DITA: How to add “run into paragraph” attribute value to the image element?

Toxomo,

    It seems you have two questions:

1. The original one, about the relationship between read/write rules, FrameMaker formatting, and XML.
2. The later one, about the difference in the number of possible values of the DITA placement attribute and the possible FrameMaker anchored frame positions.

On the first point, independently of the use of DITA, when FrameMaker imports an XML document as a structured document or saves a structured document as XML, most XML attributes correspond to attributes of the same name and same values in FrameMaker. There are exceptions. A user may choose to change the names in the two representations of the content. Furthermore, for some special formatting objects such as tables, cross-references, and graphics, some internal FrameMaker properties which are inherent in an object are represented in XML as attributes. For example, many XML representations of tables use attributes for the number of columns in the table and the width of each column. Since the FrameMaker WYSIWYG view displays a table as a table, there is no need for attributes for this information. A formatted table has some number of columns and each column has a width. As long as the DTD defines the appropriate attributes and they either use FrameMaker's default names or there are read/write rules identifying them, when FrameMaker saves a structured document as XML, it will set the attributes and when FrameMaker opens an XML document it will interpret the attributes to determine the properties of the object.

It is also possible to bring the XML attributes into FrameMaker. However, changing the attribute value does not change the object's properties. Use the appropriate FrameMaker commands and dialog boxes to change the object. For example, to add a column to a table, do not change an attribute value. Instead, use the Table > Add Rows or Columns command. When you save the modified document as XML, FrameMaker will set the attribute correctly.

In your case, the placement attribute is treated analogously. There is no need to define the attribute in your EDD. You can remove the 'is fm attribute "placement";' subrule. FrameMaker will look at the anchored frame and set the attribute to the matching value when it saves the document as XML.If you do use the attribute in FrameMaker, though, changing the attribute will not affect the appearance of the graphic. Use the Special > Anchored Frame or Graphics > Object Properties command for that.

On the second point, FrameMaker anchored frames can be positioned below the current line, at the top or bottom of the column containing the anchor point, containing the anchor, at the top or bottom of the column containing the anchor, at the point where the anchor was inserted, outside the column containing the anchor, outside the text frame (which may have more than one column), or run into the paragraph containing the anchor. Some of these possibilities have additional options; for example, if a graphic is positioned outside the text frame, it can be placed on the left side, the right side, the side closer to the page edge, or the side closer to the binding. The distance from the text frame and the distance above (or below) the baseline can also be set. Any XML application can choose to support all these options or only some of them. As you point out, unless it is extended, DITA does not support them all. No XML application, including DITA, can restrict FrameMaker's underlying formatting capability; an XML application can only restrict how much of the underlying capability is made available to its users.

Hope this helps,

       --Lynne

Toxomo,

    I don't see a problem with the read/write rule. However, the read/write rule simply tells FrameMaker how to interpret the value "runin" when it appears in XML (or to set the attribute when saving as XML). Since this value is not one of those defined in commonElements.mod, you'll have to customize the DTD to allow it.

        --Lynne