http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Adobe-FrameMaker A listing of the most recently indexed works about Adobe FrameMaker in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Adobe-FrameMaker http://tc.eserver.org/35539.html http://tc.eserver.org/35539.html New FrameMaker documents have default Master Pages. Single-sided documents have one, called "Right," and double-sided documents have two, called "Left" and "Right." We use these pages to place the objects we want to repeat on all the Body Pages, things like our running heads, page numbers and repeating graphics. But what do you do when you need a different look for a Body Page, on a repeating basis? For example, no page number on the opening page of each chapter? You set up a custom master page. Here's how. http://tc.eserver.org/35452.html http://tc.eserver.org/35452.html When FrameMaker content containing Anchored Frame is imported to RoboHelp, the Anchored Frame is converted to corresponding image in generated XHTML content. The quality of generated images has been an area of concern. While some users are satisfied with the quality of images generated, others feel the scope of improvement in the image quality. This blog describes some of the best practices and workflows that will help obtain improved quality of generated images. In other words, it will allow users to maintain the original quality of source images generated through specialized image editing applications. http://tc.eserver.org/35420.html http://tc.eserver.org/35420.html I never like opening up a FrameMaker document and getting the dreaded unavailable fonts dialog box. Sadly, with multiple authors who contribute documents to me from around the world, it's just a fact of life that I see the dialog box frequently. http://tc.eserver.org/35267.html http://tc.eserver.org/35267.html The sizes listed in the picture above are the default type sizes listed in FrameMaker's Paragraph and Character Designers. If your favorite choices are listed, great! If not, you have to type the size you want into the Size field. If you'd like to modify the Size list so that it includes your favorite Sizes, read on. http://tc.eserver.org/34355.html http://tc.eserver.org/34355.html Specialization is the process by which new designs are created based on existing designs, allowing new kind of content to be processed using existing processing rules.Specialization allows you to define new kinds of information (new structural types or new domains of information), while reusing as much of existing design and code as possible, and minimizing or eliminating the costs of interchange, migration, and maintenance. http://tc.eserver.org/34356.html http://tc.eserver.org/34356.html Adobe FrameMaker 9 allows to use Ditaval based filtering of content while producing following output from a DITA Map. For using the Ditaval filtering with FrameMaker, first create a ditaval file specifying the filtering criteria and then select this ditaval file while producing the output. http://tc.eserver.org/34358.html http://tc.eserver.org/34358.html You can open and edit XML files stored on the WebDAV server using FrameMaker 9. When FrameMaker 9 is installed on your computer, the Edit with FrameMaker plug-in is added to the browser's toolbar and is listed as an option in the edit menu for XML files. http://tc.eserver.org/34359.html http://tc.eserver.org/34359.html The Structure View allows for real-time validation of the structured element content while editing. It discourages the author from violating the constraint rules set by the EDD or XML schema which was earlier possible only while saving or exporting the document. The Structure View is now capable of pointing the constraint error for integer and float data constraints. The content will turn Red indicating that the content does not satisfy the data type constraint. http://tc.eserver.org/34260.html http://tc.eserver.org/34260.html With FrameMaker 9 comes a new way to work with files on a CMS (Content Management Server) that supports HTTP/WebDAV protocol. WebDAV is a kind of extension over HTTP which allows user to write files on Web along with usual viewing. Multiple users can collaboratively edit and manage files hosted on the Web server. Since many of today’s CMS servers provide users with a WebDAV route to access and edit files, FrameMaker 9 can automate the collaborative tasks by providing direct ways to view and make changes to files on CMS systems. http://tc.eserver.org/34040.html http://tc.eserver.org/34040.html An explanation of the logic behind the new FrameMaker interface and a tour of how it works. http://tc.eserver.org/34027.html http://tc.eserver.org/34027.html Using the structured features requires advanced training and you probably won’t need them anyways unless you’re doing any “single sourcing” (which is the topic of yet