Feathering conflicts (shortcomings?)
Hi Bodvar, One clunky way of doing drop caps is to use subscript for the first character and set large values for your subscript values. Choose Format > Document > Text Options and try 280% for the Subscript Size and 115% for the Offset. Make sure the Line Spacing on your paragraphs is Fixed. You will still have to use non-breaking spaces to bump the second line past the drop cap character, but overall, this is easier than using anchored frames. The other solution is to avoid feathering altogether. If you set all of your space above/below values to be muliples of your leading values, you can use Baseline Synchronization instead of Feathering to get balanced and aligned columns. I will send you a drop cap sample to you separately. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >I am trying to feather a book. However, there is one problem. > The book is The New Testament, that I have posted about several times > this summer. I ended up setting it up structured, as I ran into too > many problems with the InDesign-to-Word files. All that went well, > and, of course, I decided to save the last things until last. :-) > > I have told about my problems with balanced columns (some lines > vanishing below the bottom of the text frame). This still is a > problem. In some files I can just uncheck that feature, but not > everywhere, I think. > > FrameMaker lacks in Drop cap letters. All chapters have to be set in a > similar way, so I had to set them into an Run-into-paragraph Anchored > frame. This was a rather time consuming work. Which seemingly also > kills any possibility of feathering. This is also documented almost > not to show (pg 303 in the User Guide). :-( > > If I feather, the flow only feathers on pages with no chapter numbers! > > I have found no way around the anchored frame. > > Does anyone have a way around this problem? > > I am suddenly in a tight schedule as I have to deliver the final pdf > tomorrow instead of next weekend. > > Thanks beforehand for any help. > > Bodvar Bjorgvinsson > ___
Tables sorts
Hi Steve, Follow these general steps: 1) Convert the table to paragraphs. 2) Convert the table back to a single column table. Do this by selecting the paragraphs, choose Table > Convert to Table, Treat Each Paragraph As A Cell, Number of Columns: 1. 3) Sort the single column table. 4) Convert the table to paragraphs. 5) Convert the table back to a two column table. Do this by selecting the paragraphs, choose Table > Convert to Table, Treat Each Paragraph As A Cell, Number of Columns: 2. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >I am wrestling with tables sorting. I have 2-c tables sorted like this: > > a e > b f > c f > d h > > but I have been asked to sort them as... > > a b > c d > e f > g h > > None of the sort options I try works. Can anyone advise me? Or do I have > to sort the tables by hand? > > -- > Steve > ___
I'm impressed with Adobe
Hi Tina, I appreciate your thoughts, but if you look at it from a larger perspective, Adobe shouldn't get too much credit here. FrameMaker has had PDF (another Adobe technology) integration for a long time and this should have been fixed before FrameMaker 8 was released. We are not asking for perfect software, but it should at least work as well as previous versions. Yes, we now know that FrameMaker is not dead. But it is evident that it is not getting a lot of Adobe's resources or attention, at least not compared to other Adobe products. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi all, > > Just thought I'd update the list. Over the last few weeks of working with > Frame 8, I've uncovered two bugs, the most recent of which was not being > able to create a PDF file (File > Save As PDF) when there is a generated > file in the book. > > After I got a workaround from this list, I also got an email from a QA > person at Adobe, who is monitoring this list. I sent off my file to them, > and they have verified the bug and are working on a fix. > > I've worked in software long enough to know that fixes don't happen > overnight, and that there has never been a perfect piece of software in > the > history of the universe. I am impressed by their responsiveness though, > the > fact that they are following this list, and they're actively paying > attention to bugs. > > Tina > > tina ricks | kristina.ricks at verizon.net | 503-531-3233 > > technical writing and editing
SOLVED: Re: Single MIF for FrameMaker book
It turns out that creating a single FM document for all of the files in the book was the best approach. I was able to do this with a FrameScript script, and I now have a happy client. Thanks for all of the suggestions. If anyone else has this need, please let me know. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >>So, in reality, the *only* way to create this single MIF is to first >>solve the problem of creating a single FM document for all the files >>in the book. If that can't be done, or is considered too cumbersome, >>then the single MIF file cannot be created either. It's really that >>simple since both formats are simply two representations of the same >>underlying data structures. > > You're absolutely right. It would be best created using > Frame. But it would be a very, very expensive Bad Idea. > > If the customer still insists on this impossible dream, > I'd send them elsewhere. Anywhere else. ;-) > > -- Jeremy H. Griffith, at Omni Systems Inc. >http://www.omsys.com/ > > ** To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo at omsys.com ** > ** with "unsubscribe framers" (no quotes) in the body. ** >
ANN: Excel To FrameMaker
Hello Framers, I have had considerable sucess using FrameScript to import Excel data into FrameMaker. Here is a workflow example: 1) Put the insertion point in a paragraph. 2) Choose FrameScript > Import Table. You will be prompted for a spreadsheet file (*.xls). 3) You will be prompted with a list of all the worksheets in the spreadsheet. Select the one you want to insert. The data is inserted in a fully-formatted FrameMaker table. You can continue to edit and update the data in Excel. To update the corresponding FrameMaker tables, you choose FrameScript > Update Tables and all of the tables are updated with the latest spreadsheet data. This is only one example of what can be done; the process can be automated further. If you have any interest in an Excel to FrameMaker workflow, please contact me offlist with your specific requirements. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
OT: Looking for a former Framer
Hello Framers, Any one know if Lee Goldschmidt is still around and how to contact him? He used to be on the Framers list around 3 years ago. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Manipulating EDDs with Framescript
Hi Adam, You might want to check the FrameScript group at http://groups.yahoo.com. Do you want to add values to attributes that already exist, or are you trying to add new, valid attributes to the element? Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hi all, I need to add two attributes for an element to the EDD of all of our documents. The simple way to do this would be to take a template EDD and use the Import ElementDefs command in Framescript. However, this poses a problem, because not all of our documents necessarily use the same EDD (usually - I believe - just minor tweaks for formatting purposes, as they all must comply to the same xml DTD) So, what I'd really like to do, in order to eliminate the risk my EDD changes may have unintended consequences, is add attributes to the EDD of the document.. or even import just a part of an EDD (ie. instead of overwriting the entire EDD with a template EDD, only overwrite those elements defined in the template). However, I can't seem to find a way to do this. Any suggestions on how I might accomplish this? Or is there a better approach? Thanks, Adam Schweitzer Orenda Aerospace Corporation ___
adding blank pages without affecting page numbers
Hi Milan, If you are always adding a blank page after each of the existing pages, you could have an Acrobat JavaScript script add them to the PDF file. Everytime you make a new PDF file, you would run the JavaScript script on the PDF file. You could also use FrameScript to postprocess the PDF file and add the pages. But if you only have 6 pages and you are not going to make the PDF many times, you might be better off adding the pages to the PDF by hand. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > I'm working on a legacy doc (unstructured; Frame 7.2); the author is > no longer available for consultation. > > In the Frame file, I have six pages, numbered x of 6. I have a PDF of > this file (the previously approved and released version, which I am > now revising); each of these pages is followed by a blank page. Let's > assume that these are needed -- I don't know why, and there isn't time > to find out. > > Does anyone know of something I can set up in the Frame file so that I > don't have to remember to add the pages in Acrobat? As far as I can > tell, the addition of blank pages was done manually. I tried adding > Disconnected Pages in Frame, but it affects the page count. > > Many thanks. > > -- > Milan Davidovic > http://altmilan.blogspot.com > ___
adding blank pages without affecting page numbers
Hi Milan, Here is a FrameMaker solution you can try for fun (at your own risk). Assuming you don't anticipate much page flow and you are using unstructured FrameMaker, try this: 1) Open the document. 2) Press Esc p z and click Freeze. 3) Put your cursor at the bottom of each content page and press Return until a new "point" page is added. 4) Go to each of the new, "blank" point pages. Choose Format > Page Layout > Master Page Usage and apply "None" master page to each of the point pages. This will suppress the point page numbers. Before you get too excited, check the document carefully. You may encounter any of the following problems: * Autonumbers will reset in each of the text frames. * Tables that break across pages will short circuit the page numbers. You can reverse the frozen pages by choosing Esc p z and clicking Unfreeze. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > I'm working on a legacy doc (unstructured; Frame 7.2); the author is > no longer available for consultation. > > In the Frame file, I have six pages, numbered x of 6. I have a PDF of > this file (the previously approved and released version, which I am > now revising); each of these pages is followed by a blank page. Let's > assume that these are needed -- I don't know why, and there isn't time > to find out. > > Does anyone know of something I can set up in the Frame file so that I > don't have to remember to add the pages in Acrobat? As far as I can > tell, the addition of blank pages was done manually. I tried adding > Disconnected Pages in Frame, but it affects the page count. > > Many thanks. > > -- > Milan Davidovic > http://altmilan.blogspot.com > ___
Further information on Building blocks in FrameMaker
Hi Amit, There is no "if-then" syntax for Running Header/Footer variables, but you might be able to use FrameScript to script what you are looking for. If you send me a sample file and a detailed description of what you are looking for, I can tell you if it is feasible with a script. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hello everyone, I wanted to know if there was a way to setup a "if...,them..." syntax within FrameMaker. The reason I'm asking is that I am troubleshooting an issue with the header. I currently have a hierarchical system assisted to the tag order, but one tag need to be void (undisplayed) if an instance of a special tag is used. By using the "if...,then.." style syntax, it can save me alot of time. Thanks S. "Amit" Daya
OT: Recording DVDs
I am sorry for the seriously off-topic post, but here goes. I need to record some VCR tapes onto DVD. I can buy hardware to do this, but is there a method for making a "menu" for the DVD so I can navigate to different sections on the DVD (like a commercial DVD)? Thanks in advance. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Recording DVDs (Clarification)
Hi Framers, Here is exactly what I am trying to do. I have a VCR/DVD recorder combo hooked up to my TV (not computer). I want to record the contents of the VCR onto a DVD. Then I want to add "chapters" to the DVD after its recorded. Is it possible to do this with software? Thanks. Rick >I am sorry for the seriously off-topic post, but here goes. I need to >record some VCR tapes onto DVD. I can buy hardware to do this, but is there >a method for making a "menu" for the DVD so I can navigate to different >sections on the DVD (like a commercial DVD)? Thanks in advance. > > Rick Quatro > Carmen Publishing > 585-659-8267 > www.frameexpert.com
WANTED: Freelance copy editors or proof readers
Hello All, A client of mine is looking for freelance copy editors and proof readers. If you are interested, please contact me offlist. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
FDK: FDK8 and Visual C++ 2003
According the FrameMaker 8 FDK Supplement, I can compile FDK 8 clients in
Visual C++ 2003 (7.1). On page 22, it says to put the following lines in the
source code of the FDK client:
extern "C" {
long _ftol2(double);
long _ftol2_sse(double dblSource) { return _ftol2(dblSource); } }
When I do that and attempt to build the plugin, I get a synax error pointing
to the line
extern "C"
The error is
error C2059: syntax error: 'string'
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Rick Quatro
Carmen Publishing
585-659-8267
www.frameexpert.com
FDK8: Is anyone compiling FDK8 clients?
