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Known Participant
May 7, 2014
Answered

How to modify the color of an "xref" element existing as a cross-reference?

  • May 7, 2014
  • 1 reply
  • 2298 views

How to modify the color of an "xref" element existing as a cross-reference? It's color now is black, but I want it blue. Excerpts from the EDD file are as follows. Can someone help? Thanks in advance. You can also give me your skype if you have the answer.

Element (CrossReference): xref

Attribute list

Name: show Choice Optional

Choices: new, replace, automatic

Default: automatic

Name: ref-text String Optional

Name: ref-external-id String Optional

Name: ref-file String Optional

Name: ref-id String Optional

Name: window-number Choice Optional

Choices: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Default: 1

Name: condition String Optional

Name: condition-model String Optional

Name: property String Optional

Name: revision Choice Optional

Choices: changed, added, deleted, off

Name: anchor-id String Optional

Name: msg-info String Optional

Initial cross-reference format

If context is: * < (list-steps | block)

Use cross-reference format: number

Else

Use cross-reference format: number-and-text

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Gorly

Hi,

what you need to do is the following:

- open your template (not the EDD)

- define some character format (i.e. crosslnk) and change the font color to blue

- add the <crosslnk> tag in front of both of your cross link formats (number and number-and-text)

- save the template and open your documents -> cross links are now blue

have a nice one,

Alex

1 reply

GorlyCorrect answer
Inspiring
May 7, 2014

Hi,

what you need to do is the following:

- open your template (not the EDD)

- define some character format (i.e. crosslnk) and change the font color to blue

- add the <crosslnk> tag in front of both of your cross link formats (number and number-and-text)

- save the template and open your documents -> cross links are now blue

have a nice one,

Alex

Known Participant
May 7, 2014

Hi Alex,

Thank you very much. As a starter of FM structured, I want to learn more from you. I think know the way you mentioned in FM unstructured, but if in structured mode I still have to do it this way, what is the meaning for EDD? What is the meaning for structured? On the other hand, I noticed the color of a "Container" can be modified in EDD (is that right?), why can not the color of a "CrossReference" be modified here?

Inspiring
May 7, 2014

Hi,

some FM elements always need special treatment. This is true for graphics (objects), cross links and tables especially.

The EDD can do lots of things, but is also limited in doing others.

There are also different ways to reach a goal, depending on your preferences.

Some things have to be done in the template, some things need to be done in the EDD, others need to be done in the RWR.

It always depends on what you have as given input, how good your skills at certain things are, how consistent your input is or how the general workflow is laid out.

The best way to learn structured FM is to take a look on existing EDDs, DTDs, RWR and templates.

Check out how other people solved those problems. See if the same way works for you.

In your special case, my solution was the quick and dirty one. But there could have been another solution.

You could have wrapped your reference within a font formatting tag (such as <b> or <i> in DITA/HTML) and add the font properties there.

But introducing a font tag usually has influence on your XML input/output.

This means you would need to either get this information already within the XMl source, add it with XSLT on import (remove on export), redefine your structure or use FM scripting.

As you see, there are many ways leading to the desired output - it just depends on your special case, what is best for you.

-Alex