another article). For example if you were doing any XML-based authoring or “database publishing” then you would definitely need to learn how to use the FrameMaker’s structured interface. However, there is an easy way to imitate structured documentation while you are still in the unstructured mode. This is one case in which you can have your cake (unstructured FM) and take a bite out of it too (by enjoying one selected feature of structured documentation). http://tc.eserver.org/34029.html http://tc.eserver.org/34029.html Adobe FrameMaker is the information design platform of choice for most professional technical writers and technical communicators across the globe. Like all powerful software applications, FrameMaker also has a lot of features and configuration possibilities. One of those features is the ability to create new paragraph styles. Each paragraph style in FrameMaker is represented by a “Paragraph Tag.” So to create a new formatting style you actually create a “tag.” Here is how you can create a new paragraph style/tag for your FrameMaker (FM) document. http://tc.eserver.org/33814.html http://tc.eserver.org/33814.html FrameMaker users are buzzing about FrameMaker 9. With CMYK support, CMS integration, DITA 1.1, and PDF commenting, this version is full of new functionality but is unfortunately also buggy and inconsistent. This review covers the most important new features of FrameMaker 9. http://tc.eserver.org/33522.html http://tc.eserver.org/33522.html A few days ago, there was a thread on the Framers mailing list regarding working in the structured FrameMaker environment. Someone commented that editing unstructured documents in the structured interface does not affect the unstructured documents. I found this to be untrue recently. http://tc.eserver.org/31097.html http://tc.eserver.org/31097.html Tables make information easy to find and understand and are often used for illustrating comparisons among similar data. A table usually consists of a heading row and one or more body rows and may also contain a title. http://tc.eserver.org/30084.html http://tc.eserver.org/30084.html Embedded indexing is the process of creating index entries electronically in a document’s files. Although desktop publishing packages are not the best tools for indexing, they can be used to create effective embedded indexes. For technical documents that will be updated frequently or will go online, technical communicators can create embedded indexes that will help their audience find information quickly and efficiently. http://tc.eserver.org/29920.html http://tc.eserver.org/29920.html A group for users of 'FrameScript' software. http://tc.eserver.org/28737.html http://tc.eserver.org/28737.html FrameMaker seems to be Adobe's best-kept secret. A tremendously powerful desktop-publishing program, FrameMaker has been ritually ignored by reviewers who instead concentrate on the big three DTP apps: QuarkXPress, InDesign, and PageMaker. Adobe positioned FrameMaker as a niche 'word-processing' product appropriate only for long-document production. http://tc.eserver.org/28736.html http://tc.eserver.org/28736.html In Adobe FrameMaker, it is necessary to use special keyboard combinations to insert special typographic characters in your work. You can find an extensive list of special characters in FrameMaker's online help. You also can paste in special characters from Word or HTML. http://tc.eserver.org/28263.html http://tc.eserver.org/28263.html Content reuse enables technical communicators to create multiple deliverables from a single set of source documents. A key component of reuse is identifying which information belongs in which deliverable. Some customization is feasible with build tags (RoboHelp), conditional text (FrameMaker), topic reuse (FrameMaker and AuthorIT), and similar features. http://tc.eserver.org/27656.html http://tc.eserver.org/27656.html At the 2004 WritersUA and STC Conferences, structured FrameMaker and XML were among the more popular session topics. There is obviously significant interest in the user assistance community about authoring XML documents with structured FrameMaker. This is not surprising, as many organizations are struggling with the problems of creating and delivering increasing amounts of user assistance in multiple formats, and managing their content in a way that maximizes their capabilities to reuse content across multiple publications. http://tc.eserver.org/27595.html http://tc.eserver.org/27595.html This page provides some answers to the question 'What resources would you recommend for someone moving from unstructured Frame to Frame+DITA?' Carla Martinek, Translation Coordinator/Editor, started making this list in response to a CMS question on the FrameMaker+DITA listserv, and thought it would be worth sharing. http://tc.eserver.org/27089.html http://tc.eserver.org/27089.html