Chapter TOCs

Report · Sep 23, 2009

To preface, I'm at best a journeyman with FrameMaker and haven't used it in something like three years. Remember the basic stuff, the finer points and cool things that make FrameMaker wonderful...forget it. Just so you know what you're dealing with (need simple explanations, if possible!).

I inherited a FrameMaker project, it's got 11 chapters and five Appendices. Each one has it's own TOC. Page numbers are right-justified, are numbered according to chapter or appendix: 1-1, 2-1, A-1, etc., with leaders (.....).

I know how to update (create a standalone TOC and import). However, I have several appendices that when I create the standalone TOC, it includes only the heading name and the page number:

HeadingName 2

It should be:

HeadingName..........................................................B-2

When I look at the Reference page, it has:

Thin Line

(the line)

Single Line

(the line)

Double Line

(the line)

etc.

Some of them have a second page with table format. Even if I paste the coding for the chapter TOC into the reference page, the standalone still only includes the heading name and the page number: The ones that don't have a second reference page, when I add one, I can't get a flow to insert the TOC coding.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

Jo

Report · Sep 23, 2009

Hi Jo!

If the Appendix files are numbering correctly, I'd assume the Ref Page of the Appendix TOC has the standard <$pagenum> variable in place, but it's not picking up the Appendix Alpha enumerator...

Go to each Appendix TOC's Ref Page and insert <$chapnum>- just before the existing <$pagenum> counter. (Note that you can also go into the actual page number system variable and add <$chapnum> there as a building block, but it it's working the way you want, I wouldn't break it by doing that.)

Save the Appendix file(s) and update the TOCs and the book.

Art

Report · Sep 23, 2009

I'm not sure it's that simple, Art.

This is the coding for Appendix A, Appendix D, and the chapters:

openObjectId <$relfilename>:<$ObjectType> <$ObjectId>
<$paranum>    <$paratext>     <$pagenum>
<$paranum><$paratext>     <$pagenum>
<$paranum>    <$paratext>
<$paranum>    <$paratext>

The Appendix A and Appendix D TOCs generates correctly:

HeadingName......................A-1

HeadingName......................A-3

HeadingSubName.............A-3

Etc.

The other four do not have the coding - and I can't seem to get it in there. The reference pages contain what the lines used in the doc look like, I can't seen to add a flow, and when I add an additional Reference page, there's no flow nor any way I can see to add a flow to put the TOC coding in.

Mind you, worse comes to worse, I can generate the damn thing, add the leading ..... and B (or whatever) -

But I'd rather not.

Jo

Report · Sep 23, 2009

Jo,

To add a flow to a Reference page, you have to use the Text Frame tool from graphics palette.

You also could just import the formats and Reference pages from the AppendixTOCs that are working into the other ones. File > Import > Formats

It also looks like book-level chapter numbering isn't being used, i.e. no <$chapnum> in your working TOCs.

Report · Sep 23, 2009

Importing the formats, as Arnis suggests, would be easiest, I think.

It also sounds as if you omitted a step in there, where you set up the TOC -- you pick the tags you want to list, and FM creates those codes based on what you selected -- that's your baseline.

Art