Framers,
I have a lot of unstructured docs and I have conversion table to convert
them to structured files.
I wrote a FrameScript, but there are two points that I would like to improve
on this, and I did not find any commands for these in the FrameScript
references:
1. To get the conversion table, I only can do the Execute FC MenuCommand
('SGStructureCurrentDoc') which brings me the window and then I have to
press OK.
Is there a direct command that just does with specifying the file name?
Similar to importing EDDs or regular templates.
2. Then when the conversion is done I see the structured view and I have to
visually look at it to see if the structure is valid. If there are elements
in red color, then I know that it is not valid, otherwise, yes.
I did not find any command for this.
Is there a command that can say whether the structure is valid or not? Like
a document property that is true or false?
Best, Greg
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 2/14/2005
___
You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or visit
http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com
Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit
http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
The Real Life Migration to Stuctured Doc thread got me thinking. What is better? A custom schema or one the standards such as Docbook or DITA. I've often thought that if one knows how to create a schema (and the resulting EDD, DTD, XSD, etc.) you're better off creating your own, especially since Docbook and, to a lesser extent, DITA would need to be customized to realize the true potential of XML. I'm curious as to what others think about this. --- Mike Feimster IDD Technical Analyst ACS Technologies 180 N. Dunbarton Drive Florence, SC 29501 p / 843.413.8122 f / 843.413.8122 e / [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
The main advantages to using one of the standard schemas: 1) It has been developed and used by others so it has the benefit of being tested and proven with actual documentation. 2) Even if it needs to be customized, you have a head-start in the development process. 3) If there is already an EDD, etc., for the standard, you can try it out before spending a lot of time or money. 4) There will be other users and developers that you can solicit for help and advice. 5) There may be existing tools (templates, XSLT stylesheets, etc.) that you can use in your environment. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com The Real Life Migration to Stuctured Doc thread got me thinking. What is better? A custom schema or one the standards such as Docbook or DITA. I've often thought that if one knows how to create a schema (and the resulting EDD, DTD, XSD, etc.) you're better off creating your own, especially since Docbook and, to a lesser extent, DITA would need to be customized to realize the true potential of XML. I'm curious as to what others think about this. --- Mike Feimster IDD Technical Analyst ACS Technologies 180 N. Dunbarton Drive Florence, SC 29501 p / 843.413.8122 f / 843.413.8122 e / [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
FM and Intel Macs
For those few Mac people are still on the list, FM got mentioned as one reason not to upgrade to Intel in a Wired story: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70086-0.html Always nice to be thought of ;) ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Cannot invoke OLE server?
Hi there! Anybody have a fix for broken OLEs, or have any idea what's causing the problem? When I right-click the Visio image in .fm, it apparently recognizes it as a Visio Object, but selecting Edit or Open results in the dreaded Cannot invoke OLE server dialog. I tried EditLinks but options in the EditLinks dialog are grayed-out darn it (they're also grayed-out in the original .fm, whose OLE2s do work -- I'm seeking an easy solution vs. re-importing, copy/pasting from the working .fm, etc. I've got a lot of files to process). In the broken-OLE2 .fm, Object Properties do indicate OLE2 -- I'm hoping the OLE2s are actually there and (given a miracle solution) launchable. I tried EditUpdate References (OLE Links Marked for Manual Update), producing no errors. FYI the Visio images were originally imported (FileImportObjectCreate from file, Link UNchecked) w/the intention of fully embedding -- NOT linking by reference. The files aren't on a network drive, but get checked out of Documentum by various users. My guess is that there's a subtle problem such as Visio version incompatibility (e.g., a user w/a previous version of Visio opened the .fm, modified the .vsd, saved, causing a disconnect of some type). Advice welcome :) FrameMaker v7.1 Visio Pro 2003 SPS 2 ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
Hi Michael, Good points, well taken. Thanks. Rick I agree with Rick's points. But there are situations where it might not be worth the effort digging deep in the available material for a so-called standard, when -- in the end -- the customized solution still needs non-standard modifications. As an example: DocBook comes with many more elements than you will likely use and the available XSL transformations deal with almost all of them. During all your initial setup work and all maintenance steps you will somehow have to deal with a lot of stuff you never use. I learned that the maintenance effort is somehow proportional to the number of elements and attributes in a DTD. So from my point of view it is a good idea to start with a DTD/Schema as simple as possible. If you add elements or attributes during your testing phase you do not invalidate existing documents. A good example of such a minimalistic approach is the DocFrame environment created by Scriptorium Publ. IMO it is a perfect head-start for FrameMaker users. http://scriptorium.com/docframe/ If you need/want to be compatible with some other structure later on, you can create an XSL stylesheet to take care of that compatibility. - Michael ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Cannot invoke OLE server?
