[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 · Feb 28, 2003

I would like to see the ability to set default values for all objects in FrameMaker. For example, the radius of rounded rectangles, and the arrowhead setting.

Report · Feb 28, 2003

I would like to be able to specify a subfolder for storage of automatic backup files (*.backup.fm), so that the backups don't clutter up my document folders, and novice users don't accidentally open the backups instead of the originals.

If the "backup" subfolder doesn't exist, prompt (or give an option to prompt) to create it.

Thanks for providing this wish list!

Report · Feb 28, 2003

I guess mine would be "Conditional Building Blocks". It would be nice if FM could test for some condition and insert a relative value in, say, the running headers. I would love to implement the following syntax:

Syntax:
IIF(condition,true,false)

Example:
IIF(<$paratext[Header1]> = <$paratext[+,Header1]>, <$paratext[Header1]>,<$paratext[Header1]>/<$paratext[+,Header1]>)

Larry O.

Report · Feb 28, 2003

In response to Steve Miller, I'd like to see the default to backup turned off... that is, don't allow backup by default.

Report · Mar 03, 2003

Bill,

Like to live on the bleeding edge without a safety net, eh? I always
want a backup, just in case...

Report · Mar 03, 2003

Hehe. Am surfing on the cutting edge, too, never been cut, though. I never use backup files. Never. And, am still coming to grips with "recover" files. Typically, I revert to last saved or something I've archived. I might be more inclined to use backup files if I could put them somewhere more manageable . . . just because I currently perceive them as nothing more than disorder in my otherwise orderly world <g>. Cheers, Sean

Report · Mar 03, 2003

In File > Preferences > General, doesn't clearing the check box for Automatic Backup on Save turn off the creation of *.backup.fm files?

Report · Mar 03, 2003

Steve, yes it does. I turn it off every time I install FM. Like Sean, I find this feature to be an absolute annoyance. If it saved the .backup files somewhere else (at my determination), then it *might* be useful. But, as it's worked, it does nothing but clutter my project folders. I personally have never needed this feature, as I back everything up myself or everything is backed up nightly by IT. The only time I think this feature would be useful is when I have a core system crash, but even then the .backup file can get hosed as well.

Another reason why I don't like the auto backup feature is due to human error. It adds another layer of training that I would just assume do without. Maybe it's just a case of uninformed user at the helm, but in my time working with FM I've seen some files that others have worked on named as follows:

foo.fm
foo.backup.fm
foo.backup.backup.fm
foo.backup.backup.backup.fm
etc...

It doesn't take a genius to see what is happening here, and it's a nightmare to correct in some cases (depending on how many files are edited in this way).

Report · Mar 03, 2003

To be constructive *g*, how about adding the following features to the backup functionality:

either ability to name a subfolder where *.backup.fm files are saved, or automatically save them to a sub-folder named "backup" -- anywhere except in the main project folder would be cool
automatically lock the *.backup.fm from editing, so users have to unlock them (Esc Flk) to edit them

Report · Mar 03, 2003

Bill,

You can always start FM from a batch file that always copies all
.backup.fm files to the desired directory upon completion. May be this
(command line programming - batch files) is a totally lost art these
days?

Report · Mar 03, 2003

Writing simple batch files is a lost art, yes. It's been disappearing since the good ol' DOS and 16-bit Windows days. Still, it's not really worth the little effort for me, I can ignore 'em. <g> I actually have a batch file that copies my working files up to a notwork directory at night; first it deletes any MIF and BACKUP files. ;?P Cheers, Sean

Report · Mar 04, 2003

Batch files! Hmm, haven't thought of *those* in ten years.

It won't work very well, though, if you have several projects going in numerous directories, and you're adding more directories all the time...

I still want assignable backup folders on the wishlist. (And agree with Bill that *.backup.* files should be locked.)

Report · Mar 07, 2003

FrameMaker does not support any type of structure. If it support MathMl it will be very better.
FrameMaker provide equation platte for equation it should also support TeX/LaTeX coding for complex equation like 3B2 support Tex/LaTeX coding for equation.
FrameMaker automatic generate paragraph number but it should also auto generate line number.

