Controlling pagination

[mwolfthal]

I have to admit I have never understood the behavior of pagination controls in FM. For example, in the book I am working on, when I say not to change the page count - to control whether the next chapter begins on a right or left page - when I update the book, pages are added. When I assign a master page without a header (i.e. no page number) and update, the default left page (with page number) is tacked on.

Advice?

[LinSims]

Is your pagination set to Keep Page Count Even? That will add a blank page at the end of a file if the content ends on an odd numbered page. For the file, not the document. If there are 7 pages in THAT SPECIFIC FILE, then even if it starts on page 3 so it ends on page 10 (numerically), then as far as FM is concerned it's an odd number of pages and you get the extra blank page.

Format > Page Layout > Pagination

[mwolfthal]

In general I set it to leave the page count alone and if the document has a single page one is added anyway.

[Barb Binder]

Hi @mwolfthal:

Are you aware that you can manage the pagination from within a document or at the book level? I definitely encourage you to handle it at the book level.

Now, what is the goal? To have a chapter end on a right page, not add a left page, but have the next chapter begin on right page? Or do you want each chapter to begin on the next available page—left or right—without adding additional pages?

~Barb

[mwolfthal]

I would like to fix the number of pages in each chapter and the assignment of master pages and not have FM change it at update or print time.

I know there is a book-level control but I haven't located it.

[Barb Binder]

Hi @mwolfthal:

I'm happy to show you where the book pagination command is and how to use it, but I need to understand your specific scenario.

Let's go with the one page chapter that you referenced in response to Lin above, and say for example, that it is page 11. What do you want to have happen in the next chapter? Do you want it to start on page 12? Or do you want it to start on page 13 with no page 12?

~Barb 

[mwolfthal]

So page 11 would be a right page of some sort in a document with that single page.. If I want the first page of the next document to begin on a right page it would would be page 13. But when I print or save as PDF I would want a blank page inserted and I would want control over whether the master page applied had a header or not (i.e., with or without the page number (12)).

🙂

[Barb Binder]

Hi @mwolfthal:

But when I print or save as PDF I would want a blank page inserted and I would want control over whether the master page applied had a header or not (i.e., with or without the page number (12).

Ok, so you do want the left page added but you want control over the master page assigned—maybe include the running heads, maybe not?

In either case, in the book window, use Click, Shift-click to select the chapters you want to work with. Right click the chapter names (or use Format > Page Layout) and choose Pagination. Set the values as follows. Update your book. 

This is a.) going to add the left pages as necessary and b.) assign the default Left master page, so it will show the running heads, because that is how FrameMaker works.

In the first scenario, you are done. The running head with page 12 will appear. 

In the second scenario, you have two options:

1. Manually apply None to the last page with Master Page Usage and keep an eye on the pages, reapplying/removing the master pages after edits, or 
2. Assuming you want consistent master page usage across the entire book and not randomly including/not including the running head on the blank left pages, use the Apply Master Pages (AMP) command to do it for you whenever you update the book. This technique is a both a bit convoluted and advanced—basically, you leave the running heads off the default Left Master Pages, create a custom Left master and use the Master Page Mapping table to assign the custom Left master with running heads to the body of the document. In this scenario, when Fm adds the extra page at the end of a document, it will assign the default master, without running heads. This is a technique I have learned here from @Bob_Niland, but not one I have used IRL.

~Barb

[Bob_Niland]

Here's the shaggy dog thread on TPILB (This Page Intentionally Left Blank).

For a recent project, I used the variant where the default Left & Right Master Pages are the TPLIB pages (with grey text centered to declare that). All other {content} pages get other MPs, mapped by AMP.

[LinSims]

You can also use the MasterPage Tools from Silicon Prairie for this. Essentially, you set up a table that says when to apply a specific master page based on page content or a paragraph tag. I use it to automate applying an "Intentionally left blank" page anytime my chapter files insert a blank last page to keep the page count even. 

[mwolfthal]

Thanks, very helpful. I have been finding that the SiliconPrairie MasterPageTools helps a lot.