How to have variable headers on different pages of a chapter?

Report · Jul 17, 2009

Hello,

(Running FrameMaker 8 on Windows XP.) I'm trying to figure out how to set up a system variable to use to construct a running header in the Master pages of a chapter. I would like the chapter to have more than just two header variants (one for left-hand pages and one for the right). I want the header to reflect conditions that are local to the page being displayed.

First, here is the basic structure of the chapter:

Chapter Heading

Heading 1

Heading 2

blah blah

Heading 2

blah blah

Heading 2

blah blah

...

Heading 1

Introductory text (several pages of body text and lower-