RE: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Lester C. Smalley]

In documents that will endure and need to be updated, its always via
character styles 

In throw-away docs (e.g. one-time memo, fax cover page...) I use both
named styles and ad hoc formatting: Control-B, Control-I, etc.,
depending on what is set up in the template.

In structured docs there are special character-range formatting
elements.

On Monday, January 16, 2006 03:30 PM, John Wilcox wrote:
 
| This came up as a possible style standards issue here. Please 
| reply off-list, and I'll summarize the results next week. 
| Thanks for your time!
| 
| A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
| B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.

- Lester 
---
Lester C. Smalley  Email: lsmalley AT infocon DOT com
Information Consultants, Inc.  Phone: 302-239-2942 FAX: 302-239-1712
Yorklyn, DE  19736   Web: www.infocon.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.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Rita Muller]

I'm with Bill here, and it looks like 99% of the pollsters.

Character catalog. ALWAYS, and FOREVER.

From the beginning of FM use, I've been told by too many Framers that the
B and I buttons, or Ctrl B and Ctrl I (aka, inline styles) can really
mess you up in ways you don't ever want to know about.

So, rather then test the dreaded experience, I've avoided A like the
plague, and been successful at avoiding problems, even though I have no idea
what the problems might be.

Maybe we could start a new thread, the horrors of FM inline styles, and how
I survived the experience. ;-)

Might be fun, eh?

Rita Muller
Technical Writer
Morrow Technologies Corporation


--

Message: 30
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:14:34 -0500
From: Bill Swallow [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?
To: John Wilcox [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: framers@lists.FrameUsers.com framers@lists.frameusers.com
Message-ID:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Character catalog. Always.

On 1/16/06, John Wilcox [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 This came up as a possible style standards issue here. Please reply
 off-list, and I'll summarize the results next week. Thanks for your time!

 A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
 B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.

___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Combs, Richard]

John Wilcox wrote: 

 This came up as a possible style standards issue here. Please 
 reply off-list, and I'll summarize the results next week. 
 Thanks for your time!
 
 A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
 B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.

Well, everyone else is replying on list, so... 

I use named char tags always. Like Andrew Becraft, I prefer tags that
provide metadata (indicate the purpose or meaning of the text). In the
last round of template revisions, I had to back away from that somewhat
to accommodate others' preferences and reduce the number of char tags.
But we still have, for instance, Emphasis, NewTerm, and Title -- all
defined as As Is + Italic. 

I've gone a step farther than most, though. Starting from Schlomo
Perets' Express Customization kit for FM (no longer available for free;
replaced by the more comprehensive Toolbar Plus; see www.MicroType.com),
I've further customized my toolbars, menus, and shortcuts to remove all
opportunities for ad hoc formatting. 

I don't have the B, I, and U buttons, or the Align Left, Center, and
Align Right buttons. If I press Ctrl+B or Ctrl+I, it opens the character
catalog. I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead
of creating an override. 

The only way I can create an override or ad hoc formatting is via the
Designer dialogs. 

If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting
if the tools for creating them simply aren't there. :-) 

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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

 If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
 tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
 interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting
 if the tools for creating them simply aren't there. :-)

Being a manager and until recently a template owner, I completely
disagree. UI tweaks passively hinder misuse. Proper training and
education for writers actively prevents misuse, and even initiates
their own investigation into other ways to prevent needless headaches
in a documentation effort.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.
___


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: OT: Word to PDF

[Art Campbell]

Fred, while I can't get into a disagreement over which is the weakest
PDF tool because I intentionally don't go down that path, any printer
driver that uses Adobe PostScript as its engine will generate a PS
file that works (usually works very well) with Distiller. That's the
way Adobe attempts to design their stuff, so that one product works
with another. Like every other software vendor, they have glitches,
but it usually works out to be compatible in the field too.

I've found that the manual two-step of PD file and distillation
usually helps avoid a number of direct-to-distiller glitches.

Your mileage obviously varies, but it works for me, and I don't have
any hestitation in
recommending it when someone else's procedure isn't working...

Art


On 1/14/06, Ridder, Fred [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Not completely accurate, Art. The weakest PDF tool is PDFWriter,
 which is not an issue here. Both PDFMaker and the Adobe PDF
 printer instance are installed as part of the Adobe Acrobat tool
 suite, and both of them use Acrobat Distiller (although they do it
 under the hood or behind the curtain). The advantage of the
 PDFMaker tool is that it preserves at least some of the hyperlinks
 from the Word file, although those are often the features that cause
 the kind of problem Tammy reported. But there is no significant
 difference between printing to file using the Adobe PDF driver and
 then explicitly distilling versus simply printing to the Adobe PDF
 printer and letting it automatically pipe the PostScript to Distiller.

 And it's generally bad advice to recommend the use of any printer
 driver other than the Adobe PDF driver when you're making PDF.
 For one thing, that's the single most common cause of losing colors
 in the PDF.

 My opinions only; I don't speak for Intel.
 Fred Ridder (fred dot ridder at intel dot com)
 Intel
 Parsippany, NJ



 -Original Message-
 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
 Behalf Of Art Campbell
 Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 12:21 PM
 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Cc: framers@frameusers.com
 Subject: Re: OT: Word to PDF

 Well, your methodology is using the two weakest .pdf tools.
 If you have Distiller, print the Word file to a PostScript printer and
 specify print to file.
 Then distill it manually to see if that helps.

 Also, the Adobe Acrobat user forum on the Adobe site would probably
 have some helpful info.

 Art


 On 1/11/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

  Windows XP
  Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0
  MS Word 2002
 
  Inherited a Word doc with 143 pages, 2.99 MB that I need to convert to
  PDF. I have done a Save As and renamed to preserve the original and
 ensure
  that I know it is a Word 2002 doc that I am working with. I have done
  everything I know in my power to get this sucker to convert to a PDF
  -Wwithin Word using both PDFMaker and the Adobe PDF Printer. I have
 also
  tried from within Adobe Acrobat and no matter what I do, barf, crash,
 bang
  . ..  I cannot get this document to convert. I get the classic error
  message about flushing offending stack and not producing the PDF.
 
  What should I be looking for/troubleshooting in this otherwise
 fruitless
  endeavor?
 --
 Art Campbell
 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
   ... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
and a redheaded girl. -- Richard Thompson
  No disclaimers apply.
  DoD 358
 ___


 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/fred.ridder%40intel.
 com

 Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit
 http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.



--
Art Campbell [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  ... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
   and a redheaded girl. -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358
___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Joe Malin]

I favor the idea that quality starts with designing the process to avoid
mistakes.

If we agree that formatting standards for documents produce quality
documents, then logically we should set up our tools so that those
standards are the only possible way to format. I haven't yet seen an
instance where ad hoc formatting was absolutely necessary, but then
again, I'm a relative newcomer. Someone should suggest an instance in
which they had to override a character or paragraph tag.

This, by the way, is why I am such a fan of structured FM.

Note that I often *change* the definition of a character or paragraph
format. Alas, I'm starting a department from scratch, so I have to
design as I go. As much as I can, I change the template as soon as I'm
sure my override is what I want. Quality also involves feedback.


 Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Bill Swallow
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 6:44 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

 Maybe we could start a new thread, the horrors of FM inline styles, 
 and how I survived the experience. ;-)

 Might be fun, eh?

Might be. ;-)

Horrors:
* inability to globally update a document from a template (let's say you
need to change style based on rebranding)
* inability to get consistent output using WWP or M2G
* one step farther away from going structured/XML
* the WTF moments upon inheriting a book from another author
* once you start manually overriding character formats, custom character
and paragraph formats aren't far behind... ***chills***

___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Daniel Emory]

 Bill Swallow wrote: 
  Being a manager and until recently a template
 owner, I completely disagree. UI tweaks passively
hinder
 misuse. Proper training and education for writers
actively
 prevents misuse, and even initiates their own
investigation
 into other ways to prevent needless headaches in a
 documentation effort.

All well and good, but the certainty of retribution is
better.
In structured Frame, retribution is certain. Tell your
writers that each document they turn in for
edit/review will first be subjected to the following
steps:

1. Open the writer's submission.

2. Open the applicable structured template.
 
3. Import formats from the template with
Format/Overrides turned on.

4. Import the element definitions from the template
with Format Rules Overrides turned on.

5. Validate the writer's submission to detect any
structure violations, including detection of failure
to enter values for required attributes.

To impress new writers with all the implications of
this process, have a sample demonstration document
with instances of each type of violation, and
demonstrate what happens when the above steps are
taken. 


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.

Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

 I favor the idea that quality starts with designing the process to avoid
 mistakes.

What a silly notion! ;-) LOL!!!

I totally agree with you, Joe.

 If we agree that formatting standards for documents produce quality
 documents, then logically we should set up our tools so that those
 standards are the only possible way to format. I haven't yet seen an
 instance where ad hoc formatting was absolutely necessary, but then
 again, I'm a relative newcomer. Someone should suggest an instance in
 which they had to override a character or paragraph tag.

There is no reason why anyone *needs* to use overrides, really. It's a
matter of want and the lack of understanding to know any other way
around the problem (or lack of thought or planning to avoid the
situation).

 This, by the way, is why I am such a fan of structured FM.

It's growing on me, too. ;-)

 Note that I often *change* the definition of a character or paragraph
 format. Alas, I'm starting a department from scratch, so I have to
 design as I go. As much as I can, I change the template as soon as I'm
 sure my override is what I want. Quality also involves feedback.

Designing as you go works, but you can still put some mechanics around
it to best define your templates right the first time. Let's say
you're working on book A and you need a custom style. It should be at
that point that you raise the issue with your team and determine if
books B and C would also use the format. If yes, then use it. Of no,
then determine if it's an absolute need for book A or if you could go
about it a bit differently with conventional styles. If you absolutely
need it, build it into the core template and name it appropriately.

We support over 400 books and use one set of core templates to do so.
The trick is to know the information types at play in your product
documentation and stick to them, and when unique cases come up,
investigate their need before implementing anything.

And, it takes much less time to do this than you'd think.

The benefits? Ability to apply global template updates to all books
with no manual intervention beyond applying the template, portability
of information, and no need for custom learning of book mechanics from
one project to the next.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.
___


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: Replace Formats script?

[Art Campbell]

Put your cursor in a paragraph tagged as Bullet 1.

In the paragraph designer, pull down the Commands menu, select Global
Update Options. In the upper pane, select all, in the lower, pull
down the All Tagged menu and select Bullet.

Art


On 1/17/06, Doug [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Is there a Replace Formats script for FrameScript that works basically
 like the Word Find/Replace function?

 I'm trying to replace Bullet format with Bullet 1 format, but the
 Find/Change function finds existing instances of Bullet 1, Bullet 2,
 and Bullet 3, in addition to instances of Bullet.  Obviously this just
 won't do.

 Ideas?

 Thanks,

 Doug

--
Art Campbell [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  ... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
   and a redheaded girl. -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358
___


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: Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

[Joe Malin]

Hi!

I received a reply that suggested using Arabic numerals throughout
rather than worrying about different schemes. Being a relative newcomer,
I have clung to the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) way like a drowning
man to a life raft. Thinking about it now, I see that numbering front
matter in roman may be nothing more than a historical artifact.

When, in the old days, we wrote text and paginated it by hand before
the front matter was ready, we could not know how many pages the front
matter would have. We had to start our text numbering at 1, and set a
different numbering scheme for front matter.

Why do that now with a book that may never be put to paper? Instead, use
sequential numbering starting with the Title page as 1. To preserve the
style of front matter, perhaps use roman numerals, but then allow the
first page of text to be something other than 1.

Would readers care? Would someone else be upset?


Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.

-Original Message-
From: Joe Malin 
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:10 AM
To: framers@FrameUsers.com
Cc: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

Good morning, all!

Acrobat/PDF 7 has a feature called logical page numbering. This allows
you to display the PDF page numbers starting with 1 as the first page,
and also the document's page numbers, starting with whatever number is
on the first page (usually i). This accounts for front and back matter
in a book. The document page number appears in the page display at the
bottom, followed by the PDF number in parentheses.

___


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: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Art Campbell]

I think your variable/standard_file_name strategy will work fine so
long as all the versions for all the vendors are the same. As soon as
somebody adds or drops a feature, you'll probably have to go to
conditional text to control the differeing content in the chapter.

Art


On 1/17/06, Deb Hardy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 For those of you who distribute your source files to
 OEM partners, would you be willing to share the basics
 of how you prepare your Frame files for rebranding?
snip

 * For company name (and product names, if it becomes
 necessary), we'll create a user variable.

 * For the corporate logo that appears on our cover
 page and in our running footers, we'll give our file a
 generic name like corp_logo.gif and instruct the OEM
 partners to replace this file with their own similarly
 sized corporate logo.

snip

--
Art Campbell [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  ... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
   and a redheaded girl. -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358
___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Ron Miller]

And I'm a perfect example of this. As I wrote, when I started using 
Frame, I was told in no uncertain terms to stay the heck away from the 
toolbar. Fearing the wrath of the production guru, I complied. ;)


In conclusion, if you are a manager, don't fix the interface, simply 
intimidate your workers into compliance. G


Ron



Bill Swallow wrote:

If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting
if the tools for creating them simply aren't there. :-)



Being a manager and until recently a template owner, I completely
disagree. UI tweaks passively hinder misuse. Proper training and
education for writers actively prevents misuse, and even initiates
their own investigation into other ways to prevent needless headaches
in a documentation effort.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.
___


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/ronsmiller%40comcast.net

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.

Re: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Steve Rickaby]

At 11:22 am -0800 17/1/06, Deb Hardy wrote:

Do both of these approaches seem reasonable and optimal? I'm particularly 
concerned about the logo-replacement issue.

Deb - what you suggest sounds sensible: others might be able to suggest extra 
tricks. One thing you'll need to watch on the one-for-one logo image swap idea 
is the sizing of the raw image. I guess you'll need to specify something, 
otherwise template users will need to mess with image scaling, which will spoil 
the concept.

If you need to handle alternative text blocks, you have two main options: 
conditional text or text imports. Taking the latter to extremes, you can 
construct completely 'modular' documentation. Sarah O'Keefe goes into this in 
some detail in 'FrameMaker : The Complete Reference'.
-- 
Steve
___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Stacy Dow]

This is becoming way too many inbound emails for me. 

I hate to leave this discussion group, but Outlook filters don't seem to
work because of the way the listserve functions. Any words of advice? If
not, can someone please tell me how to unsubscribe?

Thanks,
Stacy

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Peter Gold
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 11:28 AM
To: Bill Swallow
Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

Bill:

One reason is to adjust text pagination, for final revision. 
Overriding keep-with, widow/orphan, start-position, and some other 
properties of paragraph formats may be necessary. However, it's easy 
to manage or restore original formatting by one or more of these 
methods:

* Save a pagination-only copy of the file
* Reapply the catalog definitions of the paragraph formats by 
importing them from the current document to itself, or by importing 
them from a master template, with Remove Manual Page Breaks, and 
Remove Other Format Overrides both turned on.

An alternative approach is to create dedicated variations of 
paragraph formats; this means more formats to manage, and no easy to 
revert the custom tweaks, aside from having saved an untweaked copy.

There is no reason why anyone *needs* to use overrides, really. It's a
matter of want and the lack of understanding to know any other way
around the problem (or lack of thought or planning to avoid the
situation).

-- 
Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
[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/stacydow%40yahoo-inc.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.

RE: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Grant Hogarth]

That's basically what I do here.
In addition, I: 

1. Make sure that any screen captures are either generic in the first
place 
   (watch those file trees!) or are cleaned up before you ship them to
your OEM. 
2. Include a generated list of images for reference.
3. For maintainance releases, include a doc that lists all changes.
   (I created 2 markers: ChangeText  Change Image, insert them
(with description text) 
and then generate a doc that lists these. I include the bug number
if there is one, 
mostly for my own use.)
4. Include a doc that lists all changes to paratypes, chartypes, etc.,
including context tags.
5. Mark all these additional docs NOT FOR PUBLICATION in the header (I
use 14 pt Comic Sans (Bold, Magenta)) 


Grant


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Deb Hardy
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 12:23 PM
To: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

I originally posted this question on Friday, but it didn't go through.
(Switching to plain text now!) Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Deb Hardy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
For those of you who distribute your source files to OEM partners, would
you be willing to share the basics of how you prepare your Frame files
for rebranding? I think our rebranding efforts are going to be very
simple, but I want to go into this feeling confident that I've picked
the best approach.
I would be extremely grateful if any of you who have successfully
created re-brandable Frame files could share some wisdom. Here's what
I'm thinking so far:

* For company name (and product names, if it becomes necessary), we'll
create a user variable.

* For the corporate logo that appears on our cover page and in our
running footers, we'll give our file a generic name like corp_logo.gif
and instruct the OEM partners to replace this file with their own
similarly sized corporate logo.