Autonumbering had changed as new versions of FrameMaker have arrived. What worked in FrameMaker 5 might have broken in 5.5. This is due to changes Adobe made in the restart building blocks (request presentation). While our examples below use the maximum building blocks (meaning a little extra work), the result is numbering schemes that are more flexible for multiple versions of FrameMaker. http://tc.eserver.org/27090.html http://tc.eserver.org/27090.html Everything that is in FrameMaker is in FrameMaker+SGML. FrameMaker+SGML has capabilities that FrameMaker does not have. http://tc.eserver.org/27088.html http://tc.eserver.org/27088.html An issue that has come up over and over again on several FrameMaker and Acrobat/PDF email lists as well on the corresponding Adobe User-to-User forums is that of creation of PDF files. FrameMaker 5.5.6 and 6 have what looks like a convenient feature that is supposed to allow you to create PDF files via simply saving the document as a PDF file. I have gone on record as advising end-users not to use this approach for reliable creation of PDF files from FrameMaker documents under Windows and MacOS with FrameMaker 6 and earlier. Why do I most vociferously offer this advice and why doesn't the problem get fixed? And how SHOULD you create PDF files from FrameMaker? http://tc.eserver.org/27091.html http://tc.eserver.org/27091.html I would say that the two products are more or less equal in the template creation category, with RH having some advantages. On the other hand, WWP is much more usable, customizable, and faster in the generation/compilation department. Given that template creation is done very seldom, and generation/compilation is done frequently, its advantages in this area make WWP the better product. http://tc.eserver.org/25418.html http://tc.eserver.org/25418.html Scripts and tools provided for FrameMaker users. http://tc.eserver.org/25165.html http://tc.eserver.org/25165.html Plan your FrameMaker templates' look for both print and online. http://tc.eserver.org/24990.html http://tc.eserver.org/24990.html FrameMaker is the industry standard for writing book-length documents. It is a powerful program capable of creating books of well over a thousand pages. The learning curve for the program is significant. FrameMaker is a much different animal than Microsoft Word and other word processors. http://tc.eserver.org/24221.html http://tc.eserver.org/24221.html Many FrameMaker users need to publish their documents on the World Wide Web. The best approach is to use a converter, which preserves the format and organization of the original FrameMaker document. Good converters can handle long, complex documents that contain elements such as table of contents, index, line drawings, bitmap graphics, tables, footnotes, and equations. We discuss the benefits of having a single source document for paper and Web, the techniques for creating documents that can be converted easily, and the powerful conversion tools available today. http://tc.eserver.org/24121.html http://tc.eserver.org/24121.html What happens when the software firm you work for decides it will not deliver large printed manuals any more? Then the request comes to put everything online. Six months later, user profiles shift to the World Wide Web and you're asked to deliver HTML. In the future, a database of SGML information chunks may let us deliver anything, any which way. Today, we must devise a system that allows us to 'author once, publish many'. Such as system is crucial for software and hardware documentation. The method I chose was to go from FrameMaker to Acrobat .pdf files to HTML. I wrote in Adobe FrameMaker, then converted to .pdf files with Adobe Acrobat, and converted FrameMaker to HTML files with Quadralay WebWorks Publisher. But while we're waiting for the future, just learning SGML and diving deep into DTDs alone could be a mistake. SGML is a language which sets out structure, and most of us are concerned with content. Enter Information Mapping, or information types of your own devising. Identifying chunks of information such as a procedure for changing the default printer is extremely important. If we then mark each chunk for an index and record its type and title, we've also got the keywords for a future database. http://tc.eserver.org/23459.html http://tc.eserver.org/23459.html We recently converted our documents from Word to FrameMaker. Most of the people in my department had been using Word for years and had grown accustomed to applying character formatting using key commands or buttons on the toolbar. I was afraid that they would use the same methods in FrameMaker simply out of habit, rather than using character tags. http://tc.eserver.org/23457.html http://tc.eserver.org/23457.html I modified the FrameMaker template browser to display our department's templates