Hello All, Is anyone successfully compiling FDK 8 clients with Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition? I am trying to compile some of the sample clients but I am getting Link errors: Compiling... aframes.c Linking... Creating library .\debug/aframes.lib and object .\debug/aframes.exp api.lib(apiclib.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __imp__DispatchMessageA at 4 referenced in function _F_ApiService api.lib(apiclib.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __imp__TranslateMessage at 4 referenced in function _F_ApiService api.lib(apiclib.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __imp__GetMessageA at 16 referenced in function _F_ApiService .\debug/aframes.dll : fatal error LNK1120: 3 unresolved externals Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.Rick QuatroCarmen Publishing585-659-8267www.frameexpert.com
FDK: FDK8 and Visual C++ 2003
Hi Scott,
That worked! I added the lines to my code and it compiled without errors or
warnings. Thanks for your generous help.
Rick
> Hi Rick...
>
> Here's what I've added to the code to compile FDK8 apps in VC7 (VS2003) ..
>
> // FDK8 required in VC7
> #include
> #include
> int _stat32( const char *path, struct _stat *buffer ) { return _stat(path,
> buffer); }
> int _wstat32( const wchar_t *path, struct _stat *buffer ) { return
> _wstat(path, buffer); }
> long _ftol( double );
> long _ftol2_sse( double dblSource ) { return _ftol( dblSource ); }
>
> I'm successfully compiling with VC8 (VS2005 Standard) .. I don't know
> about the "Express Edition". Note that if you want to build an
> import/export client you must use VC8, but you can build regular clients
> using older versions of the compiler.
>
> If you need more info, you might want to try the "frame_dev" Yahoo group.
>
> Cheers,
>
> ...scott
>
> Scott Prentice
> Leximation, Inc.
> www.leximation.com
> +1.415.485.1892
>
>
>
> Rick Quatro wrote:
>> According the FrameMaker 8 FDK Supplement, I can compile FDK 8 clients in
>> Visual C++ 2003 (7.1). On page 22, it says to put the following lines in
>> the source code of the FDK client:
>>
>> extern "C" {
>> long _ftol2(double);
>> long _ftol2_sse(double dblSource) { return _ftol2(dblSource); } }
>>
>> When I do that and attempt to build the plugin, I get a synax error
>> pointing to the line
>>
>> extern "C"
>>
>> The error is
>>
>> error C2059: syntax error: 'string'
>>
>> Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
>>
>> Rick Quatro
>> Carmen Publishing
>> 585-659-8267
>> www.frameexpert.com
>>
>> ___
>>
>>
>
Taking a screen shot with the cursor
Hi Gillian, SnagIt from TechSmith does this. http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Does anyone know how to take a screenshot so that the screenshot > includes the mouse and where it's pointing to? > > > Thank you, > > > > <mailto:gflato at nanometrics.com> > > Gillian Flato > > Technical Writer (Software) > > nanometrics > > 1550 Buckeye Dr. > > Milpitas, CA. 95035 > > (408.545.6316 > > 7 408.232.5911 > > * gflato at nanometrics <mailto:gflato at nanometrics.com> .com >
tables
Hi Mollye, I have a FrameScript script that will rename table formats. So you could rename the formats that you are trying to eliminate to the ones you want to keep. When the script renames the formats, it will delete the old name from the table catalog. The script is controlled by a simple INI file: [TblFmts] ; Old format=new format Employee Listing=Format A PCCCOM With Lines=Format A Product Table-Gray Heading=Format A In this example, they are changing 3 table formats to Format A. The script works on a single document or book. The cost is $40 and the script requires FrameScript in order to run (http://www.framescript.com). Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks. Rick Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com - Original Message - From: "Mollye Barrett" To: Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 11:02 AM Subject: tables > Hi All, > > I have several unstructured templates in about 150 files. There are lots > of different table formats, though many of them are similar. What I need > to do is to narrow the usage and remove the unused table formats. Is there > a method in Frame 8 or a plugin that will help? > > Any help is appreciated! > > Mollye Barrett > ClearPath, LLC > 414-331-1378 > ___ > > > You are currently subscribed to Framers as frameexpert at truevine.net. > > Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com > or visit > http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/frameexpert%40truevine.net > > Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit > http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. >
managing condition tags
Hello All, Somehow I missed this thread. I can write a FrameScript script to do whatever you want to conditions. However, I think FindChangeFormatsBatch should delete the condition after it maps it. If you just want a straightforward "DeleteUnusedConditions" let me know and I will give you a price. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi Rene and FrameUsers, > > I am also looking for a tool like this: a plug-in or Framescript to manage > condition tags at book level. > > Thanks in advance. > > Yves Barbion > Scripto > Belgium > > > > On Fri, May 12, 2006 at 3:32 PM, Rene S. wrote: > >> [...] >> >> However, I still would like to know if there's a tool by which I can >> delete >> condition tags at the book level, preferably in a batch process, and >> ideally >> providing a way to indicate whether to remap the tag, delete the tagged >> text, or convert the tagged text to unconditional text. Any ideas? >> >> Thanks, >> Rene S. >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Rene S. [mailto:rinnie1 at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:33 PM >> To: 'framers at lists.frameusers.com' >> Subject: managing condition tags >> >> >> Is there a similar tool that will clean out the unused condition tags? If >> not, is there at least a tool, plugin, or FrameScript that can provide a >> report of all the condition tags used in the book? I think it is >> possible, >> because View > Show/Hide Conditional Text does display all the tags in >> the >> book. I can use FindChangeFormatsBatch to remap the unnecessary condition >> tags to different tags or to a single tag, but then I'd have to open each >> template file to manually delete each unnecessary condition tag, one at a >> time. >> >> -- >> No virus found in this outgoing message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.5/335 - Release Date: 5/9/2006 >> >> >> ___ >> >> >> You are currently subscribed to Framers as yves.barbion at gmail.com. >> >> Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. >> >> To unsubscribe send a blank email to >> framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com >> or visit >> http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/yves.barbion%40gmail.com >> >> Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit >> http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. >> > ___ > > > You are currently subscribed to Framers as frameexpert at truevine.net. > > Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com > or visit > http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/frameexpert%40truevine.net > > Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit > http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. >
ANN: PDF Watermarks via FrameMaker/FrameScript
Hello Framers, you will be interested in this if you add watermarks to your PDFs in Acrobat . I have figured out a way to add them automatically using FrameScript. This would be especially useful if you are already using FrameScript to produce your PDFs and are currently adding the watermarks "by hand." Even if you are not currently using FrameScript, this could be a way to get started and save a ton of time and manual work. There are many ways that this could be implemented. For example, a watermark could be added that would match a particular variable value in your documents. Watermarks could quickly be added to folders of existing PDF files. This would require Acrobat Professional 7 or above and FrameScript 4.1R2 or above. If you are interested in exploring this further, please contact me offlist with your requirements. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
ANN: Script for finding unresolved conrefs
Hello Framers, I have a FrameScript script that checks a folder (and optionally, subfolders) of .dita files for unresolved conrefs. Details about any unresolved conrefs are written to a report file. The script requires FrameScript 4.1R2 or higher and MSXML 4.0 or higher (Microsoft's free XML parser). If you are interested, please contact me offlist. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Long running headers
Make the master page text frame tall enough so that you can see the second line. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > I've inherited this Frame book. There's a master page that has two > running header variables in the header, one for the chapter title and > the other for the current heading 1. On one of the pages in the > manual, both the chapter title and the heading 1 are long. Whoever > last modified this book managed to get the text for the heading 1 to > wrap so that it looks something like this: > > Blah blah blah blah blahYadda yadda yadda > yadda yadda yadda > > but I don't know where to look to see how they did this. It has come > undone so that the second line of the text on the right has > disappeared. I must restore this. Changing the text of either the > chapter title or the heading is not an option, and att this time in > the project I prefer not to get into playing with font sizes. > > Your wisdom and guidance, please & thanks. > > -- > Milan Davidovic > http://altmilan.blogspot.com > http://stctorcomp.blogspot.com
OT: Cordless headset
Hello Framers, I am moving soon and looking to upgrade my home office. I would like to find a nice 2-line phone with a cordless headset. I would like to be able to answer the phone remotely from the headset, if possible. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Conditional text insets
Hi Gary, Here is an idea for solving this with a script. Each text inset has a "Unique" property, which acts as a serial number for the inset. This number remains constant, even after the inset is updated. You could follow a workflow similar to this. 1) Import and correctly conditionalize your insets. 2) Run a script that would loop through the insets and pick up its Unique value and the current condtion applied. This information would be stored in some kind of "database." 3) After insets are updated, another script would be run that would "lookup" each text inset's Unique value in the database and retrieve the appropriate condition for that inset. The script would apply the proper condition to each text inset. Of course, a script like this could be run on a single document, book, or an entire folder (and subfolders) of documents. It could be further automated so that the first script could be run automatically whenever the document is closed, and the second script could be run automatically when the script is opened (after the insets are updated). As usual, with FrameScript the sky is the limit. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com - Original Message - From: "Duncan, Gary" To: Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:20 AM Subject: Conditional text insets > Hi everyone, > > > > We are trying to use text insets that get called into the chapter and > then are conditionalized from within the container file. For example, if > we want the content of an inset to appear only in Help, we give it a > HelpOnly condition from within the container file. We do not want to > conditionalize the text inset content itself because the condition may > not be appropriate in other places we use the inset. > > > > This works fine until we revise the inset and it gets called back into > the container file. The condition is lost. At first, it seemed like a > bug. But after thinking about it, it makes sense that reimporting the > text inset replaces everything associated with the previous version. The > buggy thing is that Frame still indicates that the inset is conditional > (in the lower left corner of the screen where the paragraph/flow info > shows). The conditional dialog indicates that the inset is conditional, > but does not indicate which condition. In the end, however, the > information seems bogus because if you click on something else, then > click back on the inset, the info is carried over from the previous text > you clicked on. > > > > If the conditional info was truly held in Frame, I was hoping that a > solution could be a script that scans for insets with associated > conditions and update and apply the condition. Now, I am not so hopeful. > > > > Has anyone run into this and solved the problem? > > > > Thank you... > > > > Gary > > ___ > > > You are currently subscribed to Framers as frameexpert at truevine.net. > > Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com > or visit > http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/frameexpert%40truevine.net > > Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit > http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. >