Do both of these approaches seem reasonable and optimal? I'm
particularly concerned about the logo-replacement issue. I'm pretty sure
that images and anchored frames can't have user variables attached to
them, so I'm sort of perplexed about any other option besides replacing
the existing logo. It seems like there should be a better way than
overwriting our file... Am I missing something obvious? Is there a good
argument for using conditional text for this problem? I'm hesitant to
add more conditional-text tags to our book, but I will happily do it if
it turns out to be the best solution.
 
I've Googled my little heart out searching for OEM/rebranding best
practices, especially in terms of FrameMaker capabilities, and I'm
coming up short.
Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can offer!

-deb h.
___


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.

OT: Problems with Acrobat 7 and Word 2000

[Eric_Isaacson]

Hello.  I'm hoping someone on this list either has experienced this 
problem or knows something about it.  I recently installed Acrobat 7 (and 
upgrade to 7.05) and was loving it until I opened Word 2000--when I did, 
Word gave me an application error message (The memory could not be 
'read'.).  After following the Microsoft Knowledgebase article 
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906899/en-us) and uninstalling the 
PDFMaker plug-in, Word opens fine, but now I can't make PDFs from Word 
that have bookmarks/links.

I really don't want to have to go back to Acrobat 6, so does anyone know 
of this issue and possibly a work-around/fix so that I can go back to 
blissfully making PDFs from Word 2000?

Thanks.
--
This e-mail may contain SEL confidential or 
legally privileged information.  The opinions 
expressed are not necessarily those of SEL.  
Any unauthorized disclosure, distribution or 
other use is prohibited.  If you received this 
e-mail in error, please notify the sender, 
permanently delete it, and destroy any 
printed copies. 
___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

 One reason is to adjust text pagination, for final revision.
 Overriding keep-with, widow/orphan, start-position, and some other
 properties of paragraph formats may be necessary. However, it's easy
 to manage or restore original formatting by one or more of these
 methods:

Trust me... if you put careful thought into how your information types
are used in your documentation, no overrides are necessary, even for
pagination.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.
___


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: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Ridder, Fred]

I'm not sure I'd call this the ultimate redefinition solution because
it completely ignores the fact that there should be some underlying
*reason* why you need to present a word or phrase in boldface (or 
italic or whatever).  A large segment of the people responding to the
original survey question indicated that they use multiple character
format names that all produce a boldface result, because the 
different tag names allow them to capture some semantic metadata
about what makes the word or phrase special. 
 
My opinions only; I don't speak for Intel.
Fred Ridder (fred dot ridder at intel dot com)
Intel
Parsippany, NJ



-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Doug
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:57 PM
To: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

 I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead
 of creating an override.

Of course, IMO the ultimate redefinition solution is to redefine the
shortcuts so they apply character and/or paragraph formats.  What
could be simpler than redefining CTRL+B to apply a bold character
format?  This could benefit both novice and experienced writers alike.
 I'm surprised this functionality isn't built into Frame, or at least
into Framescript (I haven't delved into the latter deeply enough to
discover it, if FS does indeed  possess this functionality).

--Doug
___

___


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.

JOB: Contract Technical Writer, Seattle, WA

[Andrew Becraft]

Hello framers,

We'd like to hire a contract technical writer for six to eight weeks, 
with a start date in the next two business weeks and an end date in 
March (when the project is scheduled to conclude).


I'm looking for a senior-level writer who can work on site here in our 
Seattle office. If you're interested, please send me your resume by 
e-mail.


I'm including the full job description below. My contact information 
appears in my signature.



Technical Writer (contract) - Singlestep Technologies Corp., Seattle, WA

Company Summary:

Singlestep Technologies’ products and services help the largest global 
technology vendors solve complex integration problems for Fortune 2000 
companies and other large enterprises.  By capturing and transforming 
the raw data from the major network management and IT performance 
systems, Singlestep is able to give the largest console, framework and 
Business Process Optimization (BPO) vendors (such as Mercury, BMC, IBM, 
CA, HP) one consolidated stream of information.


Job Description:

Under the direction of the lead Technical Writer, the contract 
Technical Writer will be responsible for performing research, writing, 
and production tasks for user assistance deliverables on a new software 
product.


Primary Responsibilities:
Develop usable, technically accurate user assistance products (such as 
user guides and help) that conform to corporate writing style, 
structure, formatting guidelines, and the project plan.


Job Qualifications:
* More than five years of experience as a technical writer in the 
software industry.
* BA or BS in English, Technical Communication, Journalism, 
Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.

* Expert user of Adobe FrameMaker.
* Expert user of business productivity applications (such as Microsoft 
Office or OpenOffice).

* Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
* Experience developing user assistance based on the Microsoft Manual 
of Style.
* Experience creating user assistance for system administrators or 
software developers.
* Familiarity with structured-authoring principles and best practices a 
strong plus.



I look forward to hearing from those of you who are interested.

Best regards,

Andrew Becraft
Senior Technical Writer
Singlestep Technologies
Connect. Simplify. Manage.

2601 Fourth Ave Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98121

P: 206.838.7982 direct (message sends email)
E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

http://www.singlestep.com

The information contained in this transmission is privileged and/or 
confidential information intended for the use of the individual or 
entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended 
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, distribution or 
copying of this communication is strictly prohibited.


___


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: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[John Sgammato]

I rebrand our docset for a partner much the way described by Deb, with
some of Grant's ideas. The main difference is that I do the rebranding
myself rather than send source files to the partner (which has no tech
writer resource).  It is likely that this year will see at least one
additional rebranding partner, so I have put a lot of thought into it. 

I am a lone writer, so I have to be methodical and my system has to be
simple enough for me to manage even in that brain-dead state at the end
of the product release.

My conclusion so far:

(These are sometimes generally specific and sometimes more- or only
applicable to a software product or to a doc set that will keep the same
basic layout and doc size as our own. If the product is not software, or
if the rebrander will use different page layouts, sizes, etc, then some
of these do not apply to your situation.)

Use a set of variables for things like the company name, product name,
and part number, and to store the variables in one dedicated document so
I remember to update them all. 

Put all images in an Images folder, and use the same names and
dimensions. Screen captures can be tricky, because if they are not
captured the same way (geographically) then the edge of the screen
capture can be a variable distance from the edge of the frame. Assume
the rebrander will have to get all new screen captures and set a process
for it with image resolution, file format, etc all predefined. 

Put all text insets in an Insets folder. I especially use one for the
trademarks and copyright info on the back of the title page. 

After changing the variables, do a global search-replace for your
company and product names to catch any that were not variables,
including variants in a command line illustration or other types of
usage. For example, we used to install our software product into
\onesign\... and the partner installed into \touchpass\... That caused
headaches, so now we both install to \ssoprovider\ Until that time,
it was a problem for me, because the \onesign\ did not work with the
variable OneSign. 

Changing the variables in the text does not change the variables in the
markers, so the index has to be rebranded separately with a
search/replace. IXgen saves A LOT of time and effort here, because you
can do the search-replace in the IXgen file and then apply the changes
throughout. 

Use different variables for bolded and unbolded forms. IIRC markers do
not keep character formatting information. You can have apparently
random bold entries in your ToC if the variable is used in a heading
that has a bold format. Figure captions and unordered lists were also
problematic, all solved by using two variable styles.

If you use a logo or similar graphic treatment in a footer or to open a
chapter, the rebrander must use an image of similar dimensions unless
they are willing to adjust the page layouts to suit their own corporate
look.

If the rebrander uses a different font, be sure to look for special
characters like some bullets or code text. For example, if you use
Courier to show user input and Arial for everything else, and the
rebrander uses Verdana where you use Arial, then the Courier might also
need to be changed, or can get caught up in a careless
SelectAll-change-to-Verdana step.

Our product is called OneSign, and theirs is TouchPass. If their product
was called Applesandorangesandotherneatstuff, then two issues arise: 
1) pagination issues because their name is so long, so you may get odd
pages or two page spreads just because one lousy line got bumped to
another page
and 
2) every place that I say you need a OneSign profile they need to say
an Applesandoranges profile - the a/an is not part of your
variable and must be caught with a search-replace. 

Remember if the rebrander will need new screen captures, then they need
the software to get them from, including lists of acceptable usernames
if the product is a software product that shows lists of user accounts,
etc. I keep a separate database of users and applications and then when
it is time to get my final screencaps I purge all others out of the
machine I am working on and import my own known safe users and
applications. 

Be sure to check all examples and illustrations for hidden references to
your own company name. 

