Embedding a PDF into Framemaker

[Robert Posma]

I am making a operations and maintenance manual and want to embed individual equipment manuals into the FrameMaker document and subsequent PDF output file so the users can make full use of all content within the embed PDF (i.e. open the document in a separate window) from the published PDF file. 

I found help information which suggested I could use the Import File with an icon which will be selectable, but FrameMaker 2022 doesn't give me this option.  Only to pick one of the pages. 

[frameexpert]

FrameMaker essentially treats the imported PDF pages as graphics. You lose any interactivity that is in the original PDF that you are importing. You may want to create a PDF from your FrameMaker content, and then combine the original equipment manuals in Acrobat. This will preserve the interactivity. Or, you can build links from the FrameMaker content to the other PDFs. When you make a PDF from the FrameMaker content, the links to the other PDFs should work.

[Bob_Niland]

re: FrameMaker essentially treats the imported PDF pages as graphics.

To plainly state the implication, yes, only one source PDF page is obtained per Import.

And even that may only work if the source PDF has sufficiently open security.

If the source documents are also FM, importing by reference (Text Inset) from the .fm sources, or adding whole files to Book are a possibilities, and provide more options in the referencing file.

Importing PDF often makes sense, and going forward is likely preferrable to importing EPS for certain object types.

[FrameMaker-dk]

We are talking about OLE - Object Linking and Embedding, are we not? This used to work in FrameMaker, I believe. I have used it for embedding word and excel files at least.

[Bob_Niland]

FMdk: We are talking about OLE - Object Linking and Embedding, are we not?

That's unclear from the basenote.

re: This used to work in FrameMaker, I believe.

Based on some recent forum traffic, it apparently still does.
I've never used it myself, because nearly all of my work has been in cross-platform FM environments (Windows:Unix), and Windows OLE only works on Windows.

[Robert Posma]

Thanks for everyone's input.  I was hoping the OLE embedding would work.  The embedding works while i am in Framemaker, but appears to disappear when generating a PDF version of it.  I was thinking there might be a setting in the Acrobat options file which would maintain the embedment link in PDF file.  The file is storing the attachment with the output but just losing the link from within the document.  I'll see if it works with other file types and post a result. 

[Winfried Reng]

Hi Robert,

Did you try File | Import | Object?

There you can embed objects as OLE.

Best regards, Winfried