Report · Mar 07, 2003

Color gradient facilities should be provided with next version of FM

Report · Mar 08, 2003

Features I'd just LOVE:

MAC OS X Native support! I HATE working in Classic, if FrameMaker gets ported, I can drop Classic altogether.

Ability to import FileMaker pro data (via ODBC if necessary), we do lots of large filemaker database imports after converting them to PDF or what-have-you, and it's a pain, especially when something changes at the last minute and we have to do the whole thing over again.

Math calculations in tables: sometimes I just need a simple table, and would like it to add up the numbers in the columns, and keep it updated as we change the numbers from time-to-time.

Import native Photoshop and Illustrator files. I thought it said it could do Illustrator before, but it's never worked for me. I'd like easier importing of Acrobat files, like importing an entire multi-page document, not just one page at a time.

I'd like improved support of making a master page style be tied to a paragraph style, and I'd like NOT to have to run an update to keep it that way when pages get added.

If stability and speed won't be impacted, I agree with many here that spelling on the fly would be great. I can't tell you how many times I forget to run spell checker and convert the documents to PDF only to realize that I'd not checked it, and of course, there are typos...

Ability to assign key combinations to paragraph styles (like Shift+F1, etc., so I don't constantly have to go to the paragraph styles when reformatting documents from other word processors). Less going to the mouse is a good thing.

I use FrameMaker for typing documents more often than word, I'd use it ONLY if it were OS X native.

OTF Ligature support like what InDesign has (for more than just fi and fl ligatures). In fact, I'd like the ability to do all the special text features in Frame that you can do in ID2.

Script-like features that Photoshop and Illustrator has to save actions that you do over and over. AND, have those importable to other computers.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are things that'd make my life easier, especially OS X Support (can you tell that latter is the biggie?).

Report · Mar 09, 2003

> Key combinations for paragraph styles ...
F9 and as many letters as you need to identify the style (watch the status bar); ditto with F8 for character styles. Up- and down-arrow keys work too; so (typically) I'll hit F9 and type :h2 for the first level-two heading, then down-arrow for :h2b

AFAIK, this works on a Mac as well as a W*ws PC.

Report · Mar 10, 2003

My apologies if this has already been submitted.

I'd like *very* much if, when Save'ing As a non-native file format (such as Microsoft Word) that FrameMaker automatically change the filename extension as necessary. Or at least that FrameMaker *not* overwrite the ".fm" file with, for example, a Word-formatted file...

I know enough to make the change 99% of the time, but it's that 1% that just ticks me off...

Report · Mar 10, 2003

Add to wish list:

More building blocks!

Having a <$spantext[CharFormat]> building block would be great for xrefs! Apply a char style to any text in a document and be able to xref it by text!

Or, if that's too much, how about a <$markertext> building block that pulls in the text of a marker for Cross-Ref markers?

Basically, an alternative to <$paratext>.

I can see these as being very useful. :-)

Report · Mar 10, 2003

Please add a keyboard abbreviation (such as ALT-f and ALT-r, or the like) to the Find/Replace dialog box so that text can be entered into the text entry areas without mousing or repetitive TAB keystrokes.

Cheers & thanks,
Riley
x8252

Report · Mar 19, 2003

Oof! -- I just checked all 240 posts to make sure I wasn't submitting a duplicate.

I'd like FrameMaker to include a more powerful Replace capability. While FrameMaker's ability to locate text using regular expressions is good (or at least good enough), FrameMaker doesn't allow equally intelligent replacement of text based on regular expressions.

For example, using FrameMaker's existing regular expression support to Find lines that begin with lower case characters is relatively easy using "^[a-z]", Replacing that text with "^[A-Z]" doesn't work. Similarly, Finding an end-of-line or text-flow that doesn't have a terminating period is relatively easy; programmatically using Replace to add those missing periods only when necessary is not.

I import a lot of poorly formatted content into FrameMaker. At present I'm using jEdit (www.jedit.org) to perform plain-text-level cleanup of the sorts of textual irregularities I listed above. Perhaps I'm unique in my need, but I think it would be nice if FrameMaker provided me with "native" (i.e., .fm rather than .mif file) support for regular expression manipulation / replacement of text.

