Resources

Template tidbits

Want to be the most popular person in your documentation department? If so, setting up a FrameMaker template that automates and simplifies many of details writers must handle when creating complex technical documents is sure to win the admiration of coworkers. Some of these features take a bit of time and skill to set up, and others are obvious but often overlooked.

Custom colors

The basic color definitions that FrameMaker provides are nice, but they have a limitation--you can't change their definitions. For this reason, it's best to use a custom color definition, even if the color you want initially is the same as a default color. Why go to the trouble? Suppose your company changed its corporate color from Frame's standard red definition to a deep maroon. If you have set up the old corporate red as a custom color, you can just redefine that custom color in your template and reapply the template to your documents. If you used the red provided by FrameMaker, you can't change it! Instead, you'd have to create a custom definition for the new maroon color, assign the new color to all formats with the old red color, and then reapply the template. Creating a custom color from the start can be a tremendous time-saver.

As Is settings

When setting up character formats, it's often best to choose As Is for all the settings, except the one you want to change. For example, to set up an italic format, you would select Italic in the Variation list, and As Is everywhere else. When you apply the character format, your text is changed to italic.

The As Is setting means that FrameMaker will use the information from the underlying paragraph definition. This is particularly important if you use different fonts in your template (table text is different from body text, for example) or if you think you may change the fonts assigned to paragraph formats in the future.

Sidebars/bullet column

Tables can be handy for formats other than tabular information. A two-column table with invisible rules can be the basis for a two-column bulleted list. Using an invisible table in this manner is much easier than splitting the text column and then creating a two-column text frame for the split list.

Also, a small one-column table with gray shading and right or left alignment is perfect for a sidebar--and it makes sidebar creation much simpler for the writer.

Glossary definitions

The Run-In Head format (available on the Pagination tab of the Paragraph Designer) is often applied to heading formats at the bottom of the "heading totem pole"--heading4s or heading5s, for example. The run-in format, however, is also very useful when creating definition list/glossary formats.

When setting up the format for a definition, create separate formats for the term and its explanation--the term format should have the Run-In Head format applied to it and be highlighted in bold or italics to set it off. Because the term portion of the definition has its own paragraph format, it can be cross-referenced on its own. Cross-referencing terms in this manner is particularly helpful when creating hypertext links in PDF and HTML documents.

Next paragraph, please

On the Basic tab of the Paragraph Designer, you can specify which paragraph format follows the format you are defining. For example, the Body format follows the Heading1 format. This means that after you type in a heading and press Enter, the new paragraph created is in Body format. This is a basic Frame setting is often not used as effectively as it could be. After using a template for a while, take some time to study existing documents, figure out which formats usually follow another, and then ensure the Next Paragraph Tag attributes reflect what you've learned. The time it takes to study documents and incorporate the changes will be recouped many times by reducing the amount of time writers spend assigning paragraph formats to text.

Easy dingbats

Variables are usually used as shortcuts for recurring text--the name of a book, for example. A more unusual strategy is to use a variable for a dingbat.

First, create a character format called Zapf that applies the ZapfDingbats font. Once you have set up that format, you can define a variable for the recurring symbol. The variable definition would look something like this:

<Zapf>z<Default Para Font>

Be sure to end the variable with the <Default Para Font> building block so that the text following the variable is not changed to ZapfDingbats.

No-hassle notes

You can use the Autonumber Format field on the Numbering tab of the Paragraph Designer for more than just creating automatic numbering. You can also set up formats that have no numbers associated with them, such as a Note format. By typing Note: in the field and following it with the tab building block (/t), the word "Note:" followed by a tabbed space will appear before all text assigned the Note format. Just like with numbering formats, you can assign a character format to the word Note: to set it off from the rest of the text. Other similar uses of autonumbering include Warning and Tip tags.

Don't forget to create the corresponding tab setting and indents in the Basic tab of the Paragraph Designer.

Full-featured templates save time and prevent frustration

These template features shift many of the burdensome details of creating documentation from the writer to FrameMaker. This lets writers focus on their writing instead of formatting.