Apply specific text formatting rule to individual cells in table - EDD

[QuintinSeegers]

In our Table element, we have an Attribute List to select the type of table to create (we have a number of pre-defined table structures).

One of the table structures we use is to insert notes/comments into our documents. It's a single row, 2 column, table. Currently, in the first cell, we use a specific paragraph tag to insert an appropriate graphic (Frame Above Pgf) depending on the type of note/comment. The second cell (using a different paragraph tag) contains the text for said note. I'm having trouble defaulting the paragraph tag used in the first and second cell in the table, respectively.

I have my Table and Cell elements set up as follows:

When I insert the Table element, selecting Note as the Attribute, the format rules fail on the TableType and I'm not sure why (It is entirely possible that I've got it set up wrong).

For some of our other Tables, we also need to specify a different paragraph tag for the first row of the table, and a different paragraph tag for the subsequent rows.

[Winfried Reng]

I do not use structured FrameMaker yet. Therefore my suggestion might not make any sense.

Why do you not specify the paragraph formats in your note table in the table format and do not specify any EDD settings for the cell?

Then you would have your icon paragraph in the first cell and regular content (e.g. a signal word) in the second cell.

You could insert the signal word with automatic paragraph numbering and set the next paragraph to be regular body. Then you only need to press ENTER to get the next paragraph format.

[frameexpert]

I don't have time to test this right now, but you may need to have a child element of the Cell element, for example Paragraph. This element would have the format rule in place. I am not sure if you can get a child of the Cell element to insert automatically when the table is inserted. If you can, then this may be a solution.

[Lynne A. Price]

Quintin,

    Remember that a context specification that starts with an element tag tests whether the element being formatted is a child of an element with that tag. You are formatting Cell and testing the context Table[TableType = "Note"]. Hence you are testing whether a particular Cell is a a child of Table. It's not--it's a child of Row. The context specification you need is either:

     Row < TableBody < Table[TableType = "Note"]

or more simply

     * < Table[TableType = "Note"]

   Here, the * means "any intervening elements".

        --Lynne

        --Lynne

[Lynne A. Price · Accepted solution]

Quintin,

    Your EDD can certainly design one flexible table element with an attribute that whose value distinguishes special-purpose tables. Another approach is to define multiple table elements. You say that you puts notes and comments into a one-row, two-cell table. The element and attribute you describe can use the generic table element to have that formatting. However, it doesn't restrict tables that set TableType to Note to one rows or two cells. Since the first cell in that row has a graphic, I assume you don't want text there as well, which the generic table permits.

    An alternative is to define another element called Note to be a Table with a table body tagged something like NoteBody. In turn, NoteBody would contain a NoteRow whose general rule is GraphicCell, Cell, thus making it invalid to insert more than two columns in the table. GraphicCell would have the general rule <EMPTY>. 

   As appropriate, you could define special-purpose tables for screenshots and exercises.

          --Lynne

[QuintinSeegers]

@Lynne A. PriceYour suggestion of the Note Table element is working perfectly 🙂

[Lynne A. Price]

Glad to hear that your tables are working. It seems that you are finding the model of structured documents natural. Have you shown the structured template you are creating to any of the writers in your group yet?

[QuintinSeegers]

@Lynne A. PriceI am slowly getting the hang of it, yes. At this stage I haven't shown it to the team yet. I wanted to get a proper grasp of it before I do that. In designing the EDD I can already see we'll be eliminating a lot of pargraph tags we're currently using by applying text format rules to elements.