(By the by, I've seen references to FrameScript and Funduc's Search / Replace tool -- If anyone can comment on how well either of these perform complex text replacements in FrameMaker native-mode files, please e-mail me directly...)

Report · Mar 19, 2003

Riley,

I'll heartily second your request. FM should really bolster it's
find/change tool to support full regex (regular expressions).

One caveat about mucking with FM binaries - don't! FM knows when the
binary has been changed (checksums?) and will declare the file to be
corrupt and will not open it anymore. It's like putting your foot in
your mouth and then shooting it. You can work on the MIFs without any
such problems though.

Report · Mar 26, 2003

Apologies if anyone is seeing this for the second time. I've posted
this already, and it seemed to show up on my (non-Adobe) news server,
but nowhere else. (My news server picks up this newsgroup, but I wasn't
aware that (a) this is a replicate of the Adobe User to User Forum for
FrameMaker, nor (b) that I could only post to it from Adobe's server.)
So anyway, here goes.

R. VanDyke:
> Oof! -- I just checked all 240 posts to make sure I wasn't
> submitting a duplicate.

Hmm, my newsreader isn't showing nearly that many. Oh well, if this is
a duplicate, I apologize. Please just consider it to be an indication
of how useful this feature would be. I think the implementation would
be kind of huge, but so would the benefit.

I'd love to see the ability to Import Formats By Reference. This would
cause Frame to keep track of where the formats come from, check the
source document as it would for a text inset, and update the formats
when necessary. Any or all of the separately importable types of
formatting should be importable by reference (paragraph formats,
character formats, page layouts, etc.).

Ideally, it should handle referencing different format aspects from
different source documents. For example, my chapter file could pull its
variable definitions from another chapter in my book, while pulling its
page layouts and other stuff from a global template.

Like text insets, formats imported by reference should not be editable
in the importing document. So if you're referencing page layouts from a
template, View > Master Pages would be disabled. Or if you're
referencing paragraph formats, the paragraph designer's Update All
button would be disabled. (Then again, that's kind of encouraging the
use of overrides, so maybe the whole designer would be read-only, except
the tag selector and Apply.)

For the sake of simplicity, I wouldn't mind if the importing of (for
example) paragraph tags by reference prevented a document from storing
its own custom tags. In other words, it can be an all-or-nothing
proposition, either all the tags are referenced or none of them are.

Also like text insets, referenced formats should be easy to copy into
the importing document, breaking the reference link (as with text
insets' "convert to text").

And of course, I'd also like to keep the current import mechanism as a
"Copy into Document" alternative.

Bryce

Report · Mar 19, 2003

Lets hope that we can get two very valuable things next time.
1. Two different hyphens, one to show an automatic hyphenation and one to show a real hyphen.
2. A justified forced return.

Hope is the last thing to give up when dealing with Frame.

JW

Report · Mar 19, 2003

I have several requests in no particular order:

1. The ability to have paragraph tags inhirit settings of another paragraph tag. Example if one paragraph tag defines the font, and another paragraph tag inhirit settings from this tag, and do not overwrite the font, it would use the font information from the other tag.

2. It would be great if FrameMaker could be based on the same typography engine as InDesign, especially the multi-line composer.

3. It should be possible to jump to a tab outside of the right indent, so that an entry with several lines in a TOC, would not be below the page number, but would linebreak half an inch before.

4. It should be possible to tell a variable on a masterpage, to look from the bottom of the page, so that it would be possible to show in the header or footer, that this page includes index-entries from a-b, and next page from b-e and so on.

5. Ability for several people at once to be able to open a book file. The first user as administrator that can change the file, the rest with read only access, but they should still get the easy access to all the files in the book (which might not necesary be able to be opened by more than one person at a time).

Regards,

Søren Theilgaard

Report · Mar 25, 2003

The ability to use Edit> Undo multiple times. I am always frustrated by the fact that FrameMaker will only allow Edit> Undo one time. This would be a great enhancement to the product!