Category: FrameMaker

I received another great question from one of myFrameMaker students: 

Hi Barb… A real quick question. I have FrameMaker version 9.  I downloaded the trial for 11 to take your class. My 30 day trial ends today. I attempted to open my FrameMaker 11 files using FrameMaker 9 but can't. Suggestions?

You just need to save the FrameMaker 11 files into a format that FrameMaker 9 will understand. FrameMaker uses a format called MIF for this situation. According to Adobe, "MIF (Maker Interchange Format) is a group of ASCII statements that create an easily parsed, readable text file of all the text, graphics, formatting, and layout constructs that Adobe FrameMaker understands. Because MIF is an alternative representation of a FrameMaker document, it allows FrameMaker and other applications to exchange information while preserving graphics, document content, and format."

The very flexible MIF format can be used in a variety of advanced situations, including as a way to interface with database publishing applications. For you, it's going to be the way you save a file in a format that can be opened by an earlier version of the software.

Here's how you create a MIF:

1. Open the file in FrameMaker 11.
2. Choose File > Save as > Save as Type > MIF 7.0
3. Be sure to change the extension of the file to .MIF
4. Close the file in FrameMaker 11
5. Open the .MIF file in FrameMaker 9
6. Choose File > Save as > Save as Type > Document 9.0
7. Be sure to change the extension back to .FM

That should do it! Let me know how it goes.

 It went perfectly. Thank you! 

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FrameMaker's Page Count variable makes it easy to track (and reference) the page count of a single chapter. The Page Count variable, which ships with FrameMaker, makes it possible to set up page numbers that look like this: 1 of 10, 2 of 10, 3 of 10, etc. Here's how:

1. Choose View > Master Pages.
2. Click within the header or footer frame.
3. Choose Special > Variable to open the Variables pod.
4. Add the Current Page # variable (double click to insert, or click once on the name, and click the Insert button on the Variables pod toolbar).

   

    

5. Press the [spacebar], type the word of and press [spacebar] again.
6. Finish by inserting the Page Count variable and return to the body pages. 

The Page Count variable works by inserting a reference to the last body page of the chapter. As you add and remove pages via editing, the variable updates.

Easy enough. But what about trying to keep track of the last page of a multi-chapter book? Tune in next week to learn more about that.

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The question of adding shading to paragraph text comes up in my online FrameMaker class every now and then. In the past (meaning FrameMaker 9 and earlier), the solution was always a single-cell table. In FrameMaker 10, you have a choice: you can simply add a background color behind the paragraph text, or use a single-cell table. Which one is right for you?

FrameMaker 10: Adding a Background Color

1. Create a new paragraph format. I called mine Note.
2. Enable the Background Color checkbox in the Default Font properties sheet in Paragraph Designer and click Update All.

   Note: You may have to reduce the line spacing to remove white space between the lines of text within the paragraph.

   

   The resulting paragraph using Background Color:

   

FrameMaker 10 & Earlier: Creating a Single-Cell Table

1. Create a new paragraph format. I called mine Note2.
2. Select the paragraph and choose Table > Convert to Table.
3. Select Treat Each Paragraph As: A Cell with the Number of Columns set to 1. Heading Rows should be set to 0.

   

4. Click the Convert button.
5. Resize the table to fit the column width.
6. With your cursor still in the table, create a new Table format. I called mine ShadingTable.
7. Turn off the Table Title, set your Left & Right margins, set all of the rules to None and set the First 1 Row Shading to the color of your choice.

   

8. Click the Update All button.
9. The result using a single-cell table:

   

Comparing the results of both techniques, I think the single cell table looks better. Using a table format, we have control over the cell margins and I think that's going to provide the better solution.

In either case: don't forget to add the lead-in text to your paragraph tag so that it will appear automatically whenever you use that paragraph format. 

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I like mixing bold headings in my table of contents with regular weight text, but I don't like the bold leaders and page numbers that go with it:

I just think it looks awkward. My preference is to leave all of the generated paragraph formats in regular weight, and then use a character style to bold just the heading. Here's how:

1. In your table of contents (TOC), use the Paragraph Designer to set up the initial formatting for your text. Leave everything as regular weight.
2. Create a character format to set the weight to bold. I called mine Bold.

   

3. Choose View > Reference pages and turn to the TOC Reference Page.

   

4. On the TOC Reference Page, select the <$paratext> building block for the paragraph formats you would like to bold, and apply the Bold format from the Character Catalog.

   

5. Save your work and return to the Body pages.
6. Update the TOC to see the change applied.

   

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