import only one
Hi Milan, Here is the low-tech way of doing it. 1) Make a copy of the "from" document. 2) Delete all of the paragraph formats except the one you want to import. 3) Import paragraph formats from the "from" document with the single paragraph format into your target document or book. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >I couldn't think of good terms for searching for this answer using > Google -- suggestions are welcome... > > I'm in Frame 7.2 on Windows. When I want to import, say, one paragraph > format from another FrameMaker file into the one I'm working in, I go > File > Import > Formats and then select Paragraph Formats, importing > *all* the paragraph formats from that other file. > > Is there a way (including scripts, plugins, etc.) of importing only > the one that I want? > > -- > Milan Davidovic > http://altmilan.blogspot.com > http://stctorcomp.blogspot.com > ___
OT: In Praise of Framers and QuickBooks Pro 2008
Hello Framers, First of all, I want to thank all of you Framers who generously answer my off-topic posts. I have received some great suggestions and guidance on many topics over the years. Framers are smart! Now on to my latest OT post. I am getting ready to incorporate my business and my accountant recommended QuickBooks Pro 2008. I was getting ready to buy it, but I am a little spooked by the negative reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. Does anyone here have any feedback on it? Also, are there any Intuit folks on the list? I would be willing to barter some FrameScript work for a legal copy of QuickBooks Pro 2008. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Microsoft XP support
I recently bought an Acer laptop with Vista. Because of all the anti-Vista press, I was prepared to install XP or a dual boot setup. However, I decided to work with Vista first. So far, it has worked just fine with FrameMaker 7.2, 8.0, and FrameScript 5.1. The key may be RAM; I have 3Gb and it doesn't seem sluggish at all. Your use of "NEVER" may be based on experience, but if it's based on the opinion of others, you may want to give it a chance. Even if you go with Linux or Mac OSX, you will have to have some flavor of Windows if you are going to run FrameMaker. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > When my XP stops working, that's when I'll either try Linux or buy a > Macintosh. I will NEVER use Vista! > Sincerely, > Dan--Ft. Lauderdale > > > According to this morning's newspaper, Microsoft plans to discontinue > its support of XP on June 30th. Is this something we should be discussing? > ___
Microsoft XP support
For those looking to "save" Windows XP, you may want to check this out: http://weblog.infoworld.com/save-xp/ Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > According to this morning's newspaper, Microsoft plans to discontinue > its support of XP on June 30th. Is this something we should be discussing?
Scripting - The Update command...
Hi Stephen, As Tammy said, we had some problems getting text insets to update programmatically through FrameScript. The solution was code to actually reimport the text insets. This isn't the most efficient approach, but it works. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com I have a document in a book (FM 7.2) that contains a large text inset. When I update manually the book, the document contents and those of its text inset (which contains cond. formats) update correctly. My script opens the same book and turns on the correct cond. formats one document at a time and then updates the book. The output is not the same. The text inset does not always update. I've read the command description (UPDATE) and updating the text insets is the automatique behavior. Note that in other cases all works well. Any idea what may be wrong... Thanks for your ideas... Stephen O'Brien Technical Writer / R?dacteur technique InnovMetric Software Inc. / InnovMetric Logiciels inc. 2014, Cyrille-Duquet, suite 310 Qu?bec (Qu?bec) Canada G1N 4N6 Tel.: (418) 688-2061 Fax: (418) 688-3001 E-mail: sobrien at innovmetric.com www.innovmetric.com PolyWorks, the Universal 3D Metrology Software Platform for Manufacturing (TM)
FM 8 Book listing Font size
Hi Stephen, Go to File > Preferences > General and try changing the Monitor Size setting. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com - Original Message - From: "Stephen O'Brien" To: ; Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 11:38 AM Subject: FM 8 Book listing Font size Hi Framers, My screen definition is at 1280X1024. When I open a book, the font used to display the contents of the book is small for me. I have looked a bit at customizing FM. Didn't find anything to solve this problem. Any ideas. Thanks. Stephen O'Brien R?dacteur technique / Technical Writer InnovMetric Logiciels inc. / InnovMetric Software Inc. 2014, Cyrille-Duquet, suite 310 Qu?bec (Qu?bec) Canada G1N 4N6 Tel.: (418) 688-2061 Fax: (418) 688-3001 E-mail: sobrien at innovmetric.com www.innovmetric.com PolyWorks, the Universal 3D Metrology Software Platform for Manufacturing (TM)
Strangeness with Autonumbers
Hi Robert, There is an autonumbered paragraph between the two that is resetting one of the numbers. The easiest way to try to fix this is to add a series label to the H1, H2, and H3 autonumbers. A series label is a single letter followed by a colon; for example, - H1 - H:<$chapnum>. - H2 - H:<$chapnum>.. - H3 - H:<$chapnum>... All of the autonumbers in the same series "work together" and are not affected by any other autonumber paragraphs. If this doesn't solve the problem, send me a document offlist and I will tell you where the problem is. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hello Everyone, I?m new to the list - but I am looking forward to helping and contributing. I?ve only been using Frame for a couple of years now, but I am getting more and more experienced every day . . . But not experienced enough to the bottom of this *Strangeness with Autonumbers*. So I have four heading levels (Chapter.H1.H2.H3), and I need to have numbered headings. I have the following autonumber formats. - H1 - <$chapnum>. - H2 - <$chapnum>.. - H3 - <$chapnum>... Everything should be fine, right? Well, it works in most of my chapters, but in others it fails. The typical failure looks like: - 3.2 - 3.2.1 - 3.0.1 (where it should be 3.3.1) - Then I get 3.0.1 many times, suddenly a 3.2.1 and on and on, and it seems to be random. I believe that my autonumbering format is correct, but that the numbering must obviously be continued. A journey to *Format > Document > Numbering > Paragraph > Continue Numbering* has been unsuccessful. The fundamental numbering of the paragraphs is incorrect, but apart from the *Continue Numbering* solution, I cannot think of anything. When I created the document, I copied and pasted from previous headings, and I can?t help but think that this is the source of my problems. Any help you guys can provide would be much appreciated, and again, I am really looking forward to contributing to this list. Thanks, Robert -- Robert Rogge 93-423-1784
Cross references in a text inset
A safer alternative is to "unlock" all of the text insets before creating the PDF. There is a TiLocked property of text insets that is not available in the FrameMaker interface. When you set this property to "False" it allows the text inset to act like native text. The beauty is that you can restore the text inset by resetting the TiLocked property to True. Note that if you have cross-references from one text inset to another, this method won't work. Your link will appear in the PDF, but it will be looking for the source inset file instead of the container file. I have FrameScript scripts to deal with cross-references in text insets, including those from one inset to another. If you are interested in a FrameScript solution, please contact me offlist. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Gyanesh Talwar wrote: > >> I have a text inset with cross references in it (the destination of > cross >> refs also is in the same text inset.). When I generate a PDF, the > cross >> references do not work, the hypertext in the inset works though. After >> converting the text inset into text and then writing the PDF, the > cross >> references start working in the PDF. >> >> Am I supposed to convert the text inset to text or am I missing > something >> here? Is there another way to make the cross references work? > > Yep, that's the workaround for this particular bug: > > 1. Save all files in the book. > 2. Convert all text insets to text. > 3. Create PDF. > 4. Close all files *without saving*. > > Step 4 is, of course, critical. If you have FrameScript, the whole > process can be automated. If you have to do it manually, be careful and > consider working on copies of your files. > > Richard > > > Richard G. Combs > Senior Technical Writer > Polycom, Inc. > richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom > 303-223-5111 > -- > rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom > 303-777-0436 > --
FM<-->MIF round-tripping
Hi Adam, Yes, converting back and forth between FM binary and MIF is considered safe. There are a couple of exceptions that I can think of: 1) If you save a FM document as MIF and then use an earlier version of FrameMaker to open the MIF document, you will lose "features" that are not supported in the earlier version of FrameMaker. 2) If you save a structured document as MIF and attempt to open it with unstructured FM, you would lose the original document's structure. However, you should get a warning about this when you open the document. As far as the task at hand, you could use FrameScript for this and not have to bother with the FM to MIF to FM step at all. Send me a sample document offlist and I will see what is involved with writing a script. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Is converting between .fm and .mif file formats considered to be safe > (ie. no data lost in translation)? My understanding is that they should > be - and indeed, I did not notice any glaring differences when I open a > .fm and it's corrosponding .mif in Framemaker. > > However, when I attempted the following experiment: > 1) Open .fm file, save as .mif > 2) Open .mif from 1), save as .fm (with different name) > 3) Open .fm from 2), save as .mif. > 4) Compare .mif files created in 1) and 3) using a text diff tool. > > I found that there were a number of differences, some of which are > probably safe to ignore (like elements), but some are > more concerning ( and elements missing in the > latter file, elements having different values..) > > Goal: > In the process of converting several documents from paper to framemaker > documents, a large number of (rather randomly placed) "discretionary > hyphen" characters were inserted (probably by the OCR software). I > cannot seem to select these characters for use with the find/replace > tool in Framemaker, so my idea was to convert to .mif, remove all > instances of , and then save back as FM. This appears > to be successful, subject to my concerns above. > > > So, I'm wondering.. is it safe to round-trip between .fm and .mif files? > And if not, is there an alternate way of accomplishing my task of > removing these extra characters? > > Thanks, > Adam Schweitzer > Orenda Aerospace Corporation > ___
Connection between Table Designer and Paragraph Designer?