Michael, I second Rick's opinion: Import by Reference is the way to go. I've had good results saving PowerPoint slides as *.wmf. Visio also saves in that format. Unfortunately I had to save a native format version of the graphic as well as the *.wmf in another folder for Frame Import. Glenn -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rick Quatro Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 10:18 To: Kellogg, Michael; framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Cannot invoke OLE server? Hi Michael, This is probably not the advice you wanted, but I would discourage you from using OLE objects in FrameMaker. The safest, most-reliable approach is to save your Visio images in a graphic format and import the graphic by reference into FrameMaker. I am not familiar with Visio, so I can't suggest a graphic format, but perhaps you can use EPS or PDF. OLE objects have the same disadvantage as graphics imported by copy: when something goes wrong with the graphics, the only solution is to reimport them. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hi there! Anybody have a fix for broken OLEs, or have any idea what's causing the problem? When I right-click the Visio image in .fm, it apparently recognizes it as a Visio Object, but selecting Edit or Open results in the dreaded Cannot invoke OLE server dialog. I tried EditLinks but options in the EditLinks dialog are grayed-out darn it (they're also grayed-out in the original .fm, whose OLE2s do work -- I'm seeking an easy solution vs. re-importing, copy/pasting from the working .fm, etc. I've got a lot of files to process). In the broken-OLE2 .fm, Object Properties do indicate OLE2 -- I'm hoping the OLE2s are actually there and (given a miracle solution) launchable. I tried EditUpdate References (OLE Links Marked for Manual Update), producing no errors. FYI the Visio images were originally imported (FileImportObjectCreate from file, Link UNchecked) w/the intention of fully embedding -- NOT linking by reference. The files aren't on a network drive, but get checked out of Documentum by various users. My guess is that there's a subtle problem such as Visio version incompatibility (e.g., a user w/a previous version of Visio opened the .fm, modified the .vsd, saved, causing a disconnect of some type). Advice welcome :) FrameMaker v7.1 Visio Pro 2003 SPS 2 ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/glenn.voyles%40mitch ell.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Importing Visio drawings into FM (was RE: Cannot invoke OLE server?)
Andrew Becraft wrote: Rick Quatro wrote: I am not familiar with Visio, so I can't suggest a graphic format, but perhaps you can use EPS or PDF. I've never had good luck with embedding my Visio diagrams as OLE objects. I've generally used WMF, but sometimes Visio refuses to save as WMF and I have to use EMF or EPS instead. Older versions of Visio had some notoriously bad export filters, especially for EPS. I don't know about Visio 2003's filters. I've only been using it a few months, and I don't export graphics files from it. I use -- and strongly recommend -- PDF. When I upgraded to Acrobat 7, it found Visio (along with other Office applications) and integrated itself -- adding a menu with PDF create and config commands, buttons to create PDFs, etc. It works flawlessly and lets me create multipage PDFs from my multipage drawings (I have some Visio files with a dozen or more pages each). Then, in FM, I choose the PDF from which to import (by ref, of course) and the specific page. In no time at all, I imported about four dozen flow diagrams from five different PDFs created from multipage Visio files. Now that they're in FM, when I change a drawing, I just click a button to recreate the PDF (overwriting the existing one), and my FM file is updated. You need Acro 7 to get the Visio integration (and, I believe, Visio 2003 or 2002). You can do the same workflow with earlier versions, but it requires printing to Distiller -- not quite as effortless, and you don't have some of the advanced options, such as maintaining layers, links, and metadata. HTH! Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Cannot invoke OLE server?
At 10:35 AM 2/1/2006, Andrew Becraft wrote:
I've never had good luck with embedding my Visio diagrams as OLE objects.
I don't have all that many Visio drawings in my doc set, but it's worked
for me for 3 years to use OLE linking for them. It may not be as solid as
saiving the drawings to EPS or PDF, but it saves me a step, and as long as
it isn't broke, I don't want to take the time to fix it.
martha
--
Martha Jane {Kolman | Davidson}
Dances With Words
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Too many words bring about exhaustion.
