by Barbara Binder
We talked last week about creating smart running heads (using variables for "live" running heads that pull data off the page). These are great for your readers because they can tell at a glance what chapter and/or section they are in.
But what if you need to pull different paragraph formats into the running heads in different documents (for example, you want your contents title in your table of contents, your chapter titles in the main body of the book, and the index title in the index)? You could set up different master pages in each document, but then if you need to make a global change to, let's say the margins, when you import your Page Layout formats, you'll wipe out the customization. I have a much better way for you:
Wow! Now you can have one variable that works for the front matter, the body of the book, and the back matter. That's a smart variable!
If you are new to FrameMaker and want to get up to speed quickly, join IconLogic's instructor-led, online Introduction to Adobe FrameMaker 9 class on December 2-3. Too elementary for your skill level? How about the Advanced FrameMaker 9 class on December 9-10? Hope to "see" you there (or at one of our future classes).
We talked last week about creating smart running heads (using variables for "live" running heads that pull data off the page). These are great for your readers because they can tell at a glance what chapter and/or section they are in.
But what if you need to pull different paragraph formats into the running heads in different documents (for example, you want your contents title in your table of contents, your chapter titles in the main body of the book, and the index title in the index)? You could set up different master pages in each document, but then if you need to make a global change to, let's say the margins, when you import your Page Layout formats, you'll wipe out the customization. I have a much better way for you:
- Choose View > Master Pages.
- Click in a background frame to set up a header or footer.
- Choose Format > Headers & Footers > Insert Other.
- Scroll down to the Running H/F variables and select Running H/F 1 (assuming you aren't using it elsewhere. If you are and don't want to mess it up, just pick the next available Running H/F variable--you have a total of 12, and I'm pretty sure you aren't using all of them.)
- Examine the default definition: <$paratext[Title]>.
In English, this says: "go get the paragraph text of the paragraph format called Title and put it in the running head."
- Click the Edit button on the Variables pod (button number 3):
- Edit the variable definition to call out each of the formats you'd like to see in your running head:
<$paratext[ContentsTitle,ChapterTitle,IndexTitle]>
In English, the variable now says: "If you can find a ContentsTitle, go get it and put it in the running head, but if you can't find it, see if you can find ChapterTitle and put that in the running head. If you can't find either, see if you can find IndexTitle and put that in the running head."
Wow! Now you can have one variable that works for the front matter, the body of the book, and the back matter. That's a smart variable!
***
If you are new to FrameMaker and want to get up to speed quickly, join IconLogic's instructor-led, online Introduction to Adobe FrameMaker 9 class on December 2-3. Too elementary for your skill level? How about the Advanced FrameMaker 9 class on December 9-10? Hope to "see" you there (or at one of our future classes).
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About the author: Barbara Binder is the president and founder of Rocky Mountain Training. Barbara has been a trainer for nearly two decades and has been recognized by Adobe as one of the top trainers world-wide.
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