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F
feline_1973
Inspiring
August 16, 2013
Question

Has the ExtendScript documentation been updated for FrameMaker 11?

  • August 16, 2013
  • 1 reply
  • 1854 views

I have Technical Communicator Suite 4, and would like to write a simple script to automate the create of HTML Help for a FrameMaker book file.to

(i.e. to automate the process of me opening the book file, and selecting File > Publish)

The Publish command is new for TCS4 / FM11, however, so I don't think it's documented in the FM10 material...

Within my script, I guess I need to know how to select values for the 4 drop-down fields in the Publish dialog? (i.e. Output type, source file, and path to the robohelp templates)

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1 reply

F
feline_1973Author
Inspiring
August 16, 2013

I'm in the ExtendScript Toolkit CS6 Object Model Viewer...

I've got the Book object selected... am I right in thinking that the "Properties and Methods" window then shows me what "methods" I can use with a Book object?
(And that these more or less correspond with menu items in the FrameMaker GUI?)
Because I don't see a method I can use with a Book that corresponds to File > Publish?  (Unless it's the Export method?  Or is that corresponding to Save As?)

4everJang
4everJang
Legend
August 16, 2013

Feline,

Not all commands are available as methods, and I would expect the Publish command to be one of them.Some menu items are implemented as separate clients and can only be accessed through CallClient. But they will have to have a client calling mechanism implemented to respond, and you would have to know the syntax. And even then it might not work due to missing or incorrect info (or bugs in the callback mechanism). As an example, I tried to automate the conversion of files to structured FrameMaker and the one command I needed does not repond to the CallClient method (which is even used as the single example for CallClient in the documentation). Frustrating, to say the least.

I am afraid you will not be able to get this working, unless somebody else on this forum knows how to call any arbitrary menu command from ExtendScript.

Sorry if this sabotages your plans

Jang

F
feline_1973Author
Inspiring
August 21, 2013

I will try to use my contacts at Adobe to find out how this could be done, if it can be done at all. I will post something as soon as I have found out what the status is. This issue has been on my radar since some time (with other commands) but I have not had a business incentive to dig down deeper yet. I'll see what I can do.

Ciao

Jang


Well, it looks like I will give up on the idea of controlling this with a script. The documentation to enable me to work out how to do it just isn't there, and I haven't time to figure it out.
But thanks everyone for the all the posts above, which were very helpful in letting me quantify the known unknowns

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