[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 · Oct 28, 2002

I haven't seen this one yet, so maybe I'm the only one stupid enough to
repeat this mistake over and over and over.

When you open a document from a book file, and then open the Find/Replace
dialog box, the default seems to be to look in the entire book file. I
seldom want that option, but, because I'm always in a hurry, I forget to
change it to Document. So I end up waiting for about 5 minutes or more while
Frame looks through all the files in the book.

It would be nice to have this default to Document. Or have this be a ini
setting that I could change. (Maybe it already is and I overlooked it.)

Rick

Report · Oct 28, 2002

Nah. I do that, too. <vbg>

Report · Oct 28, 2002

"Scale to box" option when importing .eps graphics, or at least "keep proportions" so I can easily have all the graphics the same width.

Report · Oct 29, 2002

On the "wait 5 min" theme, I'd like a Cancel button. But it's not top of my list - multiple levels of undo is much higher :-)

Report · Oct 30, 2002

Find and delete obsolete markers. Thu user can thus see dead biblio entries.

Report · Oct 30, 2002

I don't currently use the structured view in Frame 7--just the traditional view. But in that traditional view it would be very nice if I could view a chronological list of all headers in the current document--much like the "Document Map" option under the "View" menu in Word. Also, it would be nice if the header list consisted of hyperlinks which brought you to the selected header directly--as in Word's "Document Map." Without this feature, navigating within a large file is cumbersome. I rely on CTRL+F, which can be time-consuming.

Report · Nov 18, 2002

My wants:

1) OS X native (I'll stick with FM6 until this appears)

2) OS X native distiller to go with (1)

Report · Nov 20, 2002

I apologize if I've mentioned this one before, but I was just reminded in the process of posting to another thread:

I'd like to be able to align "Run Into Paragraph" anchored frames with something other than the top line of the paragraph. For instance, I'd like to be able to choose between top-aligned, bottom-aligned, aligned at the insertion point, etc. In the alternative, the ability to set a fixed offset from the top of the paragraph would at least be a start.

-Bill

Report · Nov 20, 2002

Here's something I couldn't find in this list... I would like to be able to print multiple, noncontiguous pages at one time, such as pages 1,4,6,9,13, 22. The reason for this is that we have a cover page on every print request. There's no way around it. It would be really nice to print various pages of a large book all at one time (for example, just the change pages), under a single cover sheet.

Report · Nov 21, 2002

I would like a confirmation/warning dialog when you move chapters in a book. This can happen inadvertently and overlooked at the last moment.

Report · Nov 21, 2002

1) Removal of all change bars in all files in a book.

2) Fitting of embedded graphics to their anchored frames.

3) User-defined adding/removal of toolbar items from menus (toolbar maintenance using add/remove).

4) Export/Import book to/from RTF/Word (with graphics and preserved formating).

Report · Nov 21, 2002

Do away with the screen that appears when you have unresolved cross-references. I've never figured how to use it, but Ctrl-F Unresolved... works well enough.

Report · Nov 21, 2002

? It is imperative that I see that I have unresolved cross-references.

Report · Nov 21, 2002

I would hate to do without the warnings...

Report · Nov 21, 2002

Here is my list. I will try not to repeat other suggestions:
- Better tools for resolving unresolved cross-references.
- Warning whenever a text deletion involves markers of any type. This could reduce unresolved cross-references and shrinking indexes.
- Fit to anchored frame option for imported graphics.
- Make alternative bullets easier to get. My students want to kill me whenever I show them how.
- Allow master pages in different page sizes within same fm file. This would help foldouts within a chapter
- Prompt when referenced graphics have been updated similar to InDesign so that you can choose whether to update the graphic that appears in the frame doc.
- Continue to find ways to make FrameMaker integrate better with other Adobe products and interface. I am always amazed at how easy it was to learn InDesign and how similar it was and easily it integrates with other Adobe products. I know that Adobe has probably worked pretty hard at this already, but keep up the great work.
- Offer Frame as part of a suite like Adobe's Web, Design and Publishing Collections. This may get Frame into the hands of more small businesses.
- I agree with other posts, need to be able to lock down certain template features without resorting to structured Frame.
- Easy way to find and remove format over rides.
- Allow frame borders to look more like the ones in InDesign, ie. change the colour to something else like light blue (this is a would be nice request)
- Make developing structured applications easier in Structured Frame. With the now unified product and roundtrip XML capability, a lot of businesses would like to go in this direction but lack the time and expertise to undertake this.

Otherwise, it's a great product that does what's promised.

Report · Nov 21, 2002

Offer Frame as part of a suite like Adobe's Web, Design and Publishing Collections. This may get Frame into the hands of more small businesses.

I have been mentioning this for a few years now. I think it'd be a great idea to have a robust publishing package. I'd even suggested they partner with Quadralay on the deal and incorporate WWP Pro in the mix for Help Authoring...

Report · Nov 22, 2002

Warning whenever a text deletion involves markers of any type.

This could reduce unresolved cross-references and shrinking indexes.

I vote for this one! I hate turning on View>Text Symbols, and, depending on how many markers you end up with in a heading, it can be hard to put them all at the beginning or end of the paragraph.

Report · Nov 22, 2002

[In respose to item 1 of posting 133 in this thread]

To remove all change bars in all files in a book select all the files in the book window then go to format>document>change bars.

Report · Nov 25, 2002

There's three things I want to see, finally:
a) WYSIWYG: anyone who's ever used FM under NeXTSTEP with DisplayPostScript and who as seen the razor-sharp rendering of EPS, graphics, Type1 type, etc. just has a puke-reflex each time he must use a product that is now five major releases more advanced and still can't do what it could do with release 2 under NeXTSTEP.
b) Mac OS X native, with full support of EPS and PDF display. No lousy preview bitmap junk, please!

c) Finally start selling FM as a powerful word processor. I always used, and continue to use FM as a better replacement for MS-Word, less so as a publishing system. The text processing in FM runs circles around what MS-Word can do, and the clear separation between content and representation is what any logically thinking writer wants.
With a few style sheets this can be a screewriting package, a scientific word processor, a tool to enforce Corporate Identity, by allowing secretaries to only write business documents in pre-defined FM templates, etc.
One simply doesn't have to be professionally in the publishing business to have good use for this package, and Adobe's marketing totally neglects this.

Report · Nov 25, 2002

Sorry for going off topic.

Ronald, check out this article, which remphasizes all your points about FM marketing (an excellent review):

http://www.designer-info.com/DTP/framemaker.htm

Report · Nov 26, 2002

I've just spent a frustrating day trying to make a file derived from some previous material. The attempt to pdf generated numerous g error messages, many of which in the mif indicated that the file still had its previous cross-references.<br /><br />So, with the move to "repurpose," how about doing something so that updating a book updates the individual files such that any cross-references apply only to that book.<br /><br />By the way, do we submit these in Hindi now? <VBG>

Report · Nov 26, 2002

Horace... conditional text... :-)

Report · Nov 28, 2002

Add some way to easily make a chapter table of contents or figures or tables. Some of my manuals have long sections of engineering drawings, and they really need such.

Report · Nov 28, 2002

Cross-references: create a style for the purpose and arrange them at the beginning of a chapter, TOC-like.

Report · Nov 28, 2002

This is a question directly to SEAN

I've collection suggestions for coming versions of FrameMaker for a while. They are all in a PDF file. In stead of putting all 128 suggestions on the forum, is it an idea (and worthwhile) to mail this PDF to you.

But it requires an email address

regards
and keep smiling
thomas bro-rasmussen

DK FrameMaker enthusiast