--Tao Te Ching, Chapter 5 (translated by Sheets/Tovey)
___
You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or visit
http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com
Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit
http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Interchange vs Analysis
Bernard wrote: I generally have to agree with what is written below, but I have to take a minor exception on (a) regarding 'the line that you can do it with DITA or DocBook'. Out of the box does a good job, but unfortunately the 'good job' is at scaring people away. I consider DITA to be an interchange format. If two organisations can figure out how to convert their own structure to and from DITA, they can freely exchange data. Add five more organisations and impose the same requirement on them and everyone can exchange data, whereas in the past, each organisation would have to code the conversion for all of their data partners. This is very powerful and very useful, but it doesn't replace the structure that the organisations use on their own side. The long and short of it is that saying our data can be characterised by nested blocks is not a replacement for analysis of a dataset. The more generic the structure you use, the less representative it is of your particular dataset. The more you customise the generic structure, the less interoperable it is with tools and the less you're able to interchange meaningfully with partners who require your data anyway. Proper analysis and structure design should be a selfish exercise. You can always develop an interchange strategy down the track - all you're ever going to have to do is map your structure into something that someone else can use. First priority is to develop a structure that satisfies your own needs, not those with whom you intend to trade data. DITA is fine, but it frequently gets mispositioned, IMHO. I do try to scare people away from misusing it - that's true... ;-) Marcus ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: FM and Intel Macs
On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:22:54 -0500, Raman Pfaff [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For those few Mac people are still on the list, FM got mentioned as one reason not to upgrade to Intel in a Wired story: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70086-0.html Always nice to be thought of ;) And for those Mac users running Frame under Virtual PC... that won't work any more on the Intel Macs: http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=macIntelQA -- Jeremy H. Griffith, at Omni Systems Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.omsys.com/ ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Interchange vs. Analysis
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I consider DITA to be an interchange format. If two organisations can figure out how to convert their own structure to and from DITA, they can freely exchange data. Add five more organisations and impose the same requirement on them and everyone can exchange data, whereas in the past, each organisation would have to code the conversion for all of their data partners. This is very powerful and very useful, but it doesn't replace the structure that the organisations use on their own side. === I agree completely. The schema should be defined by the database/CMS requirements that a particular enterprise has developed to reflect its business model, not by the content creators, whose job it is to produce documents which can be parsed on the XML side into their constituent components for storage in accordance with the database schema. That requirement pertains also to the metadata (attributes) needed to manage the content, including those attributes which enable content to be selectively retrieved from the database in response to a user query. In many documentation systems (ATA, statutory, regulatory, et al), the principal method which users employ to retrieve the information thay desire is an unique number (or numbers) associated with the content of interest. That means there must be attributes which which carry this informaton, and those attributes must not only be used for retrieval, but also to apply the full and correct numbers to the extracted content. In other words autonumbering such as that used in FrameMaker cannot be used to produce the correct number when a piece of of a document is retrieved. But the problem with using something like DITA for information interchange is that it is unlikely the metadata defined by DITA will match the metadata in the enterprise's database schema. Dan Emory Associates FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design Database Publishing DW Emory [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
FrameScript commands in Structured FM
Hi Framers,
I have a lot of unstructured docs and I have conversion table to convert
them to structured files.
I wrote a FrameScript, but there are two points that I would like to improve
on this, and I did not find any commands for these in the FrameScript
references:
1. To get the conversion table, I only can do the Execute FC MenuCommand
('SGStructureCurrentDoc') which brings me the window and then I have to
press OK.
Is there a direct command that just does with specifying the file name?
Similar to importing EDDs or regular templates.
2. Then when the conversion is done I see the structured view and I have to
visually look at it to see if the structure is valid. If there are elements
in red color, then I know that it is not valid, otherwise, yes.
I did not find any command for this.
Is there a command that can say whether the structure is valid or not? Like
a document property that is true or false?
Best, Greg
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 2/14/2005
Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
The "Real Life" Migration to Stuctured Doc thread got me thinking. What is better? A custom schema or one the "standards" such as Docbook or DITA. I've often thought that if one knows how to create a schema (and the resulting EDD, DTD, XSD, etc.) you're better off creating your own, especially since Docbook and, to a lesser extent, DITA would need to be customized to realize the true potential of XML. I'm curious as to what others think about this. --- Mike Feimster IDD Technical Analyst ACS Technologies 180 N. Dunbarton Drive Florence, SC 29501 p / 843.413.8122 f / 843.413.8122 e / mike.feimster at acstechnologies.com
Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
