How to create variables for "Page [page number] of [total pages in book]"

[Rina J]

Hi, helpful people!

I'm hoping this is an easy question to answer. It seems simple enough, but I haven't been able to find anything in the available resources.

I have a book that consists of a dozen or so chapters of 10-12 pages each, giving me a book of approximately 140 pages.

The book applies for multiple different products, where I use conditional text for each product. So the total page count is unique for each product's version of the book.

The pages are numbering correctly throughout, but I want to have the page number in the footer read as "Page [page number] of [total pages in book]" -- for example, "Page 47 of 140." I know that the variable "$curpagenum" will give me the current page number, but is there a variable for "total pages in book"? If not, how would I create one? Would I need to make it a user variable that I update each time I create a new version of the book?

Thanks, and apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Check out - https://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/2019/using/using-framemaker-2019/frm_books_bk-numbering.html or https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-framemaker-the-page-count-variable-for-books-part-ii-of-... ?

[Barb Binder]

Wow, Jeff. I haven't see that post in a while.

Ennar, note that it was written for an earlier version of FrameMaker—it still works, but remember that the old Special menu was renamed Insert. So, Insert > Variables and Insert > Cross-References. Any other questions, just ask.

~Barb

[Bob_Niland]

You know about <$curpagenum>. There is also a system variable <$lastpagenum>, but it appears to only reference the current file, and not the last page of the last file in a .book.

When I need to do this, I cross-reference to some object that is always on the last page of the last file, often a dedicated paragraph format named "EOD" (possibly invisible), and xref it by <$pagenum>.

The Master Page footer might then have:
Page <$curpagenum> of Xref
where Xref is to the EOD object, format <$pagenum>

[LinSims]

A while back my coworker and I commissioned Rick Quatro to write a macro for us that would total the number of pages in a book based on the files selected and put the result in a variable that we then stuck in a footer to give us the x of y. He might be willing to sell that to you if you ask.