Hi Eva, You can't specify different formats for subsequent rows; only the first row of each type can be set. Lines are set in the Ruling tab of the Table Designer. You can create and edit ruling formats by choosing Table > Custom Ruling & Shading. Then click the Edit Ruling Style button. Rick > Hi Rick, > > Thanks for this valuable info. > What I still don't get is how/if I can update the format on the subsequent > rows? > The header row is fine. The first body row is fine (left cell has > InstructionNumberFirst table tag), but the second body row should have a > left cell of InstructionNumber as the table tag. And this I don't achieve > even after following your steps below... Is it perhaps so that the steps > below only affects the two first rows (header + first body row)? I need a > change on the second (and subsequent) body rows for my automatic numbering > to work... > > The table looks like this now: > > Header: Step Action > Body 1: 1. > Body 2: 1. > > The body 2 should of course be "2.". > > Also, do you happen to know where settings like line colors are set? > > Thanks very much, > > Eva
FM Cross-Reference Conversion Plug-In
Hi Jim, I have FindChangeSpecial at http://www.frameexpert.com/plugins/ Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Greetings! > > I've found the Silicon Prairie tools for converting paragraphs and > tables very handy while working on implementing a new template for our > manuals. Is there a similar plug-in out there for cross-references? > > BTW, I'm working in unstructured FM 7. > > Jim > ___
Structured and Standard FM 7.2
Hi Les, This is no problem whatsoever. If you don't like it, simply change it in the Preferences, restart FrameMaker and away you go. You can always change it back. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello Framers > > > > I recently started a new job, 2 days ago, and I noticed that a document I > was given is Standard FM but has Structured FM selected in the > Preferences. > My boss told me it was OK but I think it could cause a problem. > > > > I am too new to push it. We are working on a small book. > > > > Are there any serious problems with this?? > > > > Thanks > > > > Les Winberg
Structured and Standard FM 7.2
Hi Klaus, Thanks for the information. I wasn't aware of these problems. Rick Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Les, David, Rick, > You shouldn't encounter any problems working in an > Unstructured (Standard) FM document while FrameMaker > is set for Structured. > This is no problem whatsoever. Actually, I regularly encounter an annoying problem when working with unstructured documents while FrameMaker is set for Structured: When saving unstructured documents with structured FM as MIF and those MIFs are opened in unstructured FM, the "Document is Structured" error message does occur. You can reproduce this the following way: - Start FM in structured mode - Create & save a new document - Create & save a new book - Add the document to the book - Update the book - Save the document as MIF - Change the FM product interface to (unstructured) FrameMaker - Restart FrameMaker - Open the saved MIF file => The follwing message does occur > This document contains structure information. > The current interface does not read structure information. > If you continue, the structure information will be > removed. Editing and saving this document may result > in a loss of information. [...] > Options: > (?) Open as View Only > ( ) Open for Editing > [Continue] [Cancel] If multiple people (with differently set FM structure modes) are working with such documents, this can be pretty annoying, because it is not obvious that this error message is inaccurate and the document is actually unstructured. A 'usual' workflow in a translation environment: - Person A does a quality check of the documents to translate (with structured FM) and saves the docs as MIF. - After translation into multiple languages, the layout persons B, C and D are irritated because they get those error messages. The error message is caused by the "DBookElementHierarchy / ElementContext" entries in the "Document" node that are written into the MIF file. When saving documents with FrameScript as MIF, there is unfortunately no option to strip/suppress this gratuitous structure information. Kind regards, Klaus M?ller, itl AG
subscript in index entry?
Hi Nancy, Try adding a non-breaking space or thin-space character in the marker after the . Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > > I need to create an index entry for an SF6 circuit breaker. > > My webmail client doesn't allow me to put the 6 in a subscript, but > that's where it should be. > > I've tried this in the Marker box: > > SF6 > > The result is that both the 6 and the following page number are > displayed as subscripts: > > SF >6 12 > > I tried adding an ending space and a semicolon as if another marker > would follow: > SF6 ; > > Same result. How do I tell Frame to apply the subscript only to the 6 > and not the page number in the index? > > Thanks! > ___
Cross references without active hyperlinks in PDF files
Hi Doug, I recently solved the exact problem for a client using FrameScript. The script does the following: 1) Backs up the book components. 2) Converts the specified cross-reference formats to plain text. 3) Restores the backed up components, thus restoring the cross-references. It all happens in seconds. If you are interested in a solution like this, please contact me offlist. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello: > > Is there a way to define a cross-reference format such that this cross > reference does not generate an active hyperlink in a PDF file? > > I use cross references as a convenient way to reuse content from a > single location. I've defined these cross references to show up in > black text whereas the cross references that I want people to link to > are defined to show up in blue text. I figured that readers will then > know that blue text is a hyperlink and only try to click on that text. > No one has ever complained -- until yesterday, when an employee > noticed the "hidden" link. Text insets aren't really practical > because you can only put one pience of content per file. Variables > might be an option since the reused text is relatively short in my > case, but variables seem a lot more error-prone to me, as I'd always > have to remember to reimport the variable definitions to all the > documents in my book, whereas cross references update automatically. > > If anyone knows a way to create cross references that don't convert to > hyperlinks, I'd appreciate it. > > Thanks. > > Doug > > p.s. I'm using unstructured FrameMaker, version 7.2.
FrameMaker license question for older versions
Hi Sara, No, because the registration numbers are different. In addition, FrameMaker 8 uses product activation. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi listers, > > I have a new FrameMaker 8.0 license (not an upgrade), but for a specific > project, I require FM 7.2. > > If I uninstall FM 8.0, can I use the same license for FM 7.2? > > Thanks in advance, > Sara > ___
Your callout philosophy
Hi Nancy, I prefer using a text box for the reasons you mentioned. Also, you can use variables, cross-references, etc., in the text. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > > I am working on a document that currently has both paragraph tags for > callouts, and character tags. > > I can create callouts either by: > > --Creating a text box in the figure, entering text, and formatting it > with a callout paragraph tag. I prefer this. Makes it easy to widen or > narrow the callout text. > > --Using the Text tool to enter text, and formatting it with a character > tag. If the text needs to be expanded or edited, all repositioning of > text must be done manually. A pain. > > However, I could be missing something. How do you create your callouts, > and why? > > Thanks! > > --Nancy > ___
Checkboxes in numbered lists
Hi Doug, What is your final deliverable? If you are producing PDF files, you can use TimeSavers (www.microtype.com) and markers to have checkboxes automatically appear in the PDF file. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > How do I integrate a checkbox (i.e., Wingding open square) into the > Autonumber format code so that each step also has a check box for > indicating completion? > > The final product will appear as follows: > > Checkbox1. Step 1... > > Checkbox2. Step 2... > > etc. > > > ~~ > Doug Eaton > Technical Communications > Sensis Corporation > > 315.634.7284 > ___
Identifying overrides
Hi Nancy, Follow these steps on a copy of your document. 1) Click somewhere in the main text flow. 2) Choose Edit > Select All In Flow (Control+A). 3) Cut the selection to the clipboard using Edit > Cut (Control+X). 4) Choose Special > Delete Pages. Delete all of the pages in the document. You should now be viewing the master pages. 5) Choose View > Body Pages. You will be prompted to add a Body Page; click OK. 6) Click an insertion point in the new body page and choose Edit > Paste (Control+V). See if this fixes the override problem. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Automatic way of changing the case of words
Alt+Ctrl+U, Alt+Ctrl+C, Alt+Ctrl+L Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi all, > > Is there an automatic way of changing the case of words, e.g., by using a > shortcut key to 'toggle' a word through upper case, mixed case, and lower > case? > > Tia, > > > avraham > ~ > Avraham Makeler > Freelance Technical Writer > Tel: +972 (0)54-3084-886 > Fax: +972 (0)8-945-1624 > amakeler at gmail.com > ~ > Programmer's and User's Guides * SDKs * Embedded Systems >White Papers * Office Templates & Programming Solutions > ~
Finding Fonts
Hi Brian, Stubborn missing fonts like this generally are "hidden" in table formats. You can use this general process to find and fix them. 1) Go to one of the default master pages (View > Master Pages). 2) Click in the main text frame and insert the first table from your Table Catalog (Table > Insert Table). 3) Click in each cell and remove any of the "missing" fonts. You do this by applying paragraph formats to the cell paragraphs; of course making sure that all of the paragraph formats you apply have valid fonts. 4) Make sure your cursor is in the table and open the Table Designer (Ctrl+T). Click the Update All button. 5) Delete the table from the text frame. 6) Repeat steps 2-5 for all of the tables in your Table Catalog. 7) Save the document, close, and reopen it. This should eliminate the missing fonts messages. If you are looking for a faster way (or if the above steps don't work for you), follow these steps. 1) Make sure the document is closed. 2) Choose File > Preferences > General and uncheck "Remember Missing Font Names". Click Set. 3) Open the document. You will get a message about missing fonts, but this time FrameMaker will make a permanent substitution of the missing font or fonts. 4) Save and close the document. The next time you open it, you shouldn't get the missing fonts message. If you want, restore the Remember Missing Font Names settings in the Preferences dialog box. There is a way to find fonts through the Find/Change dialog box (Edit > Find/Change), but it won't find fonts hidden in table formats anyway. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > All, > > I have been using InDesign for several years and have recently started > using FrameMaker (FM8 on XP Pro) again (use dictated in each case by > client requirements) after several years away from it. InDesign has a > feature where you can search for the use of a specific font. Does > FrameMaker have a similar function? I have a document that says I am using > "unavailable fonts" when I open it. I also cannot run the Update Book > function because of this same error. > > I have gone through the document page-by-page and do not see any fonts > that appear out of the ordinary. I have all of my Paragraph definitions > are set to use Arial. I have manually selected all of the text and > attempted to force everything to Arial. I then save the file and close. > When I re-open, I get the same error. > > Any suggestions? > > Thanks, > > Brian > ___
How do you count the total number of words in a FM book
Hi Esar, If you have FrameScript, I have a script that will do this. The cost for the script is $40. Please let me know if you are interested. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi, > > Does anyone have a method of counting the total number of words in a > Framemaker book? I know I can count the number of words in a file in a > book > but is there some way of doing this on the book?? > Thanks, > -- > Esar (Earl) Rudnikoff > Senior Technical Communicator > Philips Medical Systems Technologies Ltd. > Haifa, Israel > > email: erudni at gmail.com > ___
Limiting table/graphics table widths
Hi Loretta, You may want to take a look at my TableCleaner plugin. It allows you to resize tables in a batch. See http://www.frameexpert.com/plugins/tablecleaner/ Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >> Hi Everyone, >> >> We're looking for a way to limit the width of our tables in our >> template. This is so tables don't overflow when copied into different >> page sizes during translation. >> >> This includes tables with multiple columns and a single-cell tables >> used to hold graphics. >> >> I see there's a way to resize columns to a max width on existing >> tables, but I don't see a setting that sets a max column/table size >> for a table in the Table Designer. Is it possible? >> >> If not, any genius ideas? >> >> Thanks, >> >> Loretta
Markers in the text
Hi Deirdre, They are probably index markers. To easily select them, click in a paragraph previous to where you see them. Choose Edit > Find/Change and choose Any Marker from the Find popup menu. Click Find and see if it highlights the marker anchor. Then choose Special > Marker so you can see the contents of the marker. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi all: > > I'm working with someone eles's templates, and every now and then I > find an upside down T in the text. I've seen these markers for > anchored frames, and I've seen them in the TOC, but when they appear > to be randomly placed in the text, how do I find out what they are? > > Thanks > > Deirdre > ___
Autonumbering at end of paragraph is right justified
Hi Jing, What you are trying to accomplish is a good idea, but End of Paragraph autonumbers always move out to the right margin. If you are using structured FrameMaker, you could use a Suffix Rule to add a colon where the text ends. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello FrameMaker experts! > > FrameMaker 7.2 on WinXP - > > We use a standard heading to introduce procedures and the text generally > says To do : then these are followed by numbered steps. > Sometimes writers remember to type the colon at the end, sometimes they > don't. So we thought building the colon into the autonumber format with > Position set to End of Paragraph will do the trick. > > Unfortunately, the colon shows up at the right margin, regardless of the > length of the heading. The paratag's alignment is set to Left. Is there > a way to make the terminal colon show up right where the text ends? > > Thanks in advance, > > Jing Torralba > > Principal Technical Writer > Saratoga CRM, a Division of CDC Software > w - (408) 558-9606 | f - (408) 558-9693 > > CDC Software | The Customer-Driven Company (tm)
cross reference vs variables
False. > Just to mix things up, the next question will appear in the form of a > statement. > > There is very little difference between cross-references and variables. > > Discuss. > > Deirdre > ___
ANN: FrameScript Training in San Jose Area
Hello Framers, I will be conducting a private FrameScript class in San Jose, CA on March 24, 25. If you have interest in a class at your location later that week, please contact me offlist right away. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Text string in title case?