The main advantages to using one of the standard schemas: 1) It has been developed and used by others so it has the benefit of being tested and "proven" with actual documentation. 2) Even if it needs to be customized, you have a head-start in the development process. 3) If there is already an EDD, etc., for the standard, you can try it out before spending a lot of time or money. 4) There will be other users and developers that you can solicit for help and advice. 5) There may be existing tools (templates, XSLT stylesheets, etc.) that you can use in your environment. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > The "Real Life" Migration to Stuctured Doc thread got me thinking. What is > better? A custom schema or one the "standards" such as Docbook or DITA. > > I've often thought that if one knows how to create a schema (and the > resulting EDD, DTD, XSD, etc.) you're better off creating your own, > especially since Docbook and, to a lesser extent, DITA would need to be > customized to realize the true potential of XML. > > I'm curious as to what others think about this. > > --- > Mike Feimster > IDD Technical Analyst > > ACS Technologies > 180 N. Dunbarton Drive > Florence, SC 29501 > p / 843.413.8122 > f / 843.413.8122 > e / mike.feimster at acstechnologies.com
Book Title / Variables / Utilities
You could also try this... (Seen today on Slashdot) URL: http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/01/137202=rss The Optimus Mini Keyboard Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday February 01, @08:53AM from the now-isn't-that-cute dept. Zugok writes "We all remember the Optimus Keyboard [http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/] from last year. Now Art Lebedev and his team have designed the Optimus Mini Three keyboard [http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/] . The 'Mini Three' builds on the idea of those extraneous keys on modern Logitech and Microsoft Keyboards but like the Optimus Keyboard utilises OLED technology for visual customisation of keys. This is not vapourware, pre-orders [http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/answers/] are being take now with a cut price until April 2nd. This is just a step closer to the Optimus Keyboard. They also have a mailing list [http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/subscription/] for those who want to keep up with developments of the Optimus Keyboard. Happy salivating!" This is a far cry from the full keyboard, but it's still pretty nifty. Assuming it actually does ship. -Original Message- From: framers-bounces+grant.hogarth=reuters@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+grant.hogarth=reuters.com at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of John Posada Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 2:12 PM To: framers at lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Carrying the Title of a Book forward [was Variables] --- Scott Prentice wrote: > You might want to check out BookVars .. it may provide what you're > looking for .. > http://www.leximation.com/tools/info/bookvars.php Hi, guys...I donwloaded the 30 day trial of this pluggin and have been applying it against four books before I let it loose on my 14 books. The thing with these four books is that each book has one or more files that also appear in other books and every file has at least a book name variable in the header. Gotta admit...it works. The only setup I perform is the first time I open a book, I need to create an INI file (menu driven) that applies to that book, open the INI in a text editor and define the BookTitle (and any other) variable. Then, each subsequent time I open the book, I run Pub-Tools->BookVars->ImportVariables. All variables are updated. Takes about 10 seconds. Scott...wanna make it 5 seconds? Assign a user-definable Hot-key sequence to the ImportVariables menu option. Open the book, press keys, updated. I like itOh, and by the way...he includes active URLs in his emails. :-) John Posada Senior Technical Writer "So long and thanks for all the fish."
Dictionaries ? - Where to report Framemaker Bugs, Issues, Requests
Hello I am missing an updated version of the German dictionaries (spelling, hyphenation,..) Where can I find it ? I expected to find an indicator on the adobe website, however did not. How do I report Framemaker 7.2 bugs/issues and feature requests ? Thanks Valerie Nyre
Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
I agree with Rick's points. But there are situations where it might not be worth the effort digging deep in the available material for a so-called standard, when -- in the end -- the customized solution still needs non-standard modifications. As an example: DocBook comes with many more elements than you will likely use and the available XSL transformations deal with almost all of them. During all your initial setup work and all maintenance steps you will somehow have to deal with a lot of stuff you never use. I learned that the maintenance effort is somehow proportional to the number of elements and attributes in a DTD. So from my point of view it is a good idea to start with a DTD/Schema as simple as possible. If you add elements or attributes during your testing phase you do not invalidate existing documents. A good example of such a minimalistic approach is the DocFrame environment created by Scriptorium Publ. IMO it is a perfect head-start for FrameMaker users. http://scriptorium.com/docframe/ If you need/want to be compatible with some other structure later on, you can create an XSL stylesheet to take care of that compatibility. - Michael On 01.02.2006 14:58, Rick Quatro schrieb/wrote: > The main advantages to using one of the standard schemas: > > 1) It has been developed and used by others so it has the benefit of > being tested and "proven" with actual documentation. > > 2) Even if it needs to be customized, you have a head-start in the > development process. > > 3) If there is already an EDD, etc., for the standard, you can try it > out before spending a lot of time or money. > > 4) There will be other users and developers that you can solicit for > help and advice. > > 5) There may be existing tools (templates, XSLT stylesheets, etc.) that > you can use in your environment. > > Rick Quatro > Carmen Publishing > 585-659-8267 > www.frameexpert.com > > >> The "Real Life" Migration to Stuctured Doc thread got me thinking. >> What is >> better? A custom schema or one the "standards" such as Docbook or DITA. >> >> I've often thought that if one knows how to create a schema (and the >> resulting EDD, DTD, XSD, etc.) you're better off creating your own, >> especially since Docbook and, to a lesser extent, DITA would need to be >> customized to realize the true potential of XML. >> >> I'm curious as to what others think about this. >> >> --- >> Mike Feimster -- ___ Michael M?ller-Hillebrand: Dokumentations-Technologien Experte f?r FrameMaker, FrameScript, XML/XSL, WWP, PHP/MySQL... --> Training on-the-job - effizienter geht es nicht! <-- http://cap-studio.de/ -- Tel. +49 (9131) 28747
JOB: Tech Writer - Contract - Falls Church, VA - IMMEDIATE NEED!