***
I am wondering if switching to Structured FrameMaker will make any of
this easier or more difficult...any ideas?

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Deb Hardy
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:23 PM
To: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

I originally posted this question on Friday, but it
didn't go through. (Switching to plain text now!)
Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Deb Hardy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
For those of you who distribute your source files to
OEM partners, would you be willing to share the basics
of how you prepare your Frame files for rebranding? I
think our rebranding 

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[rebecca officer]

Ditto, we use "C". But we've managed to end up with a format named "Bold" too. 
We use that when we want to make something bold and one of the named formats 
doesn't apply. ;-(

Using character formats isn't necessarily foolproof. Last week, someone 
accidentally updated one of our formats and made it use a particular font etc, 
instead of being "as is" for everything but the property it wanted to change. 
Don't suppose anyone knows of a way to prevent that?

Cheers, Rebecca

>>> "Joe Malin"  17/01/06 10:07:42 >>>
If the methods are

A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.
C: Create special character formats with meta-information (purpose or
meaning).

then I use C, although it may appear sometimes that I'm using B. While
my brain was recovering from a bad sector, I named a character format
"Bold" rather than "Strong". I also have some formats that use Italic
instead of Emphasis. The horror, the horror!

As Andrew noted, this may result in more tags or elements. Perhaps this
is a good thing, if it makes us re-examine our typographical
conventions.

 Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
jmalin at tuvox.com 
www.tuvox.com 
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.

-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+jmalin=tuvox@lists.frameusers.com 
[mailto:framers-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf
Of Andrew Becraft
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 12:40 PM
To: framers at lists.FrameUsers.com 
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

John Wilcox wrote:
> This came up as a possible style standards issue here. Please reply 
> off-list, and I'll summarize the results next week. Thanks for your 
> time!
>
> A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
> B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.

Or:

C: Create special character formats that indicate the purpose or meaning
of the text (rather than their intended appearance) and apply them.

___


You are currently subscribed to Framers as rebecca.officer at 
alliedtelesyn.co.nz.

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com 
or visit 
http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/rebecca.officer%40alliedtelesyn.co.nz
 

Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit
http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.

NOTICE: This message contains privileged and confidential
information intended only for the use of the addressee
named above. If you are not the intended recipient of
this message you are hereby notified that you must not
disseminate, copy or take any action in reliance on it.
If you have received this message in error please
notify Allied Telesyn Research Ltd immediately.
Any views expressed in this message are those of the
individual sender, except where the sender has the
authority to issue and specifically states them to
be the views of Allied Telesyn Research.

I'm lazy

[hedley.fin...@myob.com]

Cripes!  Rick must be a bigger mover and shaker than I thought.  What with 
".frameexpert" being a top-level domain up there with "uk", "au",  "cn", 
"de", "fr", etc!
http://www.frameexpert/plugins/pagelabeler/
--
Hedley Finger
Technical Communications Tools & Processes Specialist
MYOB Australia 
P.O. box 371   Blackburn VIC 3130   Australia
12 Wesley Court   Tally Ho Business Park   East Burwood VIC 3151 Australia

Tel. +61 3 9222 9992 x 7421,   Mob. (cell) +61 412 461 558

? MYOB Technology Pty Ltd 2005

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Lester C. Smalley]

In documents that will endure and need to be updated, its always via
character styles 

In "throw-away" docs (e.g. one-time memo, fax cover page...) I use both
named styles and ad hoc formatting: Control-B, Control-I, etc.,
depending on what is set up in the template.

In structured docs there are special character-range formatting
elements.

On Monday, January 16, 2006 03:30 PM, John Wilcox wrote:

| This came up as a possible style standards issue here. Please 
| reply off-list, and I'll summarize the results next week. 
| Thanks for your time!
| 
| A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
| B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.

- Lester 
---
Lester C. Smalley  Email: lsmalley AT infocon DOT com
Information Consultants, Inc.  Phone: 302-239-2942 FAX: 302-239-1712
Yorklyn, DE  19736   Web: www.infocon.com   
---

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Rita Muller]

I'm with Bill here, and it looks like 99% of the pollsters.

Character catalog. ALWAYS, and FOREVER.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

> Maybe we could start a new thread, "the horrors of FM inline styles, and how
> I survived the experience." ;-)
>
> Might be fun, eh?

Might be. ;-)

Horrors:
* inability to globally update a document from a template (let's say
you need to change style based on rebranding)
* inability to get consistent output using WWP or M2G
* one step farther away from going structured/XML
* the WTF moments upon inheriting a book from another author
* once you start manually overriding character formats, custom
character and paragraph formats aren't far behind... ***chills***

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Combs, Richard]

John Wilcox wrote: 

> This came up as a possible style standards issue here. Please 
> reply off-list, and I'll summarize the results next week. 
> Thanks for your time!
> 
> A. Click the B and I buttons, or press Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I.
> B. Select Bold and Emphasis from the Character Catalog.

Well, everyone else is replying on list, so... 

I use named char tags always. Like Andrew Becraft, I prefer tags that
provide metadata ("indicate the purpose or meaning of the text"). In the
last round of template revisions, I had to back away from that somewhat
to accommodate others' preferences and reduce the number of char tags.
But we still have, for instance, Emphasis, NewTerm, and Title -- all
defined as As Is + Italic. 

I've gone a step farther than most, though. Starting from Schlomo
Perets' Express Customization kit for FM (no longer available for free;
replaced by the more comprehensive Toolbar Plus; see www.MicroType.com),
I've further customized my toolbars, menus, and shortcuts to remove all
opportunities for ad hoc formatting. 

I don't have the B, I, and U buttons, or the Align Left, Center, and
Align Right buttons. If I press Ctrl+B or Ctrl+I, it opens the character
catalog. I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead
of creating an override. 

The only way I can create an override or ad hoc formatting is via the
Designer dialogs. 

If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting
if the tools for creating them simply aren't there. :-) 

Richard 


--
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
--
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
--

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Steve Rickaby]

At 9:25 am -0700 17/1/06, Combs, Richard wrote:

>If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
>tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
>interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting

...and Silicon Prairie's Paragraph and Character tools provide an easy method 
of detecting character and paragraph format overrides. Although, unfortunately, 
not who applied them ;-)
-- 
Steve (who also votes for metadataiferous separation of presentation and intent)

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

> If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
> tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
> interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting
> if the tools for creating them simply aren't there. :-)

Being a manager and until recently a template owner, I completely
disagree. UI tweaks passively hinder misuse. Proper training and
education for writers actively prevents misuse, and even initiates
their own investigation into other ways to prevent needless headaches
in a documentation effort.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Glenn Voyles]

Bra-vo!

-Original Message-

I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead of
creating an override.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Combs, Richard]

Bill Swallow wrote: 

> Being a manager and until recently a template owner, I 
> completely disagree. UI tweaks passively hinder misuse. 
> Proper training and education for writers actively prevents 
> misuse, and even initiates their own investigation into other 
> ways to prevent needless headaches in a documentation effort.

Well, horses for courses. But I came by my opinion from a non-manager
perspective. The only person whose FM interface I have control over is
_me_, and I've modified mine as I described in order to _help_me_ avoid
errors or carelessness. 

Then again, maybe I just don't respect my own autonomy enough. ;-) 

Richard 


--
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
--
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
--

OT: Word to PDF

[Art Campbell]

Fred, while I can't get into a disagreement over which is the weakest
PDF tool because I intentionally don't go down that path, any printer
driver that uses Adobe PostScript as its engine will generate a PS
file that works (usually works very well) with Distiller. That's the
way Adobe attempts to design their stuff, so that one product works
with another. Like every other software vendor, they have glitches,
but it usually works out to be compatible in the field too.

I've found that the manual two-step of PD file and distillation
usually helps avoid a number of direct-to-distiller glitches.

Your mileage obviously varies, but it works for me, and I don't have
any hestitation in
recommending it when someone else's procedure isn't working...

Art


On 1/14/06, Ridder, Fred  wrote:
> Not completely accurate, Art. The weakest PDF tool is PDFWriter,
> which is not an issue here. Both PDFMaker and the Adobe PDF
> printer instance are installed as part of the Adobe Acrobat tool
> suite, and both of them use Acrobat Distiller (although they do it
> "under the hood" or "behind the curtain"). The advantage of the
> PDFMaker tool is that it preserves at least some of the hyperlinks
> from the Word file, although those are often the features that cause
> the kind of problem Tammy reported. But there is no significant
> difference between printing to file using the Adobe PDF driver and
> then explicitly distilling versus simply printing to the Adobe PDF
> printer and letting it automatically pipe the PostScript to Distiller.
>
> And it's generally bad advice to recommend the use of any printer
> driver other than the Adobe PDF driver when you're making PDF.
> For one thing, that's the single most common cause of losing colors
> in the PDF.
>
> My opinions only; I don't speak for Intel.
> Fred Ridder (fred dot ridder at intel dot com)
> Intel
> Parsippany, NJ
>
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: framers-bounces+fred.ridder=intel.com at lists.frameusers.com
> [mailto:framers-bounces+fred.ridder=intel.com at lists.frameusers.com] On
> Behalf Of Art Campbell
> Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 12:21 PM
> To: Tammy.VanBoening at jeppesen.com
> Cc: framers at frameusers.com
> Subject: Re: OT: Word to PDF
>
> Well, your methodology is using the two weakest .pdf tools.
> If you have Distiller, print the Word file to a PostScript printer and
> specify "print to file."
> Then distill it manually to see if that helps.
>
> Also, the Adobe Acrobat user forum on the Adobe site would probably
> have some helpful info.
>
> Art
>
>
> On 1/11/06, Tammy.VanBoening at jeppesen.com
>  wrote:
>
> > Windows XP
> > Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0
> > MS Word 2002
> >
> > Inherited a Word doc with 143 pages, 2.99 MB that I need to convert to
> > PDF. I have done a Save As and renamed to preserve the original and
> ensure
> > that I know it is a Word 2002 doc that I am working with. I have done
> > everything I know in my power to get this sucker to convert to a PDF
> > -Wwithin Word using both PDFMaker and the Adobe PDF Printer. I have
> also
> > tried from within Adobe Acrobat and no matter what I do, barf, crash,
> bang
> > . ..  I cannot get this document to convert. I get the classic error
> > message about flushing offending stack and not producing the PDF.
> >
> > What should I be looking for/troubleshooting in this otherwise
> fruitless
> > endeavor?
> --
> Art Campbell
> art.campbell at gmail.com
>   "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
>and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
>  No disclaimers apply.
>  DoD 358
> ___
>
>
> You are currently subscribed to Framers as fred.ridder at intel.com.
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
> or visit
> http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/fred.ridder%40intel.
> com
>
> Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit
> http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
>


--
Art Campbell art.campbell at 
gmail.com
  "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
   and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Joe Malin]

I favor the idea that quality starts with designing the process to avoid
mistakes.

If we agree that formatting standards for documents produce quality
documents, then logically we should set up our tools so that those
standards are the only possible way to format. I haven't yet seen an
instance where ad hoc formatting was absolutely necessary, but then
again, I'm a relative newcomer. Someone should suggest an instance in
which they had to override a character or paragraph tag.

This, by the way, is why I am such a fan of structured FM.

Note that I often *change* the definition of a character or paragraph
format. Alas, I'm starting a department from scratch, so I have to
design as I go. As much as I can, I change the template as soon as I'm
sure my override is what I want. Quality also involves feedback.


 Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
jmalin at tuvox.com 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.

-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+jmalin=tuvox@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf
Of Bill Swallow
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 6:44 AM
To: rmuller at morrowcorp.com
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

> Maybe we could start a new thread, "the horrors of FM inline styles, 
> and how I survived the experience." ;-)
>
> Might be fun, eh?

Might be. ;-)

Horrors:
* inability to globally update a document from a template (let's say you
need to change style based on rebranding)
* inability to get consistent output using WWP or M2G
* one step farther away from going structured/XML
* the WTF moments upon inheriting a book from another author
* once you start manually overriding character formats, custom character
and paragraph formats aren't far behind... ***chills***

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Daniel Emory]

> Bill Swallow wrote: 
> > Being a manager and until recently a template
> owner, I completely disagree. UI tweaks passively
hinder
> misuse. Proper training and education for writers
actively
> prevents misuse, and even initiates their own
investigation
> into other ways to prevent needless headaches in a
> documentation effort.

All well and good, but the certainty of retribution is
better.
In structured Frame, retribution is certain. Tell your
writers that each document they turn in for
edit/review will first be subjected to the following
steps:

1. Open the writer's submission.

2. Open the applicable structured template.

3. Import formats from the template with
Format/Overrides turned on.

4. Import the element definitions from the template
with Format Rules Overrides turned on.

5. Validate the writer's submission to detect any
structure violations, including detection of failure
to enter values for required attributes.

To impress new writers with all the implications of
this process, have a sample demonstration document
with instances of each type of violation, and
demonstrate what happens when the above steps are
taken. 


Dan Emory & Associates
FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing
DW Emory 

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

> I favor the idea that quality starts with designing the process to avoid
> mistakes.

What a silly notion! ;-) LOL!!!

I totally agree with you, Joe.

> If we agree that formatting standards for documents produce quality
> documents, then logically we should set up our tools so that those
> standards are the only possible way to format. I haven't yet seen an
> instance where ad hoc formatting was absolutely necessary, but then
> again, I'm a relative newcomer. Someone should suggest an instance in
> which they had to override a character or paragraph tag.

There is no reason why anyone *needs* to use overrides, really. It's a
matter of want and the lack of understanding to know any other way
around the problem (or lack of thought or planning to avoid the
situation).

> This, by the way, is why I am such a fan of structured FM.

It's growing on me, too. ;-)

> Note that I often *change* the definition of a character or paragraph
> format. Alas, I'm starting a department from scratch, so I have to
> design as I go. As much as I can, I change the template as soon as I'm
> sure my override is what I want. Quality also involves feedback.

Designing as you go works, but you can still put some mechanics around
it to best define your templates right the first time. Let's say
you're working on book A and you need a custom style. It should be at
that point that you raise the issue with your team and determine if
books B and C would also use the format. If yes, then use it. Of no,
then determine if it's an absolute need for book A or if you could go
about it a bit differently with conventional styles. If you absolutely
need it, build it into the core template and name it appropriately.

We support over 400 books and use one set of core templates to do so.
The trick is to know the information types at play in your product
documentation and stick to them, and when unique cases come up,
investigate their need before implementing anything.

And, it takes much less time to do this than you'd think.

The benefits? Ability to apply global template updates to all books
with no manual intervention beyond applying the template, portability
of information, and no need for custom learning of book mechanics from
one project to the next.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.

Replace Formats script?

[Doug]

Is there a Replace Formats script for FrameScript that works basically
like the Word Find/Replace function?

I'm trying to replace Bullet format with Bullet 1 format, but the
Find/Change function finds existing instances of Bullet 1, Bullet 2,
and Bullet 3, in addition to instances of Bullet.  Obviously this just
won't do.

Ideas?

Thanks,

Doug

Replace Formats script?

[Art Campbell]

Put your cursor in a paragraph tagged as Bullet 1.

In the paragraph designer, pull down the Commands menu, select Global
Update Options. In the upper pane, select "all," in the lower, pull
down the All Tagged menu and select Bullet.

Art


On 1/17/06, Doug  wrote:
> Is there a Replace Formats script for FrameScript that works basically
> like the Word Find/Replace function?
>
> I'm trying to replace Bullet format with Bullet 1 format, but the
> Find/Change function finds existing instances of Bullet 1, Bullet 2,
> and Bullet 3, in addition to instances of Bullet.  Obviously this just
> won't do.
>
> Ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Doug

--
Art Campbell art.campbell at 
gmail.com
  "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
   and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358

Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

[Joe Malin]

Hi!

I received a reply that suggested using Arabic numerals throughout
rather than worrying about different schemes. Being a relative newcomer,
I have clung to the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) way like a drowning
man to a life raft. Thinking about it now, I see that numbering front
matter in roman may be nothing more than a historical artifact.

When, in the "old" days, we wrote text and paginated it by hand before
the front matter was ready, we could not know how many pages the front
matter would have. We had to start our text numbering at 1, and set a
different numbering scheme for front matter.

Why do that now with a book that may never be put to paper? Instead, use
sequential numbering starting with the Title page as 1. To preserve the
style of front matter, perhaps use roman numerals, but then allow the
first page of text to be something other than 1.

Would readers care? Would someone else be upset?


Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
jmalin at tuvox.com 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.

-Original Message-
From: Joe Malin 
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:10 AM
To: framers at FrameUsers.com
Cc: 'techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com'
Subject: Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

Good morning, all!

Acrobat/PDF 7 has a feature called logical page numbering. This allows
you to display the PDF page numbers starting with 1 as the first page,
and also the document's page numbers, starting with whatever number is
on the first page (usually i). This accounts for front and back matter
in a book. The document page number appears in the page display at the
bottom, followed by the PDF number in parentheses.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Rita Muller]

Bill,

You're singing to the choir dude. ;-)

I planned out a global template for the long term. It's worked well for over
four years and some 100+ manuals so far. What you describe as "The benefits"
are exactly what I'm reaping as a result. It's a beautiful thing! Certainly
worth the little bit of extra development time it took to do.