Hi Paul, For Windows FrameMaker, you can use FrameScript. If anyone is interested in a script like this, please contact me offlist. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi Tina, > > This is impossible with FrameMaker alone. I thought perhaps Spell > Catcher could handle it, as it does have commands for changing case > to Title style, but even that simply capitalises the first letter of > each word. > > A job for AppleScript perhaps? (NG to you unless you use Mac > FrameMaker.) > > I found a script at <http://bbs.applescript.net/viewtopic.php? > id=13297> that, in addition to changing case to Title style, can also > set a bunch of specified definite and indefinite articles, > conjunctions, and prepositions that don't start a sentence to > lowercase. Something the script author has called "Mixed" style. > > I'm not a programmer, but with a little head scratching, I managed to > edit this script so that it searches an open FrameMaker document and > changes all paragraphs tagged "Heading1" or whatever you like to > Mixed style. Works a treat! > > Incidentally, for Title style (or what CMOS calls "Headline" style), > do you follow the Microsoft style of not capitalising prepositions of > four or fewer letters. Or Apple's style of not capitalising > prepositions of three or fewer letters. Or CMOS's recommendation of > lowercasing prepositions regardless of length? > > Styles - you gotta love 'em. > > Paul
Text string in title case?
Hi Peter, This is one of the strengths of MIF: that you can get an ASCII representation of your FM document and do manipulations like this. However, the advantage of FrameScript (and the FDK) is that you can work directly on the FrameMaker document (or book) without risk of corrupting the MIF file. FrameScript has built-in string functions as well as the ability to use regular expressions. I recently did a TitleCase script that used an INI file for exceptions, both for acronyms that should stay uppercase and words that should be lowercase. [Upper] ADA= II= III= IV= HVAC= TV= XY= UCLA= ICU= PA= HUCLA= USC= LAC= [Lower] and= to= The script could be restricted to processing particular paragraph formats in order to limit its scope. Another useful feature is that each paragraph that is changed can be written to a hyperlinked log file. This would allow you to check what was actually changed, and to jump to a changed paragraph if necessary. Depending on the scope of a problem, sometimes you have to fix things like this by hand. However, for anyone that uses FrameMaker on a near daily basis, FrameScript is definitely worthwhile to learn. I am amazed by how much people do "by hand" with FrameMaker. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > In the days of FM/unix, before book-wide search/replace and other > come-lately power features, something like this would be done with > fmbatch and one or more of GREP, AWK, and SED text-manipulation tools. > > The general plan was to use control fmbatch with a unix script to > convert all appropriate .fm files to MIF, then perform the > text-crunching on the MIF files, then reconvert the MIF files back to > .fm with fmbatch. > > If there's enough volume to repay the effort, something similar would > work today with mif2go from omsys.com, dobatch from cudspan, dzbatcher > from datazone.com, or FM2MIF (a new free utility that installs under > FM's File > Utilities menu option, from dtptools.com, to convert > directories-full of .fm files to MIF). I believe mif2go's MIF > converter is free; dobatch and dzbatcher are free. All but FM2MIF work > like fmbatch. > > Instead of the unix tools, Perl or other newer text-manglers can do > the find/replace, perhaps with the assistance of GREP. > > Converting .fm to MIF is the first step. > > The second step would be to find all the ALL CAPS titles in all the > MIFs, collect them into a single-column list from which you can remove > the duplicates, and create a second column with the precise conversion > for each title - this would settle style issues over which title words > to make all lowercase, etc. > > The third step would be to find and replace every instance of the > uppercase titles with their title cased partner in the MIF, without > damaging the MIF file's integrity. This may take some care in cases > where the titles break across lines, etc. > > Finally, you'd use one of the fmbatch-replacements to reconstruct .fm > files from the MIFs. > > I'm not a coder or scripter. Heck, my long-term and short-term memory > aren't that good anymore. BUT, it's hard to forget a proven tool-chain > process like this. > > HTH > Regards, > > Peter > ___ > Peter Gold > KnowHow ProServices
cudspan dobatch plugin problem (FrameMaker crashes)
Hi Jakob, I am biased towards FrameScript ($149, http://www.framescript.com), as it gives you so many more options for FrameMaker automation. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello and happy new year to all, > > I have a problem with Chris Despopoulos' DoBatch plugin from his > Cudspan series of plugins. Judging from the mailing list he hasn't > made an appearance yet, but maybe somebody else can clarify. > > We're using the DoBatch plugin to save several hundred files (in a > number of batches) as PostScript (in a watched folder that get > converted to PDF). It worked perfectly while we were using it in > FrameMaker5.5.6+SGML. However, since we migrated to 7.2, we're > encountering reproducible FrameMaker crashes when using the plugin. > The only available version appears to be 1.0.0.1 dated 17 dec 2001. > Has anybody else encountered this problem and possibly found a > solution to it? > > Also, in case we are unable to resolve this issue, I am considering > using Omnisys' runfm.exe batch tool. Would this be a valid > alternative? > > Thank you in advance. > -- > cheers, > Jakob.
PDF links inside a browser
Hello Framers, I have some PDFs that are viewed in a browser. Is there a syntax for PDF links that will force a new browser window (or tab) to open? Thanks in advance. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
different page numbering for the same files
Hi Leah, When you update each book, it will update the numbering appropriately for that book. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Good day mavins, > > I have 2 books where book 1 uses files 1 - 10 and book 2 uses some of the > same files (let's say files 5 - 7). > > I want to set up the books (files) so that in book 1 all the pages are > numbered consecutively, starting from page 1 in file 1. Thus the first > page in file 5 will be, for instance, page 35. > > I also want the pages in book 2 to start from 1; here file 5 needs to > start at page 1. > > How can I set up the numbering so this happens automatically and the page > number in files 5 - 7 are appropriate in each book without requiring human > intervention. > > TIA, > Leah Smaller > Technical Communicator > Certified Feldenkrais Method practitioner > leah at compulite.com > > "What you truly learn best will appear to you later as your own > discovery." (Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais) > ___
Importing single variable values?
Hi Chuck, My ImportFormatsSpecial plugin gives you separate checkboxes for importing user variables and system variables. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Esteemed Framers, > > I think I once knew the answer to this question, but it escapes me now, > and I can find nothing in the Frame documentation: Is there any way to > import a single or a selected subset of variable values from one > document to another? I tend to think there is not, that it is > all-or-nothing, but I thought I'd check to be sure. > > Anyone out there know for sure? > > Chuck Beck > > Sr. Technical Writer | Infor | Office: 614.523.7302 | > Charles.Beck at infor.com <mailto:Charles.Beck at infor.com>
Watched Folder
Hi Kelly, If you have Adobe Distiller Professional, it should be under Settings > Watched Folders. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Why don't I have a watched folder setting in Distiller 8 on Win XP? > ___
Can hiding conditional text be set to use an "And" relationship andnot an "Or" relationship?
Hi Marta, FrameMaker 8 has this functionality, although I haven't used it yet. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello > > First, I want to thank everyone for the answers I received on my last > question. I have been "volunteered" to field FrameMaker questions at my > new job, so you may be hearing from me fairly often. I hope I can return > the favor for you guys as well! > > The question is, Framemaker decides whether to display text associated > with two conditions using the "Or" relationship; meaning, if one of its > conditions is displayed, the text is displayed. > > Example: > > Line 1: This is cond text A > Line 2: This is cond text B > Line 3: This is cond text A and B > Line 4: This is cond text A and C > > If I choose to hide cond text C, yet display cond text A and B, the > following lines are displayed: 1, 2, 3, and 4. > > Is there a way to change FrameMaker's default logic so that only lines 1, > 2, and 3 would display? > > Thank you! > Marta
easy way to relink or manage links in FrameMaker ?
