We can only hope. The book paradigm is what FM really has going for it. It's a shame it's not more robust.

Well . . .

. . . Adobe has never completely implemented the book paradigm in FrameMaker. Maybe with the added resources for the next version?

Cheers,

Sean

Hack the MIF...

OK, before I begin, I've been using FM non-stop since about 1998, with use here and there prior to 1998. I *do* hack the MIF, I have hacked the MIF, and will continue to hack the MIF, but WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HACK THE MIF.

I have one word for FM development, and I hope they do read this:

USABILITY

We shouldn't have to hack the MIF to do something as mundane as globally remove all char formats from select paragraphs, or search for one applied char format and remove it without having to tag each found paragraph with Default P Font.

Sorry for the rant, but hacking the MIF shouldn't have to be the preferred method for this kind of work.

I truly hope Adobe addresses this and other global control issues in its next release of FrameMaker.

Hack the MIF.

Use Funduc's Search and Replace on all files in your directory.

LOL!

Cheers,

Sean

The ability to globally (even at the file level) remove applied character formats.

Minimally, by including the Default P Font as a Replace option. Would also be helpful if, when replacing with Char formats, you could actually use the Char format name as in the catalog rather than an override.

In general, I think it's kind of, well, dumb that FM allows you to search for pretty much anything under the sun, but replace with so few options.

Thomas,

I've forwarded your response to the originator. I'll request that she answer directly, and get on this forum.

This from a request on the FrameUsers list. I suggested that she join the forum.

Wouldn't it be convenient if, when we hide a condition, the conditional-text
markers would indicate what condition is hidden...perhaps as a list of the
non-displaying condition name(s) inside the marker itself.

Better color management controls. :-)

thomas bro "Surprise! RGB color definitions have been added to your color definitions list!" 1/16/03 10:44pm

Here's a list off the top of my head:

* Provide an easier way of making hypertext links, similar to cross-references where all you have to do is select a paragraph, rather than having to manually enter a newlink and gotolink each time. This is different from a cross-ref which uses the text of the heading. I want to be able to identify a piece of text to make "hot" then choose the heading to jump to.

* Give me back the ability to do Esc F G to generate TOCs for individual files. I include chapter TOCs and used to be able to generate these using this keystroke. Now I am forced to use Special > Table of Contents, then click Yes, I am really sure I want to make a TOC for this file. GGGGRRRR.

* The ability to search for pages with a particular master page applied. During production, I apply Blank master pages to the last page of a document when the text ends on a right-hand page. In later revisions, I want to put these back to Right/Left so I don't end up with blank pages in the middle of the file, which is what happens now, unless I happen to notice them. I know you can convert these using Format > Page Layout > Master Page Usage, but you can only do it on individual chapters in a book. Alternatively or additionally, provide a way of converting master pages across a book.

* I second (or third) someone else's suggestion that you provide conditional text that uses AND logic, in addition to OR logic. It's a major pain now since you have to create multiple conditions to cover each combined case.

* Figure out some way to insure that when you create a marker, you are creating the type of marker you want. I don't know how many times I have accidentally made an index marker a hypertext marker or vice versa because I have the Marker dialog open and I am searching for text or highlight some text with a marker, and the marker type changes without my noticing it, then I wonder why my hypertext doesn't work or I end up with a newlink in the index! Maybe a separate dialog for index markers or hypertext markers.

* On the subject of index markers, please make the marker dialog BIGGER so it's easier to edit the text, make it hold more text, and make it obey custom keystroke commands like cursor forward, back, delete character, upper case character, etc.

* I realize that in general only one dialog can be open at a time. But I don't know how many times I've wanted to search for several different things across a set of books, and I have to reconfigure the search each time. You know, you have a bunch of things you need to fix across a bunch of books. I'd love to have it remember the last things I searched for so I don't have to reconfigure the search multiple times. Maybe a history of previous searches in the Find dialog would work.

That's all for now.

Natasha Norwalk
Gensym

Pish posh. *lol*

Put it in the product. :-D