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scarletJake
Participant
October 14, 2013
Question

Dynamic Callouts on Drawing

  • October 14, 2013
  • 2 replies
  • 940 views

I am creating a parts list manual with exploded diagrams and other mechanical drawings. The parts are in numbered lists. I am trying to have the callouts in the drawings be associated with the corresponding number in the list. So that way if I need to update the list and insert/remove a part in the middle of the list then the associated numbers in the drawings change automatically.

We can do this in iLeaf using autonumbers and autoreference but I cannot see where this can be done in FrameMaker. We are presently in the process of moving away from iLeaf over to FrameMaker and this is one of the challenges I have found. We have large parts lists and drawings and having to manually move callouts is something we need to avoid if possible.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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2 replies

Bob_Niland
Community Expert
Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 15, 2013

We use small text frames in the callout bubbles, as Arnis proposes.

I developed a speadsheet-based hack to auto-create Markers for cross-referencing callout numbers to the auto-number assigned to the part, as well as markers to the SKU and full description. I described this roughly at Non-Breaking Hyphen in MIF String ?

I've since enhanced the spreadsheet to use an internal API to populate the descriptors. So all we need to do is paste a list of plaintext SKUs into one sheet, copy out ready-to-use MIF of a table with markers from another, and open the MIF in Frame. The table goes in an appendix or onto a Reference Page as appropriate for the document.

There are markers for the auto-number, SKU and descriptor, with a consistent Marker Text format. This has the effect of loading all the parts in FM pull-down menus (Xref). Insert a callout# via Xref by paranum to the auto-number. Insert a part# or descrip via Xref by paratext.

When parts change, the tables can be editted by hand (including markers), or simply regenerated from the updated part list. Callout numbers automatically update for parts that didn't change SKUs or descriptors. The only callouts that need work are those for new or changed parts. Everything else is automagically current.

It took a couple of days to work out the MIF parsing and tag generation, but the thing has been trouble-free since. I was originally going to write a python program to convert part lists into marker tables, but the spreadsheet was easier.

S
scarletJakeAuthor
Participant
October 15, 2013

Thanks guys. I got it to work with Arnis' suggestion. It take some doing to figure out how to move the text fields around. Not sure how I stumbled upon alt+click and then right click and drag.

I'll have to look a little deeper into what Error suggested. I kind of get the drift to what you suggest but it's a little much for me at the moment since I just started to use FrameMaker in the last week.

Arnis Gubins
Arnis Gubins
Inspiring
October 15, 2013

If you create small text frames to hold your callout numbers in the drawing and then access the appropirate numbers using a cross-ref to the list, then that should give you the same capability as in Interleaf.

If you then add/remove any parts from the list, then the cross-refs would properly update to reflect the new numbers. However, you would manually have to add or delete the new/deleted callouts.

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