Hi Bj?rn, If the graphics are imported by copy, there is no way to know what the original source of the file is. If the graphics are imported by reference, you could manage the relinking with a FrameScript script. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com I am running FrameMaker 7 and have been given a vast number of manuals to update. I need to update several graphics in the files. All graphics have been embedded in the files and I sorely miss a link management tool like InDesigns. Is there an easy way to relink a graphic to a new file from within Framemaker - apart from importing it again from scratch ? Or is there a plugin which will facilitate management of links ? Best regards Bj?rn
OT: XSLT work for barter
Hello Framers, I need some XSLT work done. I am willing to barter some FrameScript work for it. If you are interested, please contact me offlist. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
FM 8: Attribute Expressions
Hello Framers, Does anyone have a FrameMaker 8 document that contains Attribute Expressions? I need to see how to access and set these via FrameScript. If you can zip and send me a sample document (graphics not necessary), please let me know before you send it. Thank you very much in advance. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Sort order of entries in an index
Hi Linda, 100 mm stud [00100 mm stud] 150 mm stud [00150 mm stud] 200 mm stud [00200 mm stud] 70 mm stud [00070 mm stud] 90 mm stud [00090 mm stud] Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com - Original Message - From: "Linda G. Gallagher" To: "'Lester C. Smalley'" Cc: Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 3:18 PM Subject: RE: Sort order of entries in an index > This question and answer got me looking at the FM help to see how this > work. > But, I'm still not sure how to get some numerics to sort correctly. > > This is what I get: > > 100 mm stud > 150 mm stud > 200 mm stud > 70 mm stud > 90 mm stud > > This is what I want: > > 70 mm stud > 90 mm stud > 100 mm stud > 150 mm stud > 200 mm stud > > How do I use the [aaa] type of construction to get this to sort? > > > ~ > Linda G. Gallagher > TechCom Plus, LLC > lindag at techcomplus dot com > www.techcomplus.com > 303-450-9076 or 800-500-3144 > User guides, online help, FrameMaker and > WebWorks ePublisher templates >
Use hypertext command to launch FrameScript macro
Hi Stephen, First of all, you need an installed event script that "waits" for the message from the hypertext click. The event script needs a Message event that receives the call from the hypertext click. Event Message // Local sMessage(Message); Display sMessage; // EndEvent Then your Hypertext marker needs the correct syntax: message fsl Message To Pass To The Script where message = the syntax for sending a message to another program. fsl = the program you are sending the message to Message To Pass To The Script = a string that is received by the Message event and is stored in the sMessage variable. This should get you started. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com I would like to create a hypertext zone in a FM doc that launches a FrameScript script...is that even possible...any ideas anyone... Thx Stephen O'Brien R?dacteur technique / Technical Writer InnovMetric Logiciels inc. / InnovMetric Software Inc. 2014, Cyrille-Duquet, suite 310 Qu?bec (Qu?bec) Canada G1N 4N6 Tel.: (418) 688-2061 Fax: (418) 688-3001 E-mail: sobrien at innovmetric.com www.innovmetric.com PolyWorks, the Universal 3D Metrology Software Platform for Manufacturing (TM)
FM 7.1 cannot find file to cross-ref to
Are both files saved? Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > FM 7.1p116 on Win XP > > We are trying to create a cross-ref from one chapter to another. Both > chapters are open. In the Cross Reference dialog, in the Document > drop-down list, it only displays the Current file and will not display the > other file. We have tried rebooting, uninstalling and reinstalling Frame > and the patch, to no avail. We have more current versions of Frame, but > are unable to use them on this particular project. This particular project > requires FM 7.1. What's more, the problem does not exist on other machines > running FM 7.1, but only on this particular machine, and this particular > machine must be used for this particular project. Grr. What is the > solution? > > Regards, > Emmy A.
TOC within a chapter
Hi Darren, Those that won't buy FrameScript will have to settle for either manual method: inserting cross-references to make a chapter TOC, or using Special > Table of Contents to generate a TOC and then import it by reference into the chapter. Considering the significant time savings that a script would bring every time it is used, the "won't buy" argument doesn't make any sense to me. Any serious FrameMaker shop should consider FrameScript as an essential plugin, especially at the bargain price of $149/seat. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Unfortunately, some of my clients do not have the FrameScript program and a few of them have no plans to purchase it. Therefore, I need a plan "B." I'm considering generating the TOC to a separate file, then importing the TOC as a text inset. Any thoughts on this?
conversion table and template
Hi Wim, The application of a conversion table can be scripted with FrameScript, so you could script the process of applying the conversion table then importing formats and element definitions. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi, > > I'm using a conversion tabel to convert a lot of unstructured files to > XML. > Is there a way to automatically apply a template (and it's EDD rules) to > the > files when converting? > > > Vriendelijke groet, > > Wim Hooghwinkel > >>>Please note that I will be on holiday this summer between July 28 and > Agust 25 << > >>>Ik ben met vakantie van 28 juli tot 25 augustus<< > > Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in FrameMaker > > iDTP > International DTP and Documentation Consultancy > > tel. +31652036811 > <mailto:info at idtp.eu> info at idtp.eu > www.idtp.eu
ANN: Job Posting
Hello Framers, I am posting this job posting for Karen Castle, who is having trouble accessing the list. http://www.cmswatch.com/About/Hiring/#prodmgr Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Anchored frame internal gap
Hi Roger, Not with stock FrameMaker. There is a plugin called ImpGraph (I think) by Bruce Foster that allows you to set defaults for imported graphics, etc. You could also use FrameScript for this. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing Inc 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello All > > I'm sure this has been asked previously on the list, but I can't access > the frameusers.com site. > > Using Frame 7.1 on Windows XP. > > By default, when a graphic is imported into an anchored frame, it appears > to place a 6.0 pt internal gap between the anchored frame and the image. > Is > there a way to change this default to zero? > > Thanks. > > Roger Shuttleworth > > TVWorks Canada, Inc. > > 150 Dufferin Avenue > > London, Ontario > > N6A 5N6 > > Canada > > 519 963-4368 > > www.tvworks.com > >
Strange Frame to PDF problem
Spaces can have unintended consequences. For example, you can have spaces in
the top row cells of a spreadsheet; for example, "Full Name". But if you
attempt to query the spreadsheet programatically with ODBC and the top rows
are column headers, the space can cause problems. Underscores make a good
substitute for spaces in a case like this ("Full_Name"). Admittedly, this
example is a little obscure for most users, but I tend to avoid spaces
anywhere where programming might be involved.
Rick Quatro
Carmen Publishing
585-659-8267
www.frameexpert.com
> 2008-06-05-04T13:20Z
>
> Gillian -
>
> I agree with Fred Ridder's opinion that, "Spaces are evil."
>
> If memory serves, I believe that Hedley Finger would _heartily_ agree -
> including avoiding spaces in names of paragraph tags and such.
>
>
> Dave Stamm
> Publications Specialist, Senior Staff
> General Dynamics C4 Systems, Inc.
> Battle Management Systems Division
> 1700 Magnavox Way, Suite 200
> Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804-1552
> US
> tel, Fort Wayne: 260-434-9620Taunton, MA: 508-880-4005
> fax, Fort Wayne: 260.434.9606Taunton, MA: 508.880.1633
> dave.stamm at gdc4s.com
> http://www.gdc4s.com/
Writing to the DOCTYPE area with Import/Export client
I want to use a FrameMaker Export client to write to the DOCTYPE area of an XML file when exporting from structured Frame. I am trying to add some entity definitions. Is this possible with a structured FrameMaker export client? Thanks in advance. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
finding files when path is too deep
Hi Rene, Copy the following into a text file and save it with a .fsl extension. Choose FrameScript > Install and give it a Label that make sense to you (like Display Selected Component Path). Highlight the book component and choose FrameScript > Scripts > Display Selected Component Path and you will get the full path to the component. If ActiveBook If ActiveBook.FirstSelectedComponentInBook; Display ActiveBook.FirstSelectedComponentInBook.Name; EndIf EndIf Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello All, > > We have a single-sourced architecture with the following basic path > structure: > > [drive]:\private\[ProductLine]\[Product]\FMfiles\[bookname].book > > Since any given .book file can share several .fm files, we often end up > with .book windows that look like: > > [drive:\fullyQualifiedPath\.book] > |_ File1.fm > |_ File2.fm > |_ ..\_CommonText\Boilerplate1.fm > |_ GeneratedTOC.fm > |_ GeneratedLists.fm > |_ File3.fm > |_ ..\[DifferentProductFolder1]\FMfiles\FileA.fm > |_ ..\[DifferentProductFolder1]\FMfiles\FileB.fm > |_ ..\[DifferentProductFolder2]\FMfiles\FilenameZ.fm > |_ > ..\[DifferentProductFolder1]\FMfiles\RatherLengthyProductSpecificFilenameY.fm > |_ ..\_CommonText\UniversalGlossary.fm > |_ GeneratedIX.fm > > Frequently, the names of the folders plus the file names in the path for a > file in the book comprise so many characters that FM displays it in the > book window as: > |_ ..\[DifferentProductFo...uctSpecificFilenameY.fm > > This is annoying, but not altogether unworkable...UNTIL a couple of files > go "missing" from a .book either because someone changed the file name via > access from a different .book, or because the path structure somehow > changed. Pressing F2 in the book window to get the original .fm file name > is sometimes of limited assistance, but if the file name changed, what we > would find most useful is the fully qualified path. > > Granted, some rather strict naming conventions would help, and I have > preached it for several years now, explaining how keeping paths shallow > and filenames short and both free of spaces and special characters is > the best way to optimize FM file architecture, citing the known issues > and even demonstrating the difference first-hand. But, alas, you can > lead a horse to water but you can't lead a horticulture. > > Is there a way to: > > 1. Find via FM the fully qualified path that the .book file was using but > that is truncated in the .book window? > 2. Have the .book files in any given path automatically synch up if a file > name shared by the .book files changes in one of the .book files? > 3. Use some plugin prevent this or somehow manage this phenomenon? > Thanks in advance for your insight! > > TGIF! > > > Rene L. Stephenson
Is there any way to "return" the cursor to where I "came from" afterclicking on the Cross-reference menu "Go to Source"
Hi Z, If the source is in the same document, you can press Escape v P (view Previous) to go back to the cross-reference (or hypertext link). Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi, all. > > When I double-click on a cross-reference, one of the po-up menu options > is to "Go to Source" for that item. This quickly takes me to the page > and item that is referenced. > > Is there an equally quick and simple way to "return"? I.e., a key-stroke > or menu item to take the cursor and focus *back* to where I was *before* > I clicked on the "Go to Source"? > > Thanks, > > Z > ___