rather than the generic ones that come with the software. The writers no longer have to dig through the company's folder structure to find the template they need. http://tc.eserver.org/23455.html http://tc.eserver.org/23455.html This page is dedicated to the Adobe FrameMaker software. It includes many suggestions for customizing FrameMaker as well as a guide that my department used for converting thousands of pages from Word to FrameMaker. http://tc.eserver.org/22731.html http://tc.eserver.org/22731.html Good graphical user interface (GUI) design is more important than ever, given the proliferation of software applications and Web sites. GUI design principles were first defined for desktop-oriented software applications, when the Internet was barely known by most software users. Those GUI design principles were later adopted and modified for use in Web design. This article reviews some basic rules of good GUI design in the desktop environment, explores why those rules might differ in the Web environment, and, finally, summarizes the similarities and differences in good GUI design for both environments. http://tc.eserver.org/22537.html http://tc.eserver.org/22537.html Producers of technical documentation have long sung the praises of Adobe FrameMaker, but other print designers may wonder what's the big deal. That may change with FrameMaker 7.1, which includes powerful QuarkXPress and PageMaker filters and whizzy conditional-text features. http://tc.eserver.org/22419.html http://tc.eserver.org/22419.html Da druckt meine Quelldatei mit allen Pixelbildern wunderbar, wenn ich diese aber mittels Acrobat in das PDF-Format von Adobe wandle, kann ich in den Pixelbildern kaum noch Text lesen, sind alle feinen Linien weg und ist auch sonst die Qualität der Pixelbilder nur noch mäßig. http://tc.eserver.org/21906.html http://tc.eserver.org/21906.html Taking FrameMaker files on the road can present a few challenges, but it doesn't have to be difficult. Here are some tips that'll help ensure that you get the best results. http://tc.eserver.org/20907.html http://tc.eserver.org/20907.html A USENET newsgroup for discussion among users of Adobe FrameMaker. http://tc.eserver.org/20893.html http://tc.eserver.org/20893.html FrameScript is a lot like FrameMaker; it has a fairly steep learning curve, but once you learn it, you’ll find it a real workhorse. The best way to start is to read the FrameScript Scriptwriter’s Guide. And the Quick Reference will provide you shortcuts to learning the FrameScript syntax. This tutorial will introduce some foundational concepts of writing scripts that will help you get started. http://tc.eserver.org/20888.html http://tc.eserver.org/20888.html There are two types of cross-references in FrameMaker: paragraph cross-references and spot cross-references. (There is a third type, element cross-references, available only in FrameMaker+SGML. This tutorial will not discuss element cross-references) Both paragraph and spot cross-references are similar, in that you have to insert an Xref object that points to a Cross-Ref Marker. The Xref object has an XRefSrcText property that must exactly match the marker text of the Cross-Ref Marker. Let’s start with spot cross-references, since they are a little simpler to work with. http://tc.eserver.org/20892.html http://tc.eserver.org/20892.html In the previous lesson, we introduced a simple FrameScript loop to process all of the paragraph formats in a document. In this lesson, we will introduce a variation of the loop, and the important concept of linked lists' of FrameMaker objects. http://tc.eserver.org/20891.html http://tc.eserver.org/20891.html Being able to navigate paragraphs in FrameMaker documents is an essential FrameScript task. This tutorial will explore several methods. For background information, see the Loops and Lists tutorial. http://tc.eserver.org/20890.html http://tc.eserver.org/20890.html Here is a simple script that proportionately scales a table to fit the text column that contains it. This script works with the current table but can be easily expanded to work with all of the tables in a document or book. http://tc.eserver.org/20889.html http://tc.eserver.org/20889.html If you are making a lot of FrameMaker graphics, such as lines with arrowheads, the thought of having to change them later can give you nightmares. Wouldn’t it be nice to have 'stylesheets' for graphic objects? With FrameScript, you can apply 'styles' to your graphics so that their properties can be globally changed. http://tc.eserver.org/20726.html http://tc.eserver.org/20726.html WebWorks Publisher from Quadralay lets you develop online help from FrameMaker files without dealing with the inefficiencies associated with help authoring tools (HATs). No longer do you have to convert the FrameMaker files to RTF for use in a HAT—and consequently lose