Category: FrameMaker

1. Open your Table of Contents file.
2. Choose View > Text Symbols to turn on the non-printing characters (if they aren't on already).
3. Choose View > Reference Pages.
4. Tap PgDn on your keyboard until you reach the TOC Reference Page, which looks something like this:

   

5. Take a close look at the text. What do you see between each <$paratext> and <$pagenum> building block? It's a space!
6. Delete the space after each <$paratext> and replace it with a tab character. In this image below, I've already set a right-aligned tab stop with leader dots, so adding the tabs scoots them over immediately. You will have to add the tab stop before your page numbers move to the right:

   

7. Choose View > Body Pages.

   Reference Page changes to generated documents don't take effect until you update your book. Once updated, you'll be happy to discover that you will never need to add those tabs manually again.

   Say it with me: "I love FrameMaker, I love FrameMaker!"

For those of you transitioning to FrameMaker from Microsoft Word, the empty pages left at the end of a document can be bothersome.
The first rule to learn is that the single fastest way to delete empty pages is to save your document. When you save, empty pages are deleted. Of course, this assumes a few things.

Choose Format > Page Layout > Pagination. Ensure "Before Saving & Printing" is set to Delete Empty Pages.

If you confirm the settings shown above, but the empty pages refuse to go away when you save or print, read on…

If the page in question is using a custom master page, choose Format > Page Layout > Master Page Usage and reassign the default Right/Left masters.

Save your work and the empty page should be gone.

If not, read on…

Another reason that empty pages stick around is if the master pages are using overrides. View the master pages via View > Master Pages and switch back the Body Pages (View > Body Pages). Select Remove Overrides.

Save your work and the empty page should be gone. But… if not, read on…

Yet another reason a page won't go away is if the page contains the start of a new flow (i.e., Flow B) or a disconnected page. Choose Special > Delete Pages and remove the page manually.

If the page disappears, but returns after you update your book, it's likely the book pagination is set to add blank pages to force a new chapter to begin on a specific page side. In the book window, you can choose Format > Page Layout > Pagination and you'll find the same options you saw for single documents. Book commands override the document commands, so I just ignore document pagination and always set it at the book level.

Most of us don't do a lot of drawing in FrameMaker these days, but sometimes we just need to add a quick line or rectangular element to the page. The toolbox gives you access to these drawing tools, along with various formatting commands.

To access the toolbox, just choose Graphics > Tools. It will appear at its default position, docked to the left of the page.

Getting rid of the toolbox is another matter. Resetting the workspace will do it, but if that's too drastic an action (because it also resets the toolbars, pods and panels, and then you will need to undock the toolbox.

Grab the top of the toolbox and drag it onto the page. Once it is undocked, you can simply click the X to close it.

Before you close the toolbox, take a minute to click the double white arrows to the left of the X. Did you know you can flip the toolbox to a horizontal position?

That's cool. Plus, now that it is horizontal, it fits nicely into the Toolbars. Just drag it up to dock it.

Truthfully, you don't need to flip it to dock it in the toolbars. Simply drag the vertical version up to the toolbar and it will flip itself.

It's good to know how to flip the toolbar though because if you ever get this far and you want to restore the floating vertical Toolbox, you won't need me to tell you to drag it out of the dock and click the double white arrows (located below the X on the rotated toolbox) to restore the vertical orientation.