TW-857 Tech Writer - Contract - Falls Church, VA - IMMEDIATE NEED! Length: 3 weeks, may go longer Rate: BOE An engineering company in Falls Church needs a writer with the following experience to to work on-site for 3+ weeks: o. Recent experience writing printed and online documentation for consumer off-the-shelf software products (Required) o. Experience with FrameMaker, Word, Acrobat, MS Publisher/Adobe Illustrator, etc (Required) o. Experience generating and supporting Windows Help and Javahelp (Required) o. Programming experience is a plus o. Experience using wikis to produce documentation is a plus Notes: o. The position will last for appx. 3 weeks w/possible extension. Start date ASAP! o. On-site work ONLY sorry, no telecommuting. o. Authorized US workers only. ** TO BE CONSIDERED reply with FOUR THINGS: ** 1. Your current resume in MS Word or Frame format 2. A summary of how your experience matches each of the requirements: o. Recent experience writing printed and online documentation for consumer off-the-shelf software products (Required) o. Experience with FrameMaker, Word, Acrobat, MS Publisher/Adobe Illustrator, etc (Required) o. Experience generating and supporting Windows Help and Javahelp (Required) o. Programming experience is a plus o. Experience using wikis to produce documentation is a plus 3. Your 1099 bill rate. (We cannot submit you without a number.) 4. How soon you can start. Questions? Call me at 888-378-2333. Thanks, Jack Molisani Recruiter
FM and Intel Macs
For those few Mac people are still on the list, FM got mentioned as one reason not to upgrade to Intel in a Wired story: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70086-0.html Always nice to be thought of ;)
Cannot invoke OLE server?
Hi there! Anybody have a fix for broken OLEs, or have any idea what's causing the problem? When I right-click the Visio image in .fm, it apparently recognizes it as a "Visio Object", but selecting Edit or Open results in the dreaded "Cannot invoke OLE server" dialog. I tried Edit>Links but options in the Edit>Links dialog are grayed-out darn it (they're also grayed-out in the original .fm, whose OLE2s do work -- I'm seeking an easy solution vs. re-importing, copy/pasting from the working .fm, etc. I've got a lot of files to process). In the broken-OLE2 .fm, Object Properties do indicate OLE2 -- I'm hoping the OLE2s are actually there and (given a miracle solution) launchable. I tried Edit>Update References (OLE Links Marked for Manual Update), producing no errors. FYI the Visio images were originally imported (File>Import>Object>Create from file, "Link" UNchecked) w/the intention of fully embedding -- NOT linking by reference. The files aren't on a network drive, but get checked out of Documentum by various users. My guess is that there's a subtle problem such as Visio version incompatibility (e.g., a user w/a previous version of Visio opened the .fm, modified the .vsd, saved, causing a disconnect of some type). Advice welcome :) FrameMaker v7.1 Visio Pro 2003 SPS 2
Cannot invoke OLE server?
Hi Michael, This is probably not the advice you wanted, but I would discourage you from using OLE objects in FrameMaker. The safest, most-reliable approach is to save your Visio images in a graphic format and import the graphic by reference into FrameMaker. I am not familiar with Visio, so I can't suggest a graphic format, but perhaps you can use EPS or PDF. OLE objects have the same disadvantage as graphics imported by copy: when something goes wrong with the graphics, the only solution is to reimport them. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hi there! Anybody have a fix for broken OLEs, or have any idea what's causing the problem? When I right-click the Visio image in .fm, it apparently recognizes it as a "Visio Object", but selecting Edit or Open results in the dreaded "Cannot invoke OLE server" dialog. I tried Edit>Links but options in the Edit>Links dialog are grayed-out darn it (they're also grayed-out in the original .fm, whose OLE2s do work -- I'm seeking an easy solution vs. re-importing, copy/pasting from the working .fm, etc. I've got a lot of files to process). In the broken-OLE2 .fm, Object Properties do indicate OLE2 -- I'm hoping the OLE2s are actually there and (given a miracle solution) launchable. I tried Edit>Update References (OLE Links Marked for Manual Update), producing no errors. FYI the Visio images were originally imported (File>Import>Object>Create from file, "Link" UNchecked) w/the intention of fully embedding -- NOT linking by reference. The files aren't on a network drive, but get checked out of Documentum by various users. My guess is that there's a subtle problem such as Visio version incompatibility (e.g., a user w/a previous version of Visio opened the .fm, modified the .vsd, saved, causing a disconnect of some type). Advice welcome :) FrameMaker v7.1 Visio Pro 2003 SPS 2
Structure/Schema - Custom or off the shelf?
Hi Michael, Good points, well taken. Thanks. Rick >I agree with Rick's points. But there are situations where it might not > be worth the effort digging deep in the available material for a > so-called standard, when -- in the end -- the customized solution still > needs non-standard modifications. > > As an example: DocBook comes with many more elements than you will > likely use and the available XSL transformations deal with almost all of > them. During all your initial setup work and all maintenance steps you > will somehow have to deal with a lot of stuff you never use. > > I learned that the maintenance effort is somehow proportional to the > number of elements and attributes in a DTD. So from my point of view it > is a good idea to start with a DTD/Schema as simple as possible. If you > add elements or attributes during your testing phase you do not > invalidate existing documents. > > A good example of such a minimalistic approach is the DocFrame > environment created by Scriptorium Publ. IMO it is a perfect head-start > for FrameMaker users. > > http://scriptorium.com/docframe/ > > If you need/want to be compatible with some other structure later on, > you can create an XSL stylesheet to take care of that compatibility. > > - Michael
Cannot invoke OLE server?
Michael, I second Rick's opinion: Import by Reference is the way to go. I've had good results saving PowerPoint slides as *.wmf. Visio also saves in that format. Unfortunately I had to save a native format version of the graphic as well as the *.wmf in another folder for Frame Import. Glenn -Original Message- From: framers-bounces+glenn.voyles=mitchell@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+glenn.voyles=mitchell.com at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Rick Quatro Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 10:18 To: Kellogg, Michael; framers at lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Cannot invoke OLE server? Hi Michael, This is probably not the advice you wanted, but I would discourage you from using OLE objects in FrameMaker. The safest, most-reliable approach is to save your Visio images in a graphic format and import the graphic by reference into FrameMaker. I am not familiar with Visio, so I can't suggest a graphic format, but perhaps you can use EPS or PDF. OLE objects have the same disadvantage as graphics imported by copy: when something goes wrong with the graphics, the only solution is to reimport them. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hi there! Anybody have a fix for broken OLEs, or have any idea what's causing the problem? When I right-click the Visio image in .fm, it apparently recognizes it as a "Visio Object", but selecting Edit or Open results in the dreaded "Cannot invoke OLE server" dialog. I tried Edit>Links but options in the Edit>Links dialog are grayed-out darn it (they're also grayed-out in the original .fm, whose OLE2s do work -- I'm seeking an easy solution vs. re-importing, copy/pasting from the working .fm, etc. I've got a lot of files to process). In the broken-OLE2 .fm, Object Properties do indicate OLE2 -- I'm hoping the OLE2s are actually there and (given a miracle solution) launchable. I tried Edit>Update References (OLE Links Marked for Manual Update), producing no errors. FYI the Visio images were originally imported (File>Import>Object>Create from file, "Link" UNchecked) w/the intention of fully embedding -- NOT linking by reference. The files aren't on a network drive, but get checked out of Documentum by various users. My guess is that there's a subtle problem such as Visio version incompatibility (e.g., a user w/a previous version of Visio opened the .fm, modified the .vsd, saved, causing a disconnect of some type). Advice welcome :) FrameMaker v7.1 Visio Pro 2003 SPS 2 ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as glenn.voyles at mitchell.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/glenn.voyles%40mitch ell.com Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Cannot invoke OLE server?
Rick Quatro wrote: > I am not familiar with Visio, so I can't suggest a graphic format, but > perhaps you can use EPS or PDF. I've never had good luck with embedding my Visio diagrams as OLE objects. I've generally used WMF, but sometimes Visio refuses to save as WMF and I have to use EMF or EPS instead. Andrew Becraft Senior Technical Writer Singlestep Technologies P: 206.838.7982 E: andrewb at singlestep.com
Importing Visio drawings into FM (was RE: Cannot invoke OLE server?)
Andrew Becraft wrote: > Rick Quatro wrote: > > I am not familiar with Visio, so I can't suggest a graphic > format, but > > perhaps you can use EPS or PDF. > > I've never had good luck with embedding my Visio diagrams as > OLE objects. I've generally used WMF, but sometimes Visio > refuses to save as WMF and I have to use EMF or EPS instead. Older versions of Visio had some notoriously bad export filters, especially for EPS. I don't know about Visio 2003's filters. I've only been using it a few months, and I don't export graphics files from it. I use -- and strongly recommend -- PDF. When I upgraded to Acrobat 7, it found Visio (along with other Office applications) and integrated itself -- adding a menu with PDF create and config commands, buttons to create PDFs, etc. It works flawlessly and lets me create multipage PDFs from my multipage drawings (I have some Visio files with a dozen or more pages each). Then, in FM, I choose the PDF from which to import (by ref, of course) and the specific page. In no time at all, I imported about four dozen flow diagrams from five different PDFs created from multipage Visio files. Now that they're in FM, when I change a drawing, I just click a button to recreate the PDF (overwriting the existing one), and my FM file is updated. You need Acro 7 to get the Visio integration (and, I believe, Visio 2003 or 2002). You can do the same workflow with earlier versions, but it requires printing to Distiller -- not quite as effortless, and you don't have some of the advanced options, such as maintaining layers, links, and metadata. HTH! Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 --
Cannot invoke OLE server?