Rita Muller
Technical Writer
Morrow Technologies Corporation



>>And, it takes much less time to do this than you'd think.

The benefits? Ability to apply global template updates to all books
with no manual intervention beyond applying the template, portability
of information, and no need for custom learning of book mechanics from
one project to the next.

--
Bill Swallow<<

Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

[Martha J Davidson]

At 11:04 AM 1/17/2006, Joe Malin wrote:
>Why do that now with a book that may never be put to paper? Instead, use
>sequential numbering starting with the Title page as 1. To preserve the
>style of front matter, perhaps use roman numerals, but then allow the
>first page of text to be something other than 1.
>
>Would readers care? Would someone else be upset?

I don't know what readers would notice. I still use roman numerals
for front matter because I like following traditions when it's not
a lot of extra work for me to do so. It feels good to me when the
manuals I write seem like "real" books, even if they're not printed
any more. With PageLabeler, it's not much overhead to keep the
traditional scheme, so I see no need to abandon 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)

Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Deb Hardy]

I originally posted this question on Friday, but it
didn't go through. (Switching to plain text now!)
Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Deb Hardy  wrote:
For those of you who distribute your source files to
OEM partners, would you be willing to share the basics
of how you prepare your Frame files for rebranding? I
think our rebranding efforts are going to be very
simple, but I want to go into this
feeling confident that I've picked the best approach.
I would be extremely grateful if any of you who have
successfully created re-brandable Frame files could
share some wisdom. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

* For company name (and product names, if it becomes
necessary), we'll create a user variable.

* For the corporate logo that appears on our cover
page and in our running footers, we'll give our file a
generic name like "corp_logo.gif" and instruct the OEM
partners to replace this file with their own similarly
sized corporate logo.

Do both of these approaches seem reasonable and
optimal? I'm particularly concerned about the
logo-replacement issue. I'm pretty sure that images
and anchored frames can't have user variables attached
to them, so I'm sort of perplexed about any
other option besides replacing the existing logo. It
seems like there should be a better way than
overwriting our file... Am I missing something
obvious? Is there a good argument for using
conditional text for this problem? I'm hesitant to add
more conditional-text tags to our book, but I will
happily do it if it turns out to be the best solution.

I've Googled my little heart out searching for
OEM/rebranding best practices, especially in terms of
FrameMaker capabilities, and I'm coming up short.
Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can
offer!

-deb h.



__
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Peter Gold]

Bill:

One reason is to adjust text pagination, for final revision. 
Overriding keep-with, widow/orphan, start-position, and some other 
properties of paragraph formats may be necessary. However, it's easy 
to manage or restore original formatting by one or more of these 
methods:

* Save a pagination-only copy of the file
* Reapply the catalog definitions of the paragraph formats by 
importing them from the "current" document to itself, or by importing 
them from a master template, with Remove Manual Page Breaks, and 
Remove Other Format Overrides both turned on.

An alternative approach is to create dedicated variations of 
paragraph formats; this means more formats to manage, and no easy to 
revert the custom tweaks, aside from having saved an untweaked copy.

>There is no reason why anyone *needs* to use overrides, really. It's a
>matter of want and the lack of understanding to know any other way
>around the problem (or lack of thought or planning to avoid the
>situation).

-- 
Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
peter at knowhowpro.com

Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Art Campbell]

I think your variable/standard_file_name strategy will work fine so
long as all the versions for all the vendors are the same. As soon as
somebody adds or drops a feature, you'll probably have to go to
conditional text to control the differeing content in the chapter.

Art


On 1/17/06, Deb Hardy  wrote:
> For those of you who distribute your source files to
> OEM partners, would you be willing to share the basics
> of how you prepare your Frame files for rebranding?

>
> * For company name (and product names, if it becomes
> necessary), we'll create a user variable.
>
> * For the corporate logo that appears on our cover
> page and in our running footers, we'll give our file a
> generic name like "corp_logo.gif" and instruct the OEM
> partners to replace this file with their own similarly
> sized corporate logo.
>


--
Art Campbell art.campbell at 
gmail.com
  "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
   and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Ron Miller]

And I'm a perfect example of this. As I wrote, when I started using 
Frame, I was told in no uncertain terms to stay the heck away from the 
toolbar. Fearing the wrath of the production guru, I complied. ;)

In conclusion, if you are a manager, don't fix the interface, simply 
intimidate your workers into compliance. 

Ron



Bill Swallow wrote:
>>If you're in charge of template compliance, and especially if you're a
>>tech pubs manager, you might want to learn how to customize the FM
>>interface -- it's much easier to avoid overrides and ad hoc formatting
>>if the tools for creating them simply aren't there. :-)
> 
> 
> Being a manager and until recently a template owner, I completely
> disagree. UI tweaks passively hinder misuse. Proper training and
> education for writers actively prevents misuse, and even initiates
> their own investigation into other ways to prevent needless headaches
> in a documentation effort.
> 
> --
> Bill Swallow
> HATT List Owner
> WWP-Users List Owner
> 42.8162,-73.7736
> http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
> 
> I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.
> ___
> 
> 
> You are currently subscribed to Framers as ronsmiller at comcast.net.
> 
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
> framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
> or visit 
> http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/ronsmiller%40comcast.net
> 
> Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit
> http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
> 

Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Steve Rickaby]

At 11:22 am -0800 17/1/06, Deb Hardy wrote:

>Do both of these approaches seem reasonable and optimal? I'm particularly 
>concerned about the logo-replacement issue.

Deb - what you suggest sounds sensible: others might be able to suggest extra 
tricks. One thing you'll need to watch on the one-for-one logo image swap idea 
is the sizing of the raw image. I guess you'll need to specify something, 
otherwise template users will need to mess with image scaling, which will spoil 
the concept.

If you need to handle alternative text blocks, you have two main options: 
conditional text or text imports. Taking the latter to extremes, you can 
construct completely 'modular' documentation. Sarah O'Keefe goes into this in 
some detail in 'FrameMaker : The Complete Reference'.
-- 
Steve

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Stacy Dow]

This is becoming way too many inbound emails for me. 

I hate to leave this discussion group, but Outlook filters don't seem to
work because of the way the listserve functions. Any words of advice? If
not, can someone please tell me how to unsubscribe?

Thanks,
Stacy

-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+stacydow=yahoo-inc@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+stacydow=yahoo-inc.com at lists.frameusers.com] On
Behalf Of Peter Gold
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 11:28 AM
To: Bill Swallow
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

Bill:

One reason is to adjust text pagination, for final revision. 
Overriding keep-with, widow/orphan, start-position, and some other 
properties of paragraph formats may be necessary. However, it's easy 
to manage or restore original formatting by one or more of these 
methods:

* Save a pagination-only copy of the file
* Reapply the catalog definitions of the paragraph formats by 
importing them from the "current" document to itself, or by importing 
them from a master template, with Remove Manual Page Breaks, and 
Remove Other Format Overrides both turned on.

An alternative approach is to create dedicated variations of 
paragraph formats; this means more formats to manage, and no easy to 
revert the custom tweaks, aside from having saved an untweaked copy.

>There is no reason why anyone *needs* to use overrides, really. It's a
>matter of want and the lack of understanding to know any other way
>around the problem (or lack of thought or planning to avoid the
>situation).

-- 
Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
peter at knowhowpro.com
___


You are currently subscribed to Framers as stacydow at yahoo-inc.com.

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
or visit
http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/stacydow%40yahoo-inc.com

Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit
http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.

Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[Grant Hogarth]

That's basically what I do here.
In addition, I: 

1. Make sure that any screen captures are either generic in the first
place 
   (watch those file trees!) or are "cleaned up" before you ship them to
your OEM. 
2. Include a generated list of images for reference.
3. For maintainance releases, include a doc that lists all changes.
   (I created 2 markers: "ChangeText" & "Change Image", insert them
(with description text) 
and then generate a doc that lists these. I include the bug number
if there is one, 
mostly for my own use.)
4. Include a doc that lists all changes to paratypes, chartypes, etc.,
including context tags.
5. Mark all these additional docs "NOT FOR PUBLICATION" in the header (I
use 14 pt Comic Sans (Bold, Magenta)) 


Grant


-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 Deb Hardy
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 12:23 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

I originally posted this question on Friday, but it didn't go through.
(Switching to plain text now!) Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Deb Hardy  wrote:
For those of you who distribute your source files to OEM partners, would
you be willing to share the basics of how you prepare your Frame files
for rebranding? I think our rebranding efforts are going to be very
simple, but I want to go into this feeling confident that I've picked
the best approach.
I would be extremely grateful if any of you who have successfully
created re-brandable Frame files could share some wisdom. Here's what
I'm thinking so far:

* For company name (and product names, if it becomes necessary), we'll
create a user variable.

