FM9 - nested indexterms

Report · Oct 07, 2011

Hi everyone,

we got the feedback from our translation agency that they are having troubles with translating the indexterms.

Problem is that the index entries are not listed as "index_level1:index_level2:index_level3" but as "index_level1", "index_level2"m "index_level3" in Trados.

It's not clear how those index entries are related and sometimes they even have to look twice (or more often) to see that this should be an index entry.

Their wish now is - and why not make live easier for them - that the index levels should be nested as <indexterm>index_level1<indexterm>index_level2<indexterm>index_level3</indexterm></indexterm></indexterm>.

According to the DITA specification this is possible.

However, I'm not sure how to change the EDD in order for FM to accept this nesting.

Has someone already tried this and can help me or give me a few hints?

Thanks,

Anna

Report · Oct 07, 2011

Anna,

Inside FrameMaker there is no other option to handling Index markers, at least not if you want FrameMaker to generate the final index.

On the way from FrameMaker to markup (DITA or other XML) and return you would use XSL post/preprocessing to transform the colon-notation (index_level1:index_level2:index_level3) to whatever you want or need. So this is the part where you would have to change something, not the EDD.

But it makes me wonder, why the entries end up comma-separated? Apparentyl there is already something at work.

What DITA application are you using, the Adobe-supplied, home-grown or DITA-FMx?

- Michael

Report · Oct 07, 2011

Michael,

it's a kind of home grown DITA-FMx. -> DITA with a few adjustments.

But as these adjustments have nothing to do with the element indexterm itself, you could say it's DITA-FMx.

What do you mean with comma-separated?

Is it because I separated "index_level1" "index_level" etc. with a comma?

If yes: What I meant is that each index entry is displayed as a own entry to be translated.

I haven't seen how this works if mif files are used. I need to check this.

But it seems that with mif-files the index entries are not separated.

Anna

Report · Oct 07, 2011

Hi Anna...

DITA-FMx generates proper DITA indexterms from FM marker syntax. If your indexterms aren't properly nested, then you're likely either using Index markers (which export as processing instructions and not nested indexterm elements), or you've disabled the fm-indexterm to indexterm conversion process. First thing to check is to open an XML file in Notepad (or other text editor) and see if the indexterms are elements or processing instructions .. <?Fm Marker Index... ?> (something like that, can't remember the exact syntax). If they are indexterm elements, then go into Options and make sure that the indexterm to fm-indexterm conversion option is selected.

I guess that one other thing to confirm is that you're using the fm-indexterm element, not the indexterm element while authoring in FrameMaker? DITA-FMx allows both. If you use the fm-indexterm, it'll insert a FrameMaker marker in which you'll enter index entries using the standard FM index marker syntax. If you're using the indexterm element, then you're actually entering elements that contain text .. these are not markers and shouldn't use marker syntax.

Does that help?

...scott

Scott Prentice

Leximation, Inc.

www.leximation.com

Report · Oct 10, 2011

Hi Scott,

I checked my xml file - the nesting there is correct. So the problem is neither with the way I'm creating the index markers not with the indexterm conversion process.

It seems that the problem is with how TRADOS translates these indexterms.

Maybe for translation, we need to change the conversion on export and save the xml files with this settings before giving the files to translation. I need to test and also check with our translation agency.

Thanks for giving my an idea what to look for - although this is probably not what you thought would be the outcome.

Anna

Report · Oct 10, 2011

Hi Anna...

Trados should be able to handle valid DITA without problem. If you're seeing a problem with this, then your translation agency is likely using the wrong version of Trados or doesn't know how to properly work with XML data. You might check with an SDL representative to confirm the proper way to work with DITA in Trados.

Cheers,

...scott