Text Frames on Graphic
Hi Sam, You need to Control+Click on the graphic and choose Graphics > Runaround Properties. Set the value to Don't Run Around and click Set. Unfortunately, the default for imported graphics is to have the Runaround set to Run around Contour. You might want to look at my RunaroundNone plugin, which remedies this problem. See http://www.frameexpert.com/plugins/ Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello All, > > > > I'm using Frame 7.2p158 on Windows XP. > > > > I'm having an issue with text frames on a graphic. I need to place > some text frames to use as part labels on a graphic. I've created some > text frames and entered in the text I need for some of the callouts. > I've then tried to move them into place on the graphic (which is inside > an anchored frame). I can place some of them and they show up and I can > also select them and relocate/resize them as needed. However, some of > the text frames don't allow this. Indeed, they end up showing the text > being below the bottom margin of the text frame. I can't Control-click > on the frame to select it and I can't resize it without moving the > underlying graphic. I've tried sending the graphic to back, bringing the > text frames to front, but it doesn't make any difference. I've also > tried looking in the manual and saw something about selecting a > different color view, but it's really unclear exactly what to do there. > I've tried a couple of things with the color views and they haven't made > a difference. Can someone please tell me what's happening here? > Sometimes, I can place a text frame on top of a graphic and have it > display just fine and others I get the same effect here: the text frame > indicating the text is outside of the frame's margins. Sometimes, if I > nudge the graphic one way or another, the text reappears in the text > frame. However, that's usually if the text frame is near the edge of the > graphic. In this case, I need the text frame over the middle of the > graphic. > > > > Any help would be greatly appreciated! > > > > Thanks in advance, > > > > Samuel I. Beard, Jr. > > Technical Writer > > OI Analytical > > 979 690-1711 Ext. 222 > > sbeard at oico.com
table and figure captions
Hi Deidre, Because Tables and Anchored Frames are two different animals. Here is a solution that many have used over the years: put the figure inside an anchored frame inside of a single-cell table. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi all! > > Does anyone know why FM automatically makes Table captions but not > Figure captions? > > Thanks! > > Deirdre > ___
Framemaker platform support
Hi Leo, I am running FrameMaker 7.2 on 32-bit Vista without problems. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hello, We're considering upgrading Framemaker and our computers. I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can help me out with. Is Framemaker 8 supported on Windows Vista 64-bit computers? If not, does it run on Vista 64-bit computers? Based on what I'm seeing in the Adobe KB, I think not. http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb403291&sliceId=1 I understand that Framemaker 7.2 is not supported on Vista. However, is anyone successfully running it? If so, are you running it on a 32-bit Vista or a 64-bit Vista? Thanks, Leo Paoletti Ps: Is the http://www.frameusers.com/ website still in operation. I received an error when I went there today. ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as frameexpert at truevine.net. Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/frameexpert%40truevine.net Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Import Formats - Document Properties List
Hi Jeff, See the screenshot at http://www.frameexpert.com/plugins/importformatsspecial/ Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi, > > > > I'm looking for a complete list of what gets imported when doing a File -> > Import -> Formats -> Document Properties. > > > > I'm running FM8 Windows. I looked at the FM8 User Guide, but I don't > believe the list provided on page 417 is complete. For example, > information set under File -> File Info gets imported, but is not listed > in the User Guide. > > > > Thanks in advance, > > > > -- > > Jeff Schweiner > > Hardware Engineering Writer > > Cray Inc. > > (715) 726-4801
ANN: Heavy duty indexing
Hello Framers, I just finished a big index project for a client. The index has 50 sections in a single FrameMaker document. Like a regular generated document, each entry is hyperlinked back to its source. The text that needs to be indexed is formatted with a particular character tag. As the script encounters each text range, its target index section is identified by a regular expression. The required data, including sort information, for each entry is loaded into a database. Then the script does a series of queries on the database to build the final index. Previously this huge index was done by hand because there was no feasible way to do it with multiple marker types and generated documents. I mention this here for those that may have labor-intensive tasks that don't have an easy FrameMaker solution. With FrameScript, many of these "impossible tasks" can be fully automated. If you need more information, please contact me offlist. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Global Update to a Table Format
Hi Jona, You can do this with my TableCleaner plugin. See http://www.frameexpert.com/plugins/tablecleaner/ Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > FM 8.0 > > All, > > I know I've done this before, but for the life of me, I can't remember > how. > > I have a table comprising a single row with two columns for caution > and warning text with an icon in the left column and warning/caution > text in the right. > > In an effort to reduce paper usage, I've reduced the side head > throughout the document, and need to increase the size of the right > column in all of the warning/caution tables. > > I know there's a way of changing one, updating the Table Designer, and > then doing something else, and all of the warning/caution tables > magically change. It's the "doing something else" part that I've > forgotten how to do. Looking at FM's help leads me to believe I should > perform a "Global Update" but that does nothing (either for the > document or for me). > > I'm sorry for boring you with such a trivial question, but it sure > would save me a lot of time to get this fixed! > > Thanks in advance, > > jona
Possible MIF -> FM bug in FM 8.02 (p273)
Hi Mats, Can you share the bug with the list so we can all be aware of it? Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Dear all, > > There seems to be a serious bug in FM 8.02 (p273) when opening a MIF > file in FM. In 21 languages we translated into, it affected all but 4. > This bug has been reported to Adobe. > > If someone on the list is working with multilingual content in FM8 and > want more information, pls contact me off-list. > > Best regards, > Mats Broberg > ___
cross references in topics used as text insets
Hi Doug, Just to clarify, there is a way to make cross-references in text insets work in the resulting PDF file. It can be done with an inexpensive FrameScript script. Contact me offlist if you are interested. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Windows command for moving a window or dialog box
Hi Framers, I have the case of the missing dialog box. What is the Windows keyboard shortcut for moving a dialog box or window with the arrow keys? Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
Windows command for moving a window or dialog box
Hi Stuart, Very cool. It worked! Thank you very much. Rick > Rick Quatro wrote: >> Hi Framers, >> >> I have the case of the missing dialog box. What is the Windows keyboard >> shortcut for moving a dialog box or window with the arrow keys? Thank you >> very much. >> > > If your dialog box is off-monitor, make it the active window by choosing > its command from the menu (or by typing the keyboard shortcut), then type > Alt+spacebar to activate the title bar menu, and type M for Move. > (Important! Do not move your mouse!) Experiment with holding down > different arrow keys until the dialog box comes back into view. > > > -- > Stuart Rogers > Technical Communicator > Phoenix Geophysics Limited > Toronto, ON, Canada > +1 (416) 491-7340 x 325 > > srogers phoenix-geophysics com > > I'll stop saying Microsoft is arrogant when > Windows stops saying "Welcome" and instead asks "May I?" > >
Problem with ptag catalog in FM8
Hi Kanti, This is a known bug in FrameMaker 8. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hello: > > Downloaded the trial of the TechComm Suite this week, and started working > on a book immediately (need the RoboHelp section). > > I noticed that all our "infrastructure" ptags, preceded with a tilde > (~tablefooter), are now showing up at the top of the catalog, rather than > the end of it. Anyone else noticed this? This is on Windows XP, with > updates applied. > > > Kanti
IX generation question restated
Hi Harold, The $paratag[FormatName] building blocks work in cross-references, but they don't work in indexes or tables of contents. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Earlier message was: > > Dear Framers > > We are entering a $paranum for both TOC and index (IX) entities. It > works, however, it applies the most recent autonumber format not the one > specifically assigned to the paragraph tag. > > Hopefully more clearly stated: > > We are trying to count work packages (chapters-files)(WP 0001 etc) using > a specific autonum assigned to the WP Number paragraph tag. This tag is > at the beginning of each document. The problem that we are encountering > is that any autonum occurrence that is previous to the TOC tag or IX > marker is reflected in the respective generated files instead of the WP > Number assignment. The autonum counters , etc. work. That is not > the issue. We want the WP Number assignment to carry into the TOC and IX > as opposed to any autonum occurrence that happens to be previous to the > TOC tag/IX marker
converting from word to a RTL language
FrameMaker does not support RTL languages. I think there is a version of InDesign that does. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >I am trying to convert a Word document to Framemaker. - The document is in >English and Hebrew (RTL language) - The hebrew is converted into just lines >although the framemaker does offer hebrew fonts. What can i do?
FrameMaker 7.2 and Vista
Hi Framers, I installed FrameMaker 7.2 successfully on a Vista Home Premium laptop. I wasn't able to install either of the FrameMaker 7.2 patches because of errors with the installers. Does anyone have any extensive experience with FrameMaker 7.2 and Vista? Are there any issues to be aware of? Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com
FrameMaker 7.2 and Vista
Hi Denise,
Thank you very much. That solved the problem.
Rick
Rick,
I am at work (an XP system), not at home on my Vista system. However, if I
remember correctly, right-click on the patch install file. From properties, one
of the tabs says something like run as XP.
Best,
Denise L. Moss-Fritch
Lead Technical Writer
Varian Medical Systems
Palo Alto, CA
-- Original message --
From: "Rick Quatro"
> Hi Framers,
>
> I installed FrameMaker 7.2 successfully on a Vista Home Premium laptop. I
> wasn't able to install either of the FrameMaker 7.2 patches because of
> errors with the installers. Does anyone have any extensive experience
with
> FrameMaker 7.2 and Vista? Are there any issues to be aware of? Thank you
> very much.
>
> Rick Quatro
> Carmen Publishing
> 585-659-8267
> www.frameexpert.com
How can I use a User Variable *inside* a marker?