* For the corporate logo that appears on our cover page and in our
running footers, we'll give our file a generic name like "corp_logo.gif"
and instruct the OEM partners to replace this file with their own
similarly sized corporate logo.

Do both of these approaches seem reasonable and optimal? I'm
particularly concerned about the logo-replacement issue. I'm pretty sure
that images and anchored frames can't have user variables attached to
them, so I'm sort of perplexed about any other option besides replacing
the existing logo. It seems like there should be a better way than
overwriting our file... Am I missing something obvious? Is there a good
argument for using conditional text for this problem? I'm hesitant to
add more conditional-text tags to our book, but I will happily do it if
it turns out to be the best solution.

I've Googled my little heart out searching for OEM/rebranding best
practices, especially in terms of FrameMaker capabilities, and I'm
coming up short.
Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can offer!

-deb h.

OT: Problems with Acrobat 7 and Word 2000

[eric_isaac...@selinc.com]

Hello.  I'm hoping someone on this list either has experienced this 
problem or knows something about it.  I recently installed Acrobat 7 (and 
upgrade to 7.05) and was loving it until I opened Word 2000--when I did, 
Word gave me an application error message ("The memory could not be 
'read'.").  After following the Microsoft Knowledgebase article 
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906899/en-us) and uninstalling the 
PDFMaker plug-in, Word opens fine, but now I can't make PDFs from Word 
that have bookmarks/links.

I really don't want to have to go back to Acrobat 6, so does anyone know 
of this issue and possibly a work-around/fix so that I can go back to 
blissfully making PDFs from Word 2000?

Thanks.
--
This e-mail may contain SEL confidential or 
legally privileged information.  The opinions 
expressed are not necessarily those of SEL.  
Any unauthorized disclosure, distribution or 
other use is prohibited.  If you received this 
e-mail in error, please notify the sender, 
permanently delete it, and destroy any 
printed copies. 

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

> One reason is to adjust text pagination, for final revision.
> Overriding keep-with, widow/orphan, start-position, and some other
> properties of paragraph formats may be necessary. However, it's easy
> to manage or restore original formatting by one or more of these
> methods:

Trust me... if you put careful thought into how your information types
are used in your documentation, no overrides are necessary, even for
pagination.

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Bill Swallow]

Now if Ron (of all people) could be intimidated into compliance, then
it *must* work! LOL!!!

Seriously though, you get more mileage from shared knowledge than from
systematic limitations.

On 1/17/06, Ron Miller  wrote:
> And I'm a perfect example of this. As I wrote, when I started using
> Frame, I was told in no uncertain terms to stay the heck away from the
> toolbar. Fearing the wrath of the production guru, I complied. ;)
>
> In conclusion, if you are a manager, don't fix the interface, simply
> intimidate your workers into compliance. 

--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
42.8162,-73.7736
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

I support Char James-Tanny for STC Secretary.

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Doug]

> I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead
> of creating an override.

Of course, IMO the ultimate redefinition solution is to redefine the
shortcuts so they apply character and/or paragraph formats.  What
could be simpler than redefining CTRL+B to apply a bold character
format?  This could benefit both novice and experienced writers alike.
 I'm surprised this functionality isn't built into Frame, or at least
into Framescript (I haven't delved into the latter deeply enough to
discover it, if FS does indeed  possess this functionality).

--Doug

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Ridder, Fred]

I'm not sure I'd call this the "ultimate redefinition solution" because
it completely ignores the fact that there should be some underlying
*reason* why you need to present a word or phrase in boldface (or 
italic or whatever).  A large segment of the people responding to the
original survey question indicated that they use multiple character
format names that all produce a boldface result, because the 
different tag names allow them to capture some semantic metadata
about what makes the word or phrase special. 

My opinions only; I don't speak for Intel.
Fred Ridder (fred dot ridder at intel dot com)
Intel
Parsippany, NJ



-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+fred.ridder=intel@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+fred.ridder=intel.com at lists.frameusers.com] On
Behalf Of Doug
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:57 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

> I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead
> of creating an override.

Of course, IMO the ultimate redefinition solution is to redefine the
shortcuts so they apply character and/or paragraph formats.  What
could be simpler than redefining CTRL+B to apply a bold character
format?  This could benefit both novice and experienced writers alike.
 I'm surprised this functionality isn't built into Frame, or at least
into Framescript (I haven't delved into the latter deeply enough to
discover it, if FS does indeed  possess this functionality).

--Doug
___

JOB: Contract Technical Writer, Seattle, WA

[Andrew Becraft]

Hello framers,

We'd like to hire a contract technical writer for six to eight weeks, 
with a start date in the next two business weeks and an end date in 
March (when the project is scheduled to conclude).

I'm looking for a senior-level writer who can work on site here in our 
Seattle office. If you're interested, please send me your resume by 
e-mail.

I'm including the full job description below. My contact information 
appears in my signature.


Technical Writer (contract) - Singlestep Technologies Corp., Seattle, WA

Company Summary:

Singlestep Technologies? products and services help the largest global 
technology vendors solve complex integration problems for Fortune 2000 
companies and other large enterprises.  By capturing and transforming 
the raw data from the major network management and IT performance 
systems, Singlestep is able to give the largest console, framework and 
Business Process Optimization (BPO) vendors (such as Mercury, BMC, IBM, 
CA, HP) one consolidated stream of information.

Job Description:

Under the direction of the lead Technical Writer, the contract 
Technical Writer will be responsible for performing research, writing, 
and production tasks for user assistance deliverables on a new software 
product.

Primary Responsibilities:
Develop usable, technically accurate user assistance products (such as 
user guides and help) that conform to corporate writing style, 
structure, formatting guidelines, and the project plan.

Job Qualifications:
* More than five years of experience as a technical writer in the 
software industry.
* BA or BS in English, Technical Communication, Journalism, 
Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
* Expert user of Adobe FrameMaker.
* Expert user of business productivity applications (such as Microsoft 
Office or OpenOffice).
* Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
* Experience developing user assistance based on the Microsoft Manual 
of Style.
* Experience creating user assistance for system administrators or 
software developers.
* Familiarity with structured-authoring principles and best practices a 
strong plus.


I look forward to hearing from those of you who are interested.

Best regards,

Andrew Becraft
Senior Technical Writer
Singlestep Technologies
Connect. Simplify. Manage.

2601 Fourth Ave Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98121

P: 206.838.7982 direct (message sends email)
E: andrewb at singlestep.com

http://www.singlestep.com

The information contained in this transmission is privileged and/or 
confidential information intended for the use of the individual or 
entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended 
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, distribution or 
copying of this communication is strictly prohibited.

Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

[John Sgammato]

I rebrand our docset for a partner much the way described by Deb, with
some of Grant's ideas. The main difference is that I do the rebranding
myself rather than send source files to the partner (which has no tech
writer resource).  It is likely that this year will see at least one
additional rebranding partner, so I have put a lot of thought into it. 

I am a lone writer, so I have to be methodical and my system has to be
simple enough for me to manage even in that brain-dead state at the end
of the product release.

My conclusion so far:

(These are sometimes generally specific and sometimes more- or only
applicable to a software product or to a doc set that will keep the same
basic layout and doc size as our own. If the product is not software, or
if the rebrander will use different page layouts, sizes, etc, then some
of these do not apply to your situation.)

Use a set of variables for things like the company name, product name,
and part number, and to store the variables in one dedicated document so
I remember to update them all. 

Put all images in an Images folder, and use the same names and
dimensions. Screen captures can be tricky, because if they are not
captured the same way (geographically) then the edge of the screen
capture can be a variable distance from the edge of the frame. Assume
the rebrander will have to get all new screen captures and set a process
for it with image resolution, file format, etc all predefined. 

Put all text insets in an Insets folder. I especially use one for the
trademarks and copyright info on the back of the title page. 

After changing the variables, do a global search-replace for your
company and product names to catch any that were not variables,
including variants in a command line illustration or other types of
usage. For example, we used to install our software product into
\onesign\... and the partner installed into \touchpass\... That caused
headaches, so now we both install to \ssoprovider\ Until that time,
it was a problem for me, because the \onesign\ did not work with the
variable OneSign. 

