TC 424: The Computer in TC (Winter 2008)

1. TC 424: The Computer in TC (Winter 2008) Week 3: Working with templatesand creating content inAdobe FrameMaker

2. What did we cover last time? • Learning to see your documents from the FrameMaker perspective • Hands-on creation of a basic Frame book, chapter (document), TOC, and Index • Using the Frame online Help system

3. What will we cover today? • Understanding the purpose and usefulness of a robust document template • Understanding master pages and what they can do for (and to) your files • Adding new content and importing existing content into a FrameMaker file • Using a template to format content in FrameMaker

4. What’s a template? • Templates contain all of the formatting you will need to apply to your content • They contain predefined paragraph and character tags, table styles, and page layouts • They are ostensibly created by someone who understands the purpose of the project at hand • A good template will save you many hours • A bad template will cost you many hours

5. Why are templates so important? • Your primary task is to write: • Templates require knowledge of print production, and of the other applications you will need to complete your project (Acrobat, WebWorks Publisher, etc.) • Template creation takes a while • Your content must look the same as the other writers in your group/company • Templates help writers follow style guides • Templates make content look professional

6. Why put the template first?(a few analogies) • The template is the foundation upon which you build your house • The template is the chassis around which you design your vehicle • The template is the key to your success and sanity as a technical writer • The template will probably continue to evolve as you encounter difficult situations during the writing process

7. What does a template include? • Every paragraph and character tag • Every table type • Every master page • Every TOC/Index tag (on the reference page) • In short, a good template includes everything you need as a writer • A good template doesn’t include the stuff you don’t need

8. What’s a master page? • A given document has multiple master pages: • Left master page, right master page, first master page, left TOC master page, right TOC master page, Index master page, etc. • Templates come with (hopefully) all the master pages you will ever need

9. What’s the difference between a master page and a body page? • Master pages are the pages that determine the margins, header and footer content, page numbers, and all other formatting aspects of the body pages • Body pages are where you type your content • Master pages are applied to the body pages within your documents • Text entered on a master page will appear on every page within a document • Global formatting changes occur within master pages, not body pages

10. Why can’t I modify my document myself and forget the template? • Any changes you make to a document will not be saved within the template file itself • So-called “manual” changes are not allowed • If the template is faulty, you must request a fix (or fix it yourself, if you have control of the template file) • Someone else, who is an expert at template creation, typically owns the template file • He/she must understand and approve any potential template changes (which can be rare) • Every change has potential repercussions that most people never anticipate, which can delay the work of other writers working with the same template

11. How do I apply formats in Frame? • When entering new content: • At the paragraph level (mostly automatic) • When updating an entire document: • At the document/book level • When importing existing content: • At the paragraph/character level • Mostly a process of checking, reapplying, or removing formatting to achieve the right look

12. How do I apply master page formatting to generated files? • When you generate a TOC or index, FrameMaker uses the formatting of the existing file when generating the new one (if the folder that contains the source document or book file contains a file whose name matches the generated filename). • In effect, the existing file serves as the new generated file's template, just as if you had imported formats from it. • Use this feature to create generated-file templates that contain page layouts, paragraph and character formats, and the formatting information that appears on the reference page. • You can also update the formats in a generated file by importing formats from a template. • However, you'll probably need to generate the file again after importing formats to see all the formatting.

13. How do I apply master page formatting to generated files? To create a template for a generated file: • Open the document or book file from which you want to generate the table of contents, index, or other file. • Generate the file. • Format the generated file. This formatted file is your template. • Save the generated file. Make sure that this generated-file template is in the folder that contains the document or book file that you will use to create a new generated file. • Note: This is just one of the ways you can get your TOC to turn out right. But what if you have no template? You’ll need to edit the reference page…

14. How do I add content to a Frame document? • Just start typing! • As you type, be sure to apply the proper paragraph (P) tag to your text • If parts of text require special formatting, highlight the text and apply a character tag • Be sure to save your file with a new name (don’t overwrite your template file)

15. How do I import content into a Frame document? • It depends on the source file type: • Word files work best as RTF files (ideally retain formatting names, eliminate special Word tagging) • Frame sees Word files as images (that’s bad) • Other files (such as HTML) should be imported as raw text, then restyled • No matter what text you import, you will need to double-check the formatting and the P tag usage

16. How do templates speed up the formatting process? • If you have one document: • Apply the template formats at the document level • If you have multiple documents in a book: • Apply the template formats at the book level • The tag catalogs of all documents within the book will change • Any currently applied tags will automatically change to reflect the new template (assuming the tag names are the same)

17. When do I get to play with it? • Right now! • From the Start menu, select All Programs, open the Adobe folder, and find Frame on your computer • Open your book file • Open the template file I have provided • The template must be open before you can apply its styles and formatting • Follow my lead…

18. What am I doing with it? • Today’s lab topics: • Reviewing the Frame interface • Using an existing template (review) • Saving a file as a template file • Creating a new template file • Modifying an existing template (something that a writer should not do; understanding global changes vs. local changes) • Viewing master pages • Editing master pages and viewing the results • Formatting your TOC and Index files using master pages • Modifying your TOC and Index entries • Reviewing content creation within Frame • Working with graphics • Setting the numbering within your chapters from the book file

19. What should I do for next time (extra credit/no credit)? • Practice incorporating template styles • Spend some time fixing the “dirty” tags in your FrameMaker document • Make a list of problems you encounter, or issues that require some explanation, and bring the list to class next time

20. Uninspired: This week’s demotivational quote The Jargon Files’ dictionary definition of “documentation” Documentation: n. The multiple kilograms of macerated, pounded, steamed, bleached, and pressed trees that accompany most modern software or hardware products. (Jargon Files).

21. What did we cover today? • Understanding the purpose and usefulness of a robust document template • Understanding master pages and what they can do for (and to) your files • Adding new content and importing existing content into a FrameMaker file • Using a template to format content in FrameMaker