all the formatting, which you must rebuild. You also do not have to maintain two sets of files. http://tc.eserver.org/20501.html http://tc.eserver.org/20501.html I'd like to vote in favor of dispelling the MYTH that FrameMaker is difficult to learn. http://tc.eserver.org/20502.html http://tc.eserver.org/20502.html Instructions for installing Adobe PS 4.26 for Windows 95/98 and attaching it to Acrobat Distiller for use with FrameMaker 5.5x. http://tc.eserver.org/20503.html http://tc.eserver.org/20503.html This article centers on a single-source documentation process that involves authoring structured, chunked documentation in Adobe FrameMaker 5.5.6 and converting it 'just in time' to a WinHelp online help system using ForeHelp Premier 2000. http://tc.eserver.org/20314.html http://tc.eserver.org/20314.html A discussion of single-sourcing using FrameMaker and WebWorks Publisher. http://tc.eserver.org/18822.html http://tc.eserver.org/18822.html The primary reason to use Framemaker is the power that it offers in managing long and possibly technically complex documents. And while detailed control of the formatting of every paragraph and character is important, the overarching concern is overall structure and layout on a document- or book-wide basis. As the product's name announces, at the heart of FrameMaker's structure and layout paradigm is the 'Frame'. Yet I found the user documentation on the actual subject of frames to be perplexingly opaque. Frames are mentioned here and there, and what is described is not incorrect. But nowhere in the user docs is there a concise and complete discussion of this central FrameMaker feature -- which tends to stall efforts to actually get started on using FrameMaker in a productively-planned manner. Indeed, it is tempting to speculate that the FM learning curve is infamously steep precisely because this conceptual core is so ill illuminated. So, determined to dispell the fog (at least for me!), I resorted to studying the very helpful Programmers' Reference and Guide, and built a MIF-Browser tool to get to the bottom of the matter. Herewith is an effort to clarify what to me seem the essentials needed for productive use of FrameMaker, condensed in one place. http://tc.eserver.org/18825.html http://tc.eserver.org/18825.html This page is my effort to discover and document how to transform the currently shipping FrameMaker 5.5.6 into a form that is actually usable and hopefully stable. http://tc.eserver.org/18824.html http://tc.eserver.org/18824.html This is my current model of the components which compose the FrameMaker 5.5.6 product, and their functions. Open to critique. All of the components marked in yellow are either included in the FM package, or at least supposed to be. http://tc.eserver.org/18823.html http://tc.eserver.org/18823.html Much can be learned about Frame document structure and the objects within by examining documents saved in MIF format. http://tc.eserver.org/18796.html http://tc.eserver.org/18796.html A discussion of how to think about FrameMaker templates for single source documents. http://tc.eserver.org/18793.html http://tc.eserver.org/18793.html This site contains links of interest to users of Adobe FrameMaker, the industry-leading tool for creating long or complex technical documents. Paired with Quadralay's WebWorks Publisher, it is also an excellent tool for single source solutions that involve some combination of print or PDF, online Help, and Web-based information. http://tc.eserver.org/18797.html http://tc.eserver.org/18797.html A presentation covering some techniques for using WebWork Publisher to produce online versions of FrameMaker documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/18795.html http://tc.eserver.org/18795.html A presentation describing techniques for Adobe FrameMaker and WebWorks Publisher users. http://tc.eserver.org/18791.html http://tc.eserver.org/18791.html This is a page with links to various resources for WebWorks Publisher users. WebWorks Publisher is a 'best of breed' solution for single source publishing with Adobe FrameMaker. Using WebWorks Publisher, you can convert FrameMaker documents to a wide variety of online formats, including Web formats (HTML, HTML + CSS, XML, XML + CSS, XML + XSL), as well as online Help formats (WinHelp, HTML Help, JavaHelp, and WebWorks Help). http://tc.eserver.org/18807.html http://tc.eserver.org/18807.html The online discussion group for WebWorks Publisher users. This eGroup is an extension of wwpusers.com. Though this service primarily serves as a community listserv, there are also other tools available for you to use. http://tc.eserver.org/18764.html http://tc.eserver.org/18764.html Managing FrameMaker documents requires a unique and sophisticated document management solution. FrameMaker documents are inherently complex and often compound in nature; this