At 10:35 AM 2/1/2006, Andrew Becraft wrote:
>I've never had good luck with embedding my Visio diagrams as OLE objects.
I don't have all that many Visio drawings in my doc set, but it's worked
for me for 3 years to use OLE linking for them. It may not be as solid as
saiving the drawings to EPS or PDF, but it saves me a step, and as long as
it isn't broke, I don't want to take the time to fix it.
martha
--
Martha Jane {Kolman | Davidson}
Dances With Words
editrix at nemasys.com
"Too many words bring about exhaustion."
--Tao Te Ching, Chapter 5 (translated by Sheets/Tovey)
FM and Intel Macs
On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:22:54 -0500, Raman Pfaff wrote: >For those few Mac people are still on the list, FM got mentioned as >one reason not to upgrade to Intel in a Wired story: > >http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70086-0.html > >Always nice to be thought of ;) And for those Mac users running Frame under Virtual PC... that won't work any more on the Intel Macs: http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=macIntelQA -- Jeremy H. Griffith, at Omni Systems Inc. http://www.omsys.com/
Interchange vs. Analysis
--- mcarr at allette.com.au wrote: > I consider DITA to be an interchange format. If two > organisations can figure out how to convert their own structure > to and from DITA, they can freely exchange data. Add five more > organisations and impose the same requirement on them and everyone can exchange data, whereas in the past, > each organisation would have to code the conversion > for all of their data partners. This is very powerful and very useful, but it doesn't replace the structure > that the organisations use on their own side. === I agree completely. The schema should be defined by the database/CMS requirements that a particular enterprise has developed to reflect its business model, not by the content creators, whose job it is to produce documents which can be parsed on the XML side into their constituent components for storage in accordance with the database schema. That requirement pertains also to the metadata (attributes) needed to manage the content, including those attributes which enable content to be selectively retrieved from the database in response to a user query. In many documentation systems (ATA, statutory, regulatory, et al), the principal method which users employ to retrieve the information thay desire is an unique number (or numbers) associated with the content of interest. That means there must be attributes which which carry this informaton, and those attributes must not only be used for retrieval, but also to apply the full and correct numbers to the extracted content. In other words autonumbering such as that used in FrameMaker cannot be used to produce the correct number when a piece of of a document is retrieved. But the problem with using something like DITA for information interchange is that it is unlikely the metadata defined by DITA will match the metadata in the enterprise's database schema. Dan Emory & Associates FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing DW Emory
"Real Life" Migration to Structured Doc
I generally have to agree with what is written below, but I have to take a minor exception on (a) regarding 'the line that you can do it with DITA or DocBook'. Out of the box does a good job, but unfortunately the 'good job' is at scaring people away. That being said, I'll have a freebie of a pretty good DITA lite template with documentation and more for the world at large in a week or so. I'm literally waiting on a few scripts, a test and some docs and then it's ready. Sure I've needed some updates to the software and I'm pushing Frame in directions it doesn't normally like to go, but in the end I'll have something that works in 7.2 and does 99% in 7.1 as well. It's going to be distributed via my website and updates will continue to be rolled out. It does use some inexpensive third party software and is a subset, but it's pretty solid. The exception I have is that you need to consider what you are willing to adapt in your content as well. Just because it has 'always been written that way' doesn't mean you have to stick with it. Sometimes it's worth sacrificing or changing things to save time/money on your deliverable. If you can manage to use a DITA standard then you are in luck later when changes are needed or third party tools have to be invoked. I'm off to a client site, but I'll post more info on the DITA lite template set soon. I'll happily offer to provide an online venue where I can show it in use if people are interested. Email off list if you would like to have me present a 'how to use the template' session in a live online video presentation. If so I'll email you more info and, if there seems to be enough interest (say over 20 emails to me) I'll send a quick note to the list. Bernard Bernard Aschwanden Publishing Technologies Expert Publishing Smarter bernard at publishingsmarter.com www.publishingsmarter.com -Original Message- From: framers-bounces+bernard=publishingsmarter.com at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+bernard=publishingsmarter@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Marcus Carr Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 6:12 PM To: framers at lists.frameusers.com Subject: RE: "Real Life" Migration to Structured Doc Dominick A. DeFlorio wrote: > We must move to structure to meet our future XML goal, but are > unfamiliar with both the transition and method to do so. We are also > unfamiliar with the possibilities and cost involved. We are merely > looking at all of the possibilities and the long term value for our > dollar. Here's how I'd do it: a) Design the structure - if you aren't experienced, don't do it yourself and don't buy the line that you can do it with DITA or DocBook. Get a professional to do proper analysis and design, including documentation about how to use the DTD or schema. This is a critical step - don't scrimp here. b) Save all of your data out of FrameMaker as XML - don't use FrameMaker as a migration tool because if your structure evolves based on infrequent cases, you'll end up spending too much time trying to re-baseline your dataset. c) Use XSLT to convert from XML to your target structure - if you find that you need to make changes, make them and re-run the whole dataset, so you can be certain that all documents are consistently handled. Get help with this if you're not experienced, otherwise you'll get in a mess. Be prepared to also make changes to the data manually - the alternative is to loosen the structure in the DTD or schema, but that's a last resort. Make the data consistent, and be ruthless about it. While you're at it, learn not to be scared to work with native XML - angle brackets don't bite. d) Build the FrameMaker application - concentrate your own efforts on the part of the process that you're most familiar with and learn the parts that will give you the most benefit. e) Train your users - give them as little information about XML as you can get away with. All they need to know is that there's a mechanism in the background that ensures that the documents are structured consistently with the rest of the dataset. Items a) and c) will cost you money, but it's well spent. Do it properly from the start and you'll only do it once - try to do it on the cheap and you can spend the money next time around. I've seen it more times than I could count in the 15 years that I've been involved with SGML and XML conversions. Plenty of very bright people have tried to migrate to structure on the cheap - so many smart faces, so much egg. -- Regards, Marcus Carr email: mcarr at allette.com.au ___ Allette Systems (Australia) www:http://www.allette.com.au ___ "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Einstein ___ You are currently subscribed to
"Real Life" Migration to Structured Doc
Dominick A. DeFlorio wrote: > We must move to structure to meet our future XML goal, but are > unfamiliar with both the transition and method to do so. We are also > unfamiliar with the possibilities and cost involved. We are merely > looking at all of the possibilities and the long term value for our > dollar. Here's how I'd do it: a) Design the structure - if you aren't experienced, don't do it yourself and don't buy the line that you can do it with DITA or DocBook. Get a professional to do proper analysis and design, including documentation about how to use the DTD or schema. This is a critical step - don't scrimp here. b) Save all of your data out of FrameMaker as XML - don't use FrameMaker as a migration tool because if your structure evolves based on infrequent cases, you'll end up spending too much time trying to re-baseline your dataset. c) Use XSLT to convert from XML to your target structure - if you find that you need to make changes, make them and re-run the whole dataset, so you can be certain that all documents are consistently handled. Get help with this if you're not experienced, otherwise you'll get in a mess. Be prepared to also make changes to the data manually - the alternative is to loosen the structure in the DTD or schema, but that's a last resort. Make the data consistent, and be ruthless about it. While you're at it, learn not to be scared to work with native XML - angle brackets don't bite. d) Build the FrameMaker application - concentrate your own efforts on the part of the process that you're most familiar with and learn the parts that will give you the most benefit. e) Train your users - give them as little information about XML as you can get away with. All they need to know is that there's a mechanism in the background that ensures that the documents are structured consistently with the rest of the dataset. Items a) and c) will cost you money, but it's well spent. Do it properly from the start and you'll only do it once - try to do it on the cheap and you can spend the money next time around. I've seen it more times than I could count in the 15 years that I've been involved with SGML and XML conversions. Plenty of very bright people have tried to migrate to structure on the cheap - so many smart faces, so much egg. -- Regards, Marcus Carr email: mcarr at allette.com.au ___ Allette Systems (Australia) www:http://www.allette.com.au ___ "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Einstein
"Real Life" Migration to Structured Doc
Rick Quatro wrote: > I agree with Marcus's excellent post, but one thing to consider on the > above point: even if you hire it out, try to learn as much about each > process, especially if you can devote some time to it. In today's job > climate, it pays to learn as much as you can about XML and related > technologies. This is knowledge that will be valuable, not only in your > current job, but perhaps in a future job search. Very true - just make sure that if you're paying the bills, you can justify that use of your time. As far as personal and professional gain is concerned there's no question that it's worth keeping your hand in everywhere you can - this structure stuff isn't going away. > Also, in regards to steps (b) and (c), I have found that some > unstructured to structured conversions can be adequately handled with > FrameMaker's conversion tables. Again, if you have time, and a limited > budget, this is one area that you might consider experimenting with. Yeah, grudgingly... ;-) I'm (perhaps unnecessarily) hard on FrameMaker as a migration tool because I've seen people get caught out after they've done a lot of work. I tend to advocate a solution that should always work, but I probably throw some babies with that bathwater. While we're clapping each other on the back, I really like Rick's comment that it's more important to focus on working post-migration than to spend too much energy on migration. Migration will never be fun, but if you do it properly, it'll only have to happen once. -- Regards, Marcus Carr email: mcarr at allette.com.au ___ Allette Systems (Australia) www:http://www.allette.com.au ___ "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Einstein