Changing the variables in the text does not change the variables in the
markers, so the index has to be rebranded separately with a
search/replace. IXgen saves A LOT of time and effort here, because you
can do the search-replace in the IXgen file and then apply the changes
throughout. 

Use different variables for bolded and unbolded forms. IIRC markers do
not keep character formatting information. You can have apparently
random bold entries in your ToC if the variable is used in a heading
that has a bold format. Figure captions and unordered lists were also
problematic, all solved by using two variable styles.

If you use a logo or similar graphic treatment in a footer or to open a
chapter, the rebrander must use an image of similar dimensions unless
they are willing to adjust the page layouts to suit their own corporate
look.

If the rebrander uses a different font, be sure to look for special
characters like some bullets or "code" text. For example, if you use
Courier to show user input and Arial for everything else, and the
rebrander uses Verdana where you use Arial, then the Courier might also
need to be changed, or can get caught up in a careless
SelectAll-change-to-Verdana step.

Our product is called OneSign, and theirs is TouchPass. If their product
was called Applesandorangesandotherneatstuff, then two issues arise: 
1) pagination issues because their name is so long, so you may get odd
pages or two page spreads just because one lousy line got bumped to
another page
and 
2) every place that I say you need "a OneSign profile" they need to say
"an Applesandoranges" profile - the a/an is not part of your
variable and must be caught with a search-replace. 

Remember if the rebrander will need new screen captures, then they need
the software to get them from, including lists of acceptable usernames
if the product is a software product that shows lists of user accounts,
etc. I keep a separate database of users and applications and then when
it is time to get my final screencaps I purge all others out of the
machine I am working on and import my own known safe users and
applications. 

Be sure to check all examples and illustrations for hidden references to
your own company name. 

***
I am wondering if switching to Structured FrameMaker will make any of
this easier or more difficult...any ideas?

-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+jsgammato=imprivata@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+jsgammato=imprivata.com at lists.frameusers.com] On
Behalf Of Deb Hardy
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:23 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Rebranding/OEM'ing Frame files

I originally posted this question on Friday, but it
didn't go through. (Switching to plain text now!)
Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Deb Hardy  wrote:
For those of you who distribute your source files to
OEM partners, would you be willing to share the 

Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

[Joe Malin]

Note that using roman numerals does not preclude consecutive numbering.
The only change is that the text part of the book no longer starts on
page 1. 


 Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
jmalin at tuvox.com 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.


The only people bothered were the traditionalists among the
documentation staff, of which I am one :-> I liked the idea of
indicating that front matter was inherently not a "content" page even
though the original production reason for not numbering front matter
with Arabic numbers was no longer necessary. However, even I could not
argue that the distinction was worth the confusion caused by the page
numbering variance in the PDF or any extra work on the part of the
production staff.

-- Janice

Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker

[Bodvar Bjorgvinsson]

The practical thing about using roman numbering in front matter, back
matter and generated pages and arabic in the body could be that it may
speed up the process of getting to the actual "contents" of the book
in acting as one more optical aid.

Just my 2 cents...

Bodvar

On 1/17/06, Joe Malin  wrote:
> Hi!
>
--- snipped ---
>
> Would readers care? Would someone else be upset?
>
>
> Joe Malin
> Technical Writer
> (408)625-1623
> jmalin at tuvox.com
> www.tuvox.com
> The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
> necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Joe Malin
> Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:10 AM
> To: framers at FrameUsers.com
> Cc: 'techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com'
> Subject: Setting Logical Page Numbering from FrameMaker
>
> Good morning, all!
>
> Acrobat/PDF 7 has a feature called logical page numbering. This allows
> you to display the PDF page numbers starting with 1 as the first page,
> and also the document's page numbers, starting with whatever number is
> on the first page (usually i). This accounts for front and back matter
> in a book. The document page number appears in the page display at the
> bottom, followed by the PDF number in parentheses.
>
> ___
>
>
> You are currently subscribed to Framers as bodvar at gmail.com.
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
> or visit 
> http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/bodvar%40gmail.com
>
> Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit
> http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
>

POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?

[Frank Elmore]

- Original Message - 
From: "Doug" 
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: POLL: Which method do you use to apply bold and italics?


> I've redefined over 60 shortcuts so they open a catalog instead
> of creating an override.

Of course, IMO the ultimate redefinition solution is to redefine the
shortcuts so they apply character and/or paragraph formats.  What
could be simpler than redefining CTRL+B to apply a bold character
format?  This could benefit both novice and experienced writers alike.
 I'm surprised this functionality isn't built into Frame, or at least
into Framescript (I haven't delved into the latter deeply enough to
discover it, if FS does indeed  possess this functionality).

--Doug

Hello All,

Funny that you should mention this. I wrote up this short FrameScript script 
today. It traps the Ctl-B or the Bold formatting button (also the Ctl-I or 
Italic button) and applies the named format instead. It will also create the 
character format if it is not already present. You can choose any name you 
wish (or better yet, choose an appropriate name from your template).

This script must be installed because it is an event script that waits 
quietly in the background for an appropriate event to occur.

This script can serve as a template for overriding just about any Frame 
Function that translates into an FCode.

Frank Elmore
Project leader for FrameScript


//--

// This is an Event Script. It must be 'Installed' to function. Use the 
FrameScript->Install command or
// the Install Script FrameScript command.

// You can replace the Character Format names below with ones of your own 
choosing.

Event Initialize

  // Names of the character formats to create/apply
   Set gvTxtBoldCharFmtName = 'MyBold';
   Set gvTxtItalicCharFmtName = 'MyItalic';

EndEvent

Event NotePreFunction

   If FrameDoc
  If IParm = eUtl.FCode{'TxtBold'} // FCode for the Ctl-B or Bold 
Formatting Button
 Run ApplyBoldCharFmtToSelection pvDoc(FrameDoc);
 Return Cancel;  // Cancel the original BOLD (Ctl-B or B Button) 
command
  ElseIf IParm = eUtl.FCode{'TxtItalic'}  // FCode for the Ctl-I or 
Italic Formatting Button
 Run ApplyItalicCharFmtToSelection pvDoc(FrameDoc);
 Return Cancel;  // Cancel the original ITALIC (Ctl-I or I Button) 
command
  EndIf
   EndIf

EndEvent

// The following subroutine gets the Character Format (specified by 
gvTxtBoldCharFmtName) and applies
// it to the current selection. A new character format is created if it does 
not exist.
Sub ApplyBoldCharFmtToSelection using pvDoc

   Local lvCharFmt;

   Get Object DocObject(pvDoc) Type(CharFmt) Name(gvTxtBoldCharFmtName) 
NewVar(lvCharFmt);
   If lvCharFmt = 0
  // If not present, make a new one
  Local lvStat lvPos;
  Find Member('Bold') InList(FontWeightNames) ReturnStatus(lvStat) 
ReturnPos(lvPos);
  If lvStat
   // Create character format with everything As Is except the Font 
weight which is Bold.
 New CharFmt NewVar(lvCharFmt) DocObject(pvDoc) 
Name(gvTxtBoldCharFmtName) FontWeight(lvPos - 1);
  EndIf
   EndIf

   If lvCharFmt
  Apply TextProperties TextRange(pvDoc.TextSelection) 
Properties(lvCharFmt.Properties);
   EndIf

EndSub

// The following subroutine gets the Character Format (specified by 
gvTxtItalicCharFmtName) and applies
// it to the current selection. A new character format is created if it does 
not exist.
Sub ApplyItalicCharFmtToSelection using pvDoc

   Local lvCharFmt;

   Get Object DocObject(pvDoc) Type(CharFmt) Name(gvTxtItalicCharFmtName) 
NewVar(lvCharFmt);
   If lvCharFmt = 0
  // If not present, make a new one
  Local lvStat lvPos;
  Find Member('Italic') InList(FontAngleNames) ReturnStatus(lvStat) 
ReturnPos(lvPos);
  If lvStat
   // Create character format with everything As Is except the Font 
Angle which is Italic.
 New CharFmt NewVar(lvCharFmt) DocObject(pvDoc) 
Name(gvTxtItalicCharFmtName) FontAngle(lvPos - 1);
  EndIf
   EndIf

   If lvCharFmt
  Apply TextProperties TextRange(pvDoc.TextSelection) 
Properties(lvCharFmt.Properties);
   EndIf

EndSub



___


You are currently subscribed to Framers as elmsoft at comcast.net.

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
or visit 
http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/elmsoft%40comcast.net

Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit
http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.