How to delete a text flow in F8

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Hi there. I'm using Framemaker 8.

I have many legacy documents with a small text flow B frame on every body page. It is not in the master pages.

I'd like to be able to select and delete the entire text flow, (frames and contents) throughout the document, but the only way I've found to do it is:

Ctrl-a to select all the text

Delete, which removes all except the text in the first frame

Frame properties, turn off autoconnect

delete the frame on the page, turn to the next page, delete the frame...

I have thousands of pages to do this to

Please, someone tell me there is an easier way!

Chris

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Chris,

Would it be enough to just delete those text frames?

As I am used to programming in FrameScript, this would be doable (if FrameMaker allows the deletion of those text frames).

Some others might recommend looking in the MIF version of the document; as far as I remember the text frames and the text flow are two different objects in the MIF file, which might or might not be a problem for that approach.

- Michael

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Thanks for your interest.

I'm new to Framemaker so I'm not sure of the implications of just deleting the frames.

They were only there to label each page with a creation date, and the new standard does not include this.

Every page in every legacy document has this flow B with a small autoconnected text frame containing a PageDate variable.

If I could somehow create a command that deletes all of flow B in a document, or even better throughout a book, that's what I want.

Chris

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Do the Flow B frames exist on the Master Pages?

If so, deleting them there, and taking the

<*> Remove Overrides

option on return to the Body page might cause your problem to vanish.

Alternatively, if the Flow B text has unique paragraph formats, you could search and destroy by para tag, or just set the font to invisible and not worry about it.

Report · Nov 23, 2011

No, they are not on the master pages, though they do they have an override *PageDate paragraph format.

I would have thought the ability to select and remove an entire flow would be an essential tool, but maybe I'm not yet thinking in the correct "frame" of mind.

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Chris,

What you see in those legacy documents was created with quite a bit of effort and it was not the way the product was designed, at least not for that purpose. Some created all those text frames and manually connected frame by frame. The removal of that can be expected to be equally painful. But here comes help:

Get your self an evaluation copy of FrameScript at http://www.framescript.com (see left navigation bar in the Downloads section).

Store the script below in a text file with .fsl ending (like DeleteTextFramesB.fsl), open a document and run the script.

Good luck,

- Michael

PS: Don't forget to buy FrameScript if it was useful.

Run Main pvDoc(Session.ActiveDoc);

Sub Main pvDoc

Local lvObj lvNextObj lvCount(0);

Set lvObj = pvDoc.FirstGraphicInDoc;

Loop While(lvObj)

Set lvNextObj = lvObj.NextGraphicInDoc;

If (lvObj.Page.ObjectName = 'BodyPage')

If (lvObj.ObjectName = 'TextFrame')

If (lvObj.Flow.Name = 'B')

Delete Object(lvObj);

Set lvCount = lvCount + 1;

EndIf

Set lvObj = lvNextObj;

EndLoop

MsgBox lvCount + ' text frames deleted.';

EndSub

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Thanks Michael.

I appreciate you taking the time to create the script.

If I can persuade our corporate IT department to install framescript I'm sure that will solve the problem.

I doubt they will install it though.

If I can't use a script I'll use the other idea of defining the PageDate paragraph tag as having a white font colour.

Chris

Report · Nov 23, 2011

No, they are not on the master pages, ...

In that case, removing page overrides could be a dangerous thing to do. It sounds like you have inherited "ransom note" page layouts with hand-connected hand-drawn Body page frames.

... though they do they have an override *PageDate paragraph format.

Unless you need the page space consumed by the Flow B frames, why not just set the PageDate fmt to white-on-white or some color set to Do Not Print by Color Views at rendering.

I would have thought the ability to select and remove an entire flow would be an essential tool, but maybe I'm not yet thinking in the correct "frame" of mind.

Yours is the first inquiry into such a feature that I've ever seen. Flow A, and disconnected background flows are all that most FM users need. If additional Body Flows are needed, they are customarily created as auto-connected Master Page frames, and are easy to create, manage and delete when done that way. As Michael points out, someone went to a lot of needless work to create the mess. Undoing it won't be that much easier.

I have inherited manuals with ransom-note Flow A's. When I need to revise one of these disasters, I recreate it as a whole new book. I usually don't even copy and paste the whole of Flow A from the old document, due to random overrides, missing fonts, legacy tags that will pollute my catalogs, and Body content that will be missed due to being in disconnected frames.

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Thanks for the white-on-white suggestion.

It'll do as a quick fix on a document by document basis, and I'll tidy the documents properly when I'm more familiar with FrameMaker and the pressure's off.

Chris

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Thanks for the white-on-white suggestion.

Note that the text will still be there in the final PDF, and selectable with the Reader tools, even though invisible.

If you have Acrobat Pro (9 or 10 for sure, less certain about 6 or 7), you can redact that "hidden" text with the

Document > Examine Document

tool.

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Chris,

Instead of a white-on-white approach, which actually places the content in PDFs as Error indicates, use the Color > Views to set a color as Invisible and then use that color for the remaining content in the B flow (i.e. update all via the Paragraph Designer). Invisible color content never makes out of FM into the destination output format.

Report · Nov 23, 2011

Instead of a white-on-white approach, which actually places the content in PDFs as Error indicates, use the Color > Views to set a color as Invisible and then use that color ...

Yep, I mispoke myself when calling it "Do Not Print".

"Don't Print" is a "Print As:" option in Color Definitions, which is yet another way to do it. Presumably CD/DP colors also do not end up in the PDF.

If the undesired text is easily selectable as a single object (not clear in this case), Condition Codes would be a 4th way to make them vanish in the PDF.

Report · Nov 23, 2011

ChrisDC(TA) wrote:
Hi there. I'm using Framemaker 8.
I have many legacy documents with a small text flow B frame on every body page. It is not in the master pages.
I'd like to be able to select and delete the entire text flow, (frames and contents) throughout the document, but the only way I've found to do it is:
Ctrl-a to select all the text
Delete, which removes all except the text in the first frame
Frame properties, turn off autoconnect
delete the frame on the page, turn to the next page, delete the frame...
I have thousands of pages to do this to
Please, someone tell me there is an easier way!
Chris

One option is to delete all of the thread's text as you're doing, and delete the text remains in the first frame. The empty frames should present no problems, unless they have text runaround properties that are used to displace stuff on the body pages. To determine whether this is the case, select a Flow B text frame and use Graphics > Runaround Properties.

Another option is to create a new FrameMaker document and import the formats, including master pages. Select the entire Flow A, copy and paste it into the text frame on page 1 of the new document. Because the Flow B frames are on body pages, not masters, they will be gone from the new document.

You may need to apply particular master pages to particular body pages; first page of a chapter or unit or section, for example. You can determine which master page is applied to which body page by clicking into text on a body page, then viewing the master pages - whichever is selected is the one that's applied to that body page.

Search Google for terms like "FrameMaker import formats tutorial," "FrameMaker master pages tutorial," and "FrameMaker runaround properties tutorial," without quotes for more details.

BTW, FrameMaker 10 includes Extendscript, so no need to buy FrameScript. If there's no compelling need to upgrade FrameMaker, and these suggestions work for you, there's no need for a FrameScript solution here. However, many FrameMaker users use FrameScript for automating lots of manual chores.

HTH

Regards,

Peter

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Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices