Using a custom variable in footer?

Question

I’m trying to create a template that can be used across the board for our unstructured operation and parts manuals (FrameMaker 11, Windows 7). Currently, the look of all the manuals is nearly the same, but the setups have been done by various authors, such that some page layouts use variables while other use hard text, and not all the same variables/paragraph tags/etc. are used, or in the same manner. Additionally, the use of conditional text is deeply ingrained in all the manuals. It's a mess that I'm trying to correct.

I’ve been working on (slowly but surely) trying to get uniformity in the all the manuals, not just for good publishing practices, but also so that I can apply scripts that will react the same across the board.

My latest challenge is trying to create a footer that reflects the model of equipment. Currently, this is done by having a string of all the current models in a product line in the master page footer, each tagged as conditional text. The book’s TOC controls the show/hide of the text throughout the book, including these footers. The books are also grouped according to the product lines, such that the string of conditional text in the footer is different per product line. (Thou shalt not copy a book component from one product line to another.) Trying to create a universal template that would include all the products as conditional text in the footer is not feasible.

I’m hoping to find a variable I can put in the footer that will reflect which model the book is covering, which is dictated by conditional text. I’m not a programmer, and I only have rudimentary knowledge of how to use them. But something tells me this can be done somehow—perhaps using a complete product list in the reference page (or even an external document?) and linking a variable there that will react to conditional text??? Something that tells the layout “if conditional text is set to XXX, use XXX in the footer” ?? I don’t know enough about variables and/or reference pages to know if this can be done, or if so, how…

I have no budget to work with, so it is just me working on this. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Rosemarie

FieryPantone · Answer

I'll merely mention, in case it doesn't apply to your case, that I manage a stack of documentation for different devices where (of course!) the device name is a user variable. In some of the component files, I use text insets for content that is common across the device catalogue – and these, conveniently, pick up the value of the variable from the .fm file. In other words: a text inset includes a variable $deviceName. When I reference the text inset in a file where $deviceName is defined as countertop, the string countertop shows up in the inset; referencing the same inset in a file where $deviceName is defined as portable, shows portable.

At book level, I'll set $deviceName in one file and copy the definition to all the files in the book. In the one case where I had two very similar devices to document, I think I defined two variables $deviceA1 and $deviceA2 and used conditions only to determine which variable was displayed in the header/footer.

I'd agree with Matt's suggestion, though; having someone to help you sort out the, erm, complexities you've inherited may well make your life easier :-}

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