reality must be recognized in order to effectively manage FrameMaker documents, so that their contents can be fully leveraged. http://tc.eserver.org/18558.html http://tc.eserver.org/18558.html Indexing in FrameMaker can feel frustrating and time-consuming — especially when under the pressure of a deadline. http://tc.eserver.org/18323.html http://tc.eserver.org/18323.html By default Webworks Publisher uses file names and paragraph numbers as hyperlink targets, e. g. <a href='filename.html#55555'>. Most web browsers try to position the paragraph with the corresponding name anchor <a name='55555'> at the top of the screen if possible. If you jump to the top of a scrollable topic, any content above the title line (e.g. navigation graphics) is hidden. There are a few easy countermeasures. http://tc.eserver.org/18324.html http://tc.eserver.org/18324.html If you are using Webworks Publisher to create HTML pages which will be published for the WWW, you may want to place additional useful meta tags in your pages to be found and indexed by search engines and thus be found by interested persons. http://tc.eserver.org/18219.html http://tc.eserver.org/18219.html With the explosion of online help authoring tools (primarily in the Windows® environment) companies are clamoring for the ability to produce online help on multiple platforms. This demonstration presents one solution to the problem of creating online help in a multiplatform environment. We will demonstrate the process of translating FrameMaker™ files from the Macintosh® to Windows NT®, and ultimately, to UNIX®. http://tc.eserver.org/15224.html http://tc.eserver.org/15224.html Discusses Quadralay's WebWorks Publisher, a software package that allows single-sourcing from Adobe FrameMaker to online documents. For a more advanced discussion of WebWorks, see Robert R. Desprez's article 'WebWorks Publisher: Jumping into the Details,' also in the September/October 2001 issue of Intercom. http://tc.eserver.org/14927.html http://tc.eserver.org/14927.html Have you ever wanted to check a large set of FrameMaker files to make sure all the borders, text- symbols, and rulers are turned off? What about hyperlinks? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to automatically validate all the hypertext links within a large set of FrameMaker files? Did you ever wish there was a way to automatically convert a set of data into FrameMaker tables? You can do all these things, and more, using the Maker Interchange Format (MIF). This article presents some of the main features of MIF and gives an overview of some of the ways you can make use of MIF. Additional articles will delve deeper into using Perl to process MIF, providing details on specific applications. http://tc.eserver.org/14785.html http://tc.eserver.org/14785.html Houser provides an overview of XML editors. He discusses in detail three of the most popular content-oriented editors: ArborText Epic, Adobe FrameMaker 7, and SoftQuad XMetaL. http://tc.eserver.org/14715.html http://tc.eserver.org/14715.html Desprez illuminates some of the advanced features of Quadralay's WebWorks Publisher, a software package that allows single-sourcing from Adobe FrameMaker to online documents. For a discussion of WebWorks tailored to beginners, see Wendy G. Beren's article 'WebWorks Publisher: Can It Convert You?' http://tc.eserver.org/14491.html http://tc.eserver.org/14491.html While WebWorks Publisher (WWP) 7.0 can convert FrameMaker indexes into different online formats, getting things to work initially can be a bit of a challenge. Page ranges in index entries result in hyperlinks to both the starting and ending locations. Index hyperlinks don’t always link to the top of a help topic, but often to somewhere in the middle. For Simple HTML and Dynamic HTML, “See” and “See also” references can fail to convert altogether. However, if you do get stuck, Customer Support can help pull you through. http://tc.eserver.org/14489.html http://tc.eserver.org/14489.html FrameMaker provides you with the ability to enter individual index headings using index markers. Once entered, you can automatically generate the index with the correct page numbers. http://tc.eserver.org/14402.html http://tc.eserver.org/14402.html Many FrameMaker users need to publish their documents on the World Wide Web. The best approach is to use a converter, which preserves the format and organization of the original FrameMaker document. Good converters can handle long, complex documents that contain elements such as table of contents, index, line drawings, bitmap graphics, tables, footnotes, and equations. We discuss the benefits of having a single source document for paper and Web, the techniques for creating documents that can be converted easily, and the powerful conversion tools available today. http://tc.eserver.org/14404.html