[Closed] FrameMaker 7.x/8 Feature Requests

Report · Aug 19, 2002

Time to start entering these. If you are unsure about whether FM has the feature yet, please do some research and figure it out before posting.

Please don't post requests for assistance in here, either.

Cheers,

Sean

Report · Mar 28, 2005

You know, there is one issue with Classic that if someone could hack into the code and fix, I would be most appreciative: long file names, for both doc files and referenced graphics.

Report · Apr 05, 2005

I think an issue that bothers many Frame Maker-users are long titles in TOC's...

See:
Sean, "Long titles - line break issues in TOC ..." #1, 2 Mar 2005 10:50 am

A fine solution would be a feature to control the line breaks in TOC's.
The perfection would be the possibility to update just the page numbers: This would offer the possibility to edit the headings without losing these changes by updating.
The possibility to define how a certain heading should appear in the TOC would be also highly useful ...

Report · Apr 13, 2005

Back to multiple undo... I've said it before, but will say it again - if Frame would just STOP counting file manipulation actions (for lack of a better term -- I'm talking about zooming or turning on/off text symbols as undoable actions), I would be much happier. Consider this scenario: Your zoom set small so that you can check whole pages. Some text glitch catches your attention, and you end up modifying a large paragraph. Next, you zoom in to make sure the change is as you want it. You decide "ugh" (per Rebecca's description), but you CANNOT undo your change! The action Frame is happy to undo is the Zoom. Good grief, Charlie Brown!

--Gloria Mc

Report · Apr 15, 2005

I would like a building block for paragraphs that ignores the formatting in the source and uses the formatting in the cross reference location. Something like <$paratextonly> .

The problem with <$paratext> becomes apparent when the source is in one font face, and the location of the xref is in another. For example, my headings are sans-serif, and my body paragraphs are serifed. When I xref to a heading, the xref text appears sans-serif in my serif'd paragraph.

I could apply a building block to the xref applies serif to the format, but that is not generic when I have an xref that goes the other way (i.e., the source is serif'd and the paragraph isn't.) And I'd rather not have one xref for serif and antother for non-serif. In fact, it gets worst if you have more that two font-faces...

Report · Apr 15, 2005

Ignore that last request. It was an SUM (stupid user mistake). Mike

Report · May 09, 2005

Frame remains the gold standard for technical publishing, but I would really, really, really like to see:

- Macro capabilities

- Drag and drop

- Better integration with Webworks Publisher, especially concerning numbered lists.

- Improved track changes capability from _within_ an .FM file.

(I just finished using the Acrobat Pro redlining features and think it's a good start, but until you can import the changes back _into_ the Frame document, it's only a little better than manual edits.
For me, it works better to save the .FM files as .RTF and then get markups back using Word's Track Changes feature.)

Report · May 26, 2005

I did a quick search and didn't see this one.

I'd like to have a "Keep with next" for table rows. Sometimes that one row has to be on the same page as the next row.

Report · May 26, 2005

Barbara,

Check out your Table menu >Row Format... > Keep with option ;-)

Report · May 27, 2005

Thanks Arnis, I almost never go to the Row Format dialog, which is, of course, the obvious place to look for this feature.

Barbara

Report · Jun 20, 2005

- More granualar change tracking.
- Using arrow keys, 'nudge' graphic/drawing functionality.
- The ability to print a "definition report" for all style catalogs.

Report · Jun 20, 2005

Alt-<arrow> 'nudges' graphics.

Report · Jun 20, 2005

And mifmuncher (from http://www.stc-carolina.org/sigs/frame/tools/mifmunch.html) is the unmissable utility that helps with style catalogues

Report · Jun 30, 2005

I desperately need Unicode support!

NOT JUST in order to access additional characters (someone somewhere on this list suggested that there are other ways to do that--true to an extent, though endorsing a global standard should not need defence)

BUT ALSO in order to be able to deal with RIGHT-TO-LEFT languages--in other words, the bidirectional algorithm.

I now have to work with a lot of Biblical Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi, etc., and I've been forced to abandon my favourite product in favour of Microsoft Word.

That should say it all... (hate living in exile...)

Thanks

Report · Jul 02, 2005

FrameMaker 7.1p116 for Windows refuses to import some (generally large) WMF files. Version 7.0 has the same problem. Please fix this.

Report · Jul 15, 2005

This may already be in. I read the whole list once, but that was a long time ago.

An option when you import a new format into a document to have all previous tags automatically removed.

The ability to select a file and see what format it currently has.

