Automating Framemaker

[Shannon May2664354994at]

Hello all, I'm a technical writer and im wondering if there is any way to automate the process of importing graphics and imatges into the books. My current dilemma is that when something on my company's software chganges (user interface) I then have to go retake and re-upload 50 images. Is there any way to automate this process? Any advice is helpful, thank you! 

[LinSims]

You'd still need to take the updated pictures, but if you import them by reference instead of by copy and save the new pictures in the same place with the same file names, they'll automatically update. If you want to keep the old pictures, you can zip them into an archive file.

For audit trail purposes, you might want to invest in Rick Quatro's ArchiveES plugin. I use it once I release a document to maintain archives for my company in case there's a trademark or patent dispute. It copies all the FM files, graphics files, and insets to a directory you specify and changes the relative paths for the graphics and text insets to the new location. Then you can zip the FM files and the graphics and inset directories and you have a complete duplicate of the document at a specific time in case there's a need for it.

[Bob_Niland]

re: My current dilemma is that when something on my company's software chganges (user interface) I then have to go retake and re-upload 50 images.

What is the change?
If it's the network file path(s) to the images, you might be able to finesse that with some file system gambits.

[Barb Binder]

Hi Shannon:

In addition to Lin's answer, which is the preferred way to go if you can use the same filenames after each update, you can also update images that were imported by reference (linked) using the browse button in Graphics > Object Properties or can just combine the Replace feature with keyboard shortcuts, whichever is faster for you. 

1. Select the original image
2. Esc fif (shortcut for File > Import > File)
3. Double click the new image name (which will replace the selected one)

~Barb

[LinSims]

You can also use the Insets panel. Click on the old file name, click the Import New button on the far left, and it'll ask you to link to a graphic. I use that when I have small graphics that don't need to be tracked so they don't need to be imported by reference. Of course, my default is to import by reference, so I use the Import New to reimport the graphic and change the option from By reference to By copy.

It can get tedious and I wouldn't recommend that unless you know for a fact that the number of graphics you want to re-import is fairly low.