body text turns to cellbullet after conversion to structured

[rombanks]

Hello fellows,

My environment: FM10 structured, Win7

I created a conversion table with the following conversion rules. When converting an FM file to structured, for some unclear reason, the body text becomes cellbullet (bulleted list style used in table cells). Any ideas why this happens?

An additional question: how are table and figure anchors treated during conversion, and whether there is a need to add some rule for them?

Thank you in advance!

P:BodyAfterHeading	p[ otherprops=”AfterHead”]	body
P:Body	p	body
P:BodyIndented	p	indented

P:Bullet	p	bullet
P:BulletLast	p	bulletlast
P:BulletSub	p	bullet2
P:BulletSubLast	p	bullet2_last
P:CellBullet	p	cellbullet
p[bulleted], p[indented]*, (ul[2]|ol[2])*	li	bullet
li[bullet]*	ul	1
p[bullet2], p[indented]*	li	bullet2
li[bullet2]*	ul	2
p[cellbullet]	li	cellbullet
li[cellbullet]*	ul	cell_ulist

[ScottPrentice]

Hi Rombanks...

After applying a conversion table you need to import an EDD and corresponding template in order for the formatting to get straightened out. After the conversion table, the formatting will be wonky.

Cheers,

...scott

[rombanks]

Hi Scott,

First of all, thank you very much for your response!

I do not have a custom EDD yet, nor a structured template - just started the conversion process. In any case, this looks like a bug in Framemaker - the body text should not have become a bulleted list.

My best regards,

Roman

[Lynne A. Price]

Roman,

    In a structured document, element definitions include format rules that specify how each type of element is formatted. The format rules can be context-dependent. Since your conversion table maps 8 different paragraph formats to the <p> element, the formatting of <p> needs to be context-sensitive if you want to duplicate existing format.

   To elaborate just a bit on Scott's suggestion, an EDD defines format rules that can be context-sensitive. When you apply a conversion table to a document that does not already have element definitions, FM creates preliminary element definitions. Since it is not possible to automatically deduce the contexts that cause desired formatting to change, conversion tables simply assign the same format to all occurrences of an element.

  Thus, the behavior you describe is probably not a bug, but the result of an incomplete process. The conversion table helps deduce an element structure, but it cannot build a complete EDD.

   By the way, you can use the preliminary element definitions to get started in developing your EDD. The StructureTools > Export Element Catalog as EDD command generates an EDD corresponding to the minimal element definitions built by the conversion table. You can edit the result. For example, as well as making the formatting context-senstivie, you'll probably want to change the everything-is-allowed-everywhere GeneralRules. You can also rearrange the element definitions, group them into sections, and add comments.

    --Lynne

[rombanks]

Hi Lynne,

Thank you for your response!

Why isn't it better to take a sample book EDD from the FM structured directory instead of generating a new EDD based on some raw data that the resulting structured document contains?

An additional question: how are table and figure anchors treated during conversion, and whether there is a need to add some rule for them?

Thank you in advance!

Roman

[Lynne A. Price]

Roman,

    Requirements for different groups of documents vary widely. I often recommend developing the EDD before the conversion table to create a target for the conversion table. That said, if one of the samples is close to what you want, you can certainly use it. Open the EDD or a document that uses the structure you want. Then use File > Import > Element Definitions from that document into the document you want to structure. You can import the element definitions into your unstructured document or into the structured document created by your conversion table.

   Yes, in a structured flow, there is an element for every anchored frame and every table (as well as the table parts -- title, heading, body, and footing, the table rows, and the table cells). Your conversion table should define these elements, although FM will assign default names if it doesn't. Your EDD needs to define them also.

   Have you looked at the Structured Application Developer's Guide and Reference Manuals? These manuals are the primary documentation on both EDDs and conversion tables.

  --Lynne