Hi Z, There is no way to put variables inside of markers. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Specifically, I want to be able to put in a Hypertext marker (in > multiple places in the document) and do something like: > > gotolink Text > > as the command, where "Text" is actually a User Variable. > > Also, I want to be able to set the link destination in the same way, by > selecting some text in the document and putting in a hypertext marker > with: > > newlink Text > > as the command! > > Is there any way to do this? > > Z
MadCap Blaze
Hi Scott, I downloaded and installed it as well, but there was no documentation to speak of. The interface was anything but intuitive so I uninstalled it. When they have some kind of tutorial available, I may try it again. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > > I have been waiting with baited breath ever since the rumors of MadCap > Blaze came forth, that a replacement to > FrameMaker was in the works. I just downloaded the public beta. > > Has anyone else done so? If so I wonder if anyone else shares my > disappointment. > > Blaze appears to be a variant of Flare. It isn't an authoring tool so much > as a conversion tool. It seems not to know > if its main thrust is HTML or XML, and it seems to lean heavily toward > HTML. > > I think that this product sufferes from delusions of adequacy. I am not a > fan of MadCap Flare, it's interface is > convoluted and difficult to master, and those same features have been > duplicated for Blaze. I really don't see much > difference between the two products. > > Now I see that the printed media solution is Press. > > It makes me wonder if MadCap is trying to emulate the Interleaf model, > multiple products for a single solution. > Mulitple prices for a single solution. Interleaf at the very least > produced solid SGML. It had a fairly good GUI and > method for assigning formatting tags. FrameMaker was simplier, monolithic > and cheaper. > > With what MadCap is doing they seem bent on producing a series of products > that are more complicated, and more > expensive than FrameMaker and any other conversion tool with it. > > Does anyone else have a simliar view of this, or a different experience? > > It feels like Blue Sky happening all over again. > > Scott >
Hypertext can't find target doc
Are you using forward slashes in the file path? You need to use forward slashes instead of back slashes. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > FM.8.0, Windows XP > > > > When using the Hypertext Command "Open Document" and adding the target > file name to the syntax, I get a "file does not exist error message" and > the target filename gets truncated. Is there a limit to the filename > length? > > ___ > > > You are currently subscribed to Framers as frameexpert at truevine.net. > > Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com > or visit > http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/frameexpert%40truevine.net > > Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit > http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. >
Creating interactive PDF forms from Structured FrameMaker
Hi Kate, TimeSavers uses Hypertext markers to insert content into your FrameMaker documents, which will be come interactive when you make your PDFs from FrameMaker. As long as the markers are valid in your structured document, using structured FrameMaker is the same as unstructured for this purpose. I have been using TimeSavers for years and highly recommend it. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > I'm trying to figure out how to create interactive, fillable PDF forms > from Structured FrameMaker. Does anyone have any experience with this? > There's a Shlomo Perets plugin called TimeSavers Form Assistant that > claims to do this with Frame, but it doesn't mention Structured Frame. > Has anyone used this plugin? > > Kate Marler > Editing & Desktop Publishing Intern | Content Operations > T-Mobile Talent Development > Desk: 425-383-8039 > > ___
Creating interactive PDF forms from Structured FrameMaker
Hi Art, Also true, but there is something compelling about the "everything in FrameMaker / single source" idea. Rick - Original Message - From: "Art Campbell" To: "Rick Quatro" Cc: "Marler, Katherine (Kate)" ; Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:00 AM Subject: Re: Creating interactive PDF forms from Structured FrameMaker > All true. > But if you want to do the entire job more quickly, use Acrobat's > LifeCycle form too. > > Art > > On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 8:58 AM, Rick Quatro > wrote: >> Hi Kate, >> >> TimeSavers uses Hypertext markers to insert content into your FrameMaker >> documents, which will be come interactive when you make your PDFs from >> FrameMaker. As long as the markers are valid in your structured >> document, >> using structured FrameMaker is the same as unstructured for this >> purpose. >> >> I have been using TimeSavers for years and highly recommend it. >> >> Rick Quatro >> Carmen Publishing >> 585-659-8267 >> www.frameexpert.com >> >> >> >> >> > I'm trying to figure out how to create interactive, fillable PDF forms >> > from Structured FrameMaker. Does anyone have any experience with this? >> > There's a Shlomo Perets plugin called TimeSavers Form Assistant that >> > claims to do this with Frame, but it doesn't mention Structured Frame. >> > Has anyone used this plugin? >> > >> > Kate Marler >> > Editing & Desktop Publishing Intern | Content Operations >> > T-Mobile Talent Development >> > Desk: 425-383-8039 >> > >> > ___ > > > > -- > 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 >
I seem to have found an interesting bug/limitation with Tables thatstretch across multiple pages
Hi Z, I would say this is more of a limitation than a bug. While the text repeats in each header row, the marker and its hyperlink behavior only occur in the header rows on the first page (or column) of the table. The only workaround would be to put a text frame with a hypertext link on top of each repeated header row on the subsequent pages. This would only be practical with FrameScript or an API client. If you really need this functionality and are open for a FrameScript solution, send me a small sample offlist and I will give you a quote. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Hi, all. > > I am seeing a bug, or certainly a limitation that is very irritating! > Can someone tell me if my assumptions/observations are incorrect here, > please! > > This is with FrameMaker 8.0 with the p273 (latest) patches. > > 1. In one of my documents, I have a table with many rows that stretches > across multiple pages. > > 2. The top header row is set to "repeat" (i.e., show) at the top of the > table on all subsequent page, so the columns all have a "row header" on > all subsequent pages. > > 3. As an aside, I also use the automatic feature to add the > "(Continued)" at the end of the table title (which is also repeated at > the top, of course). > > 4. The very first page header row has hypertext on the individual words > in each column (that do a "gotolink ..." to the explanation and > definition of the word). Clearly, I cannot add this hypertext on the > subsequent table pages, since "header row" on the subsequent pages is > not selectable in any way. > > Now, here is the sumptom I am observing: > > 1. After I output the book as a PDF, the hypertext on the first page > header row of the table in the PDF output works perfectly! > > 2. It shows up as a clickable "link" (the mouse pointer changes from an > arrow to a finger) and clicking on the word indeed takes me to the other > part of the document. > > 3. But, in the header rows on subsequent pages in the PDF, that same > word is (a) not clickable - the mouse pointer does not change - and (b) > clicking it has no effect, obviously! > > To me, this is a bug! > > But, I want to ask if I am doing something incorrect here! > > Or, is there a workaround to this problem? > > Z
query on sort order in indexes: Bates numbering system needed
Hi Rob, You can change the sort order of an index marker by specifying a sort order in square brackets at the end of the index marker text. For example, say your marker text is this Volumes:1 Volumes:2 Volumes:10 Volumes:99 Volumes:100 Change them to this Volumes:1[Volumes:001] Volumes:2[Volumes:002] Volumes:10[Volumes:010] Volumes:99[Volumes:099] Volumes:100[Volumes:100] and you will get the correct sort order in your index. If you have a lot of markers in your document/book, you can use FrameScript to do this automatically for you. If you are interested in a FrameScript solution, contact me offlist. Thanks. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > Dear Framers: > I am certain I have seen this query answered before and am ashamed not to > be > able to lay my hands on the email from this group. > > I am happily generating indexes, but many of my sublevel entries are > volume > numbers. I must sort these according to the Bates system, i.e. 10 is after > 1 > and 100 is after 99. I see that in the FM help screen that the default > numbers sorted are "0, 1 to 9." Can I change that to include 10? How? > > I would like my index to look like > > Volumes >156 >266 >10..45 >99..34 >10033 > > Running FM 7.2 with updates on XP, > > Thanks for an excellent listserv; I have not crashed FM for 6 weeks! > > Rob
Structure to non-structure.
Special > Remove Structure From Flow Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hello Framers. Think me nuts but is there an easy way to convert a structured document to non-structured? The original doc was converted directly from Word to structured. The reason I am asking is that I am involved in a panic project where we might not have a working structured document by the time the TOC and index are due. My plan is to use a non-structured doc with para tags to make Index and TOC. I will have a very good draft and can adjust if we have a problem at the end. I know this sounds insane but I have learned that it works and it gives time to develop a good index before the last day of the project. Thanks Les.
Next Pgf Tag is Broken in the Paragraph Designer 8.0p273
The Next Pgf Tag function will work if there is text in the paragraph. If the paragraph is blank it won't work. Someone else mentioned this on the list but I am not sure if Adobe is aware of it. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com >I use FrameMaker 8.0p273. > This version ignores the setting in the Paragraph Designer "Next Pgf Tag" > on the Basic tab. I get only a duplicate of the previous paratag, > regardless of paratag selected in the pop-up. > This always worked in all previous versions. > Does anyone know a fix? > Has this been squawked to Adobe? > ___
Book file too big
Hi Heidi, I doubt if it is maxed out. What is the text of the error you get in the Distiller error log? Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Hello Framers, I have a book that consist of close to 500 files. The total page count is shy of 900. The problem: I cannot print a .pdf. I've created mifs to correct the issue in a given file and it worked, but then a few files down it did it on another file. I mifed ALL the files, tried to print to PDF again and now it stopping on one particular page. I've mifed it, I've saved the content in a new file container, blah blah. It won't go budge! Is it possible this book, with umpteen xrefs to other files in the book is just maxed out? Any insight is much appreciated! Heidi _
Copy of Framescript by Rick Quattro for sale ?
I am working on an updated edition of the book, which will be released this summer. Thanks for your interest. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com Okay, my apologies, folks ... Based on an e-mail I received (for a source of the PDF version of Rick's book), I went looking and realized that my PDF copy is because I bought the book a while back from Scriptorium, and the PDF is on the CD that came with the book. I also note that Scriptorium has it marked as "Out Of Print" too: http://store.scriptorium.com/items/books/framescript-a-crash-course-bk_fscript-detail.htm?1=1 Rick (since you are on this list), would you consider putting this version of the book (i.e., the PDF file) into the public domain for people to use, since your new book is in the works? Or, so you have another source for the book? Z
Convert HTML files to FrameMaker files
Hi Nidhi, If you are looking for something free, you probably won't find it. You could use FrameScript (http://www.framescript.com) to help you with the cleanup. If you are interested in some scripting help, please contact me offlist. Thank you very much. Rick Quatro Carmen Publishing 585-659-8267 www.frameexpert.com > > > Hi Everyone, > > > I have to convert my HTML files into FrameMaker files. I tried converting > the HTML files into word document and then imported it into FrameMaker. It > did well but lot of formatting is required. Is there any simpler way or > any > converter (can be freely downloaded)? > > Regards, > > Nidhi Bansal