Report · Sep 30, 2005

Intergate Framemaker and Distiller for multi-media. Allow Framemaker to generate a file with an video clip object in it and have it distill so that it executes within pdf.

Report · Oct 20, 2005

Support for "Save As..." to OpenDocument Format.

Report · Nov 09, 2005

I herein wish to petition my grievances with the equation editor.

I would like equations from Framemaker to look better. If FM-produced equations can approach the aesthetic excellence of LATEX-produced equations, then I would see no other reason whatsoever for me to consider using LATEX or anything other than FM!!!

Some of the few issues with equations:

1) Shrinkwrapping equation frames. Try this for example: create a new medium equation and just type in the letter "f". Shrinkwrap the equation. You will see that the tail of the letter "f" is chopped off. What happened? Believe it or not, this is common. This chopping-off happens sometimes on the top-bottom as well.

2) Allow the option to shrinkwrap ALL equations (or maybe all highlighted equations) in a document. This used to be possible with earlier versions of FM, and it was very useful.

3) Operators such as integrals and summations and their limits or indices look very clunky. I very often have to microposition limits and indices to make them look good. Look at an equation with integrals and summations generated with LATEX, and you will notice the difference. [I am really not trying to make a general comparison between FM and LATEX. I consider the earlier better in all respects except equations. But since LATEX is considered the paradigm by mathematicians, physicists, or anyone who has a lot of equations in their documents, I think its not a bad idea to look at that for inspiration when improving the equation editor in FM].

4) Diacritical marks. Try this: create a new medium equation and type in the capital Greek delta. Then put an overbar on it. Why on earth is the overbar so far away from the Delta? Please bring it closer.

5) More simple alignment problems. Try typing x squared in an equation. There are 2 ways to do this. a) start a medium equation, type in x, then click the appropriate button from OPERATORS in the equation palette. b) type x SHIFT+6 2. These 2 different ways produce 2 different x-squares. Neither of the 2 however looks right. The superscripted 2 in the first case is too high and in the second case too low. Something between the two would be ideal. Again I have to use micropositioning to get it right.

6) Please do something about bold and italic Greek letters in equations. This is a terrible deficiency. The default Symbol postscript font doesnt have bold and italic, but bold and italic Greek letters are VERY common in the technical literature. Bold letters are to symbolize vectors, matrices, and tensors. Greek letters (just like Latin letters) should be italicized if they represent a scalar variable.

7) Include more operators, symbols, delimeters . LATEX and the Math Type editor have a vast array of options not available in the FM editor.

8) When having multi-line equations, please add features for line breaking and aligning the equations.

To ensure satisfactory results, I would suggest that the task of improving the equation editor be assigned (or at least overseen) to someone who actually knows or has had experience with technical publications rich with equations.

Report · Nov 15, 2005

I find it too cumbersome to keep opening and closing windows to keep the screen free of clutter. Paragraph, Font and Table Designer are examples of windows that always seem to be in the way, even with a 21" monitor. I have the same complaint about Illustrator, but at least there's a simple workaround in Illustrator to partially solve the problem.

Why not allow a "double-click" in the blue bar at the top of these windows to "roll-up" the window, leaving just the blue bar showing. The work flow would be much better if this simple feature was added. Illustrator does it..why not FrameMaker?

Report · Nov 15, 2005

Make it possible for paragraph styles to repeat at the top of a page, and remove the limitation on the Table Continuation variable that means you can only use it in tables.

We want to put labels in the sidebar and have them repeat at the top of a page and say "continued". This may not be the only way for FM to achieve this functionality, but it's a way that occurred to me.

Cheers, Rebecca

Report · Nov 22, 2005

A "split table" feature (without nedding to buy or write a plug-in).

Report · Nov 22, 2005

Can you elaborate on what exactly a "split table" means to you?

Report · Nov 22, 2005

A "repeat last action" sort of command/button, similar to the function of Word's F4 key, without the need to purchase or write a plug-in.

Report · Nov 22, 2005

FWIW, there is "repeat last paragraph-related command" esc jj and a
"repeat last font-related/character command" esc cc.

Report · Nov 23, 2005

The para./char. formatting repeat tips are great - thanks Arnis. But I'm with Larry on the repeat last command. Not to bring out the Word-snipers, but in Word, you can press Ctrl+Y and get a repeat of nearly <any> action, from resizing a table cell to repeating a style application, repeating text entry, applying border or shading, adding or deleting something... it's <one> command. It's fast and it's great. <br /><br />--Gloria Mc