FM 7.2, Structured view: New book isn't structured?

[Guest]

While working with Structured FrameMaker, I've collided with FM 7.2's apparent unwillingness to create a new structured book file...(?)

I began with a properly validating structured chapter file that I wanted to put into a new book. So I used File > New > Book to create the new book and automatically add the chapter file to it.

At that point the new book would not validate. Instead, I received the error message "NoName: Element is undefined".

Things went downhill from there. I figured out that I could use structured view of the of book to unwrap the book from the red "NoName" element. But doing that meant that anytime I tried to add a file to the new book, FrameMaker immediately crashed hard.

A co-worker then fixed the problem by copying an existing structured book, using Save As to save the book under a new name, deleting the renamed book's chapter files, and finally adding the desired chapter file or files to the new book.

This seems so insanely convoluted that I'm sure there must be some more sensible way. (It also raises the chicken-and-egg question of where did that seminal structured book file come from? Please -- no creationists versus evolutionist arguments here...)

Yet I can't readily identify that way -- anytime I try to create a new book, FM 7.2 seems to be creating an unstructured one. Any menu-based method I try for creating a new empty book produces the same "NoName..." error message.

So, can someone please tell me what I'm seeing and how I can remedy it?

Cheers & thanks,
Riley

[MarttiP]

Hi Riley,

Framemaker is "unable" to create a structured book from scratch, except in case where an XML file is instructed to be opened as a frame book (either with r/w rules or PI instructions in XML).

I assume that your edd has the required book-level structures above chapters.. now, try following:

1. Open your edd and the structured chapter file
2. Create the book using this file as the 1. component of the file
3. While in book, import the edd file to book (File->Import->Element definitions). This will change your book to structured
4. Fix the book structure and add rest of the chapter files

Hope this helps,
Martti

[Ian Proudfoot]

If you start with a structured file then use File > New > Book. Frame will ask if you if you want to add the structured file to the new book. Choose Yes, the structured file is included in the book. In the structure view the book is Identified as a BOOK-COMPONENT.

Select the root NoName element then take a look at the element catalogue, it contains a list of elements that are available at the highest level. Select one then click Change.

Finally update the book by clicking the update button.

Job done!

Of course the above assumes that you have a suitable container element in your EDD.

I hope this helps

Ian

[Guest]

I'm having trouble working through this, especially identifying exactly what to import and how. And what I've found in the online help mentions that NoName element, but otherwise seems to do everything to avoid providing some simple numbered steps...

I've copied the EDD file and the cover, preface, and chapter files to a folder where I can experiment with this.

I can create a book file with a single known-good chapter file, and get that book file to validate, but as soon as I import the other files and try to validate the book FrameMaker crashes hard.

Part of the problem is the "import the edd file to book". I believe I'm doing that but I'm obviously missing something.

So, can someone please break the steps down a bit more? WHAT should I choose to import, from WHERE?

(For what it's worth, at least I can now understand why my co-worker thought it easiest to simply borrow and re-construct and existing book file rather than go through the machinations required to create a new one...)

Cheers & thanks,
Riley

[Guest]

Ian:

Thanks.

"Of course the above assumes that you have a suitable container element in your EDD."

Is there any straightforward way to determine that? Per my preceding post, the Structured FrameMaker terminology does not yet convey much to me.

As I said, the known-good structured chapter file validates properly. Is that enough? Or...?

Cheers & thanks,
Riley

[MarttiP]

Riley,

As Ian said, there must be elements defined in the EDD that are above the element that is the root of your chapter file. Those should be visible in the element catalogue when you are in the book file

Also, check your edd. Elements that can exist as "root" elements are marked with element "ValidAsHighestElement" (hopefully I remember this right..I'm not sitting in front of frame just now..).

Martti

[_Van_Kurtz_]

Riley,

Once you create a structured book file and THEN add more files to the book, update the book and check the BOOK structure. You may have to move the newly added files into the containing element, say the root element of the book. I work in structure all the time, and one can create a book file from scratch. There are just a few extra things that one needs to do, as outlined in the previous emails by others.

Van

[Guest]

Sigh... I'm putting this aside for later (much later, I hope...)

As I said, my co-worker showed me one way to do this -- find a working book, delete its chapter files, and add the desired files.

It seemed a silly way to approach the problem when I first saw it, but now I understand why she chose that method rather than creating a new book.

I've got work that needs doing -- I don't have any more time for this...

Cheers & thanks to all for your help,
Riley

[Lynne A. Price]

Riley,<p>
Let me add two points to the discussion:<p>
First, to understand where the NoName element comes from, remember that every element structure must have a single root (in mathematical terms, it must be a tree not a forest). Each book component in a structured book corresponds to a descendant of the book's root element. The root element itself must have a name. As has already been mentioned, if you open an XML document that results in a structured book, the root of the XML document will be the root of the book and the element tag for that element will be determined by the XML document. However, if you are manually creating the structured book, FrameMaker cannot guess at the element tag for the book's root element. You need to specify it. However, when you create the structured book, the root element must be created and that's before you've had the opportunity to specify the name. FrameMaker uses NoName as a placeholder name.<p>
Second, a structured book must have an element catalog. If you create a book from a structured document, FrameMaker copies the element definitions from the document into the book. All the elements defined in the document are therefore available in the book; those defined to be valid highest-level elements can be used as the book's root element. However, if you simply create a new book and then add all the book components, the book will not have any element definitions. To create some, you must highlight the name of the book file in the book window and import element definitions, from an EDD, or from a structured document. By the way, FrameMaker does not require a book file to use the same element definitions as its book components, or that all the book components use the same element definitions. However, when you save a book as SGML or as XML using a DTD, a single DTD is used for the entire structure.<p>
--Lynne