http://tc.eserver.org/14404.html Want to create a colorful, interactive online version of your FrameMaker® documents? Not many steps are involved in making the conversion: start with template changes in the FrameMaker files; create a postscript file; convert it into a PDF (Portable Document Format) file using Adobe Distiller®; and add final touches to the PDF file in Adobe Exchange®. http://tc.eserver.org/14321.html http://tc.eserver.org/14321.html WWPUsers.com will bring you the latest and greatest information about WebWorks Publisher tools, techniques, and tips. WebWorks Publisher software lets you convert FrameMaker files into various online formats, such as HTML, Dynamic HTML, WebWorks Help, Windows online help (WinHelp), XML, HTML Help, and JavaHelp. http://tc.eserver.org/14082.html http://tc.eserver.org/14082.html We see content repurposing as taking marked-up content and automatically transforming it for presentation in multiple applications. For example, one of our clients asked us to help them convert existing Word documentation into structured FrameMaker+SGML files, and then export it to a well-formed and valid XML instance. The structured FrameMaker+SGML documents would be used to create user manuals (both print and PDF), and the XML instance would be used for online documentation on PDAs or cell phones. Portions of the content would be applicable for only the printed documents, while other potions of the content would be used only for online display. http://tc.eserver.org/14083.html http://tc.eserver.org/14083.html A PowerPoint slide show about using FrameMaker for single-source document creation and management. http://tc.eserver.org/13588.html http://tc.eserver.org/13588.html As a technical writer, you may be exploring single-sourcing--producing multiple document outputs from a single information source--as a possible option for easing document development and production. Although solutions such as databases, SGML, and XML are available that can enable you to reuse information to produce multiple outputs, single-sourcing doesn't have to involve such complex solutions, expenses, and learning curves. Instead, if your single-sourcing needs are relatively simple, you can effectively single-source using a tool that technical writers commonly have available: FrameMaker. http://tc.eserver.org/13053.html http://tc.eserver.org/13053.html FrameMaker may be the current standard for technical publication, but that doesn't mean it's a perfect program. Many writers who've used FrameMaker find that it's complex and quirky, with a lot functionality hidden in its now somewhat dated interface. So where do you go when you need help? This article will give you some suggestions. http://tc.eserver.org/12951.html http://tc.eserver.org/12951.html You can convert FrameMaker's help files to a PDF file, thus making them fully searchable and far more usable than the originals. These instructions are Windows-centric, but can be adapted to work on all systems with Frame. (Directory/folder names are the only real difference.) http://tc.eserver.org/12979.html http://tc.eserver.org/12979.html For all that the most central concept in FrameMaker is the Frame, the existing documentation is thoroughly foggy regarding the precise nature of the Frame types and the relationships amongst them. Here is a first pass at rectifying that shortcoming. http://tc.eserver.org/12967.html http://tc.eserver.org/12967.html This summary lists pros and cons for using FrameMaker or Word for creating large documents or books. The general consensus of techwhirlers is that FrameMaker is better-suited than Word for large documents and for creating a single-source documentation set. http://tc.eserver.org/10705.html http://tc.eserver.org/10705.html Indexing a document is an art in itself. Since Adobe FrameMaker is the program of choice for most companies producing technical documentation, it is worth while to find out how to create an index in FrameMaker. http://tc.eserver.org/10620.html http://tc.eserver.org/10620.html Building blocks, like macros, allow you to enter information without typing it. http://tc.eserver.org/10188.html http://tc.eserver.org/10188.html The largest FrameMaker® Reference Site on the Internet. This is the largest FrameMaker User Network (FUN) available to anyone around the world. Although this site is not produced by Adobe, we provide a solutions network for all FrameMaker® users. This can only be made possible with your support, ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to join one of our email lists and make sure to drop us your comments and ideas. http://tc.eserver.org/10028.html http://tc.eserver.org/10028.html InFrame is the independent electronic magazine devoted to Adobe FrameMaker. Its hope is to provide the FrameMaker community with a regular source of tips, information, and idea exchange.