Exporting FrameMaker Source files

[Tina-Louise.Allaire]

Hi,

I have a request to send FM source files to a customer. When they receive the files they will get them translated.

What is the best and easiest way to get the unstructured source files to the customer?

Thank you for any help.

Cheers,

Elizabeth 

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

If they want the source files, then you can give them a copy of the .fm and .book files you're working with. Or save as MIF and send those .mif files.

[Bob_Niland]

Later versions of FM have a File » Package feature that I've never used.

Whatever it does, be sure to also include the MIFs for all the .book & .fm files, as the recipient may have an earlier version of FM. Also include PDF(s) of what the document(s) look like in their original language.

I've not used Package because back when I was doing production work, and sending out for translation, the feature didn't exist, and we also need to run a script to gather up all the imported objects, place them in a document-local /imports dir, and re-write the paths in the MIFs to point to the locals.

[FrameMaker-dk]

The best - and by far the easiest - way to pack a FrameMaker job and send to the customer, is using Frameexperts ArchiveES.

It is a small plugin/utility which can be found here: https://frameexpert.com/store/index.html

It will collect and copy everything that is referenced into the publication in a new folder with all graphics in a subfolder and all text insets in another subfolder. What is especially brilliant is that you can open the framemaker job from the new folder and all links will work. When you have done that you can if you really want to help, do a mif wash from the book utilities and save everything as mif files. That is the file form the translation agency will use. Another option is to to export to Xliff, but, while the translation agency may like it, it is not transparant what is IN the Xliff file. So that would require some dialogue with the customer.

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

What are the advantages of ArchiveES over Fm's internal File > Package function?

[FrameMaker-dk]

This is the main issue with "Package". It does not pick up linked files outside of the FrameMaker folder. Which makes you wonder why the even bothered make the feature. ArchiveES is superfast and very reliable and it picks up everything which is linked into the documents. 

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Using the XLIFF export would be what the customer could do after getting the .fm files. 

XLIFF goes to the localization vendor, then localized XLIFFgets reflowed into the Fm files for output.

XLIFF can drastically reduce your localization costs.