Adobe FrameMaker: Defining Bookmarks

by Barbara Binder

Bookmarks are navigational links listed in the Bookmarks pane in Adobe Acrobat (and Adobe Reader) that display page content in the Document pane. I use them as an always-visible, clickable table of contents.

To that effect, I normally create bookmarks that match my table of contents. For example, if my table of contents lists the chapter titles, along with the first and second level headings, then I make sure my bookmarks do the same thing. Here's how:

1. Open a completed FrameMaker document or book.
2. Choose File > Save as PDF (or File > Save Book as PDF).
3. Name the file, and then click Save.
4. Click the Bookmarks tab at the top of the PDF Setup dialog box:

   

5. Leave Generate PDF Bookmarks selected. Press the [Shift] key on your keyboard and click the right-pointing arrow between the Include Paragraphs and Don't Include lists. (Shift-clicking will push everything over to the Don't Include list).
6. Scan the Don't include list and double-click only the paragraphs you want to include in the bookmark list.

   In my example, I'm moving ChapterTitle, Heading1 and Heading2 back to the Include Paragraph list.

7. Take a moment to set up the hierarchy, or Bookmark Level, by using the double chevrons to indent the secondary, and in my example, tertiary titles.

   

8. Click Set to generate the PDF.
9. If you don't immediately see the bookmarks in the Acrobat file, choose View > Navigation Panels > Bookmarks.

   

The bookmarks panel will list the paragraph text for the paragraph tags that you specified, and you can expand and collapse the various heading levels, based on how you indented the paragraph tags with the double chevrons in step 7.

If you are publishing your PDF electronically, don't forget to make the Bookmarks Panel and Page the default under  File > Properties > Initial View in Acrobat because you can't count on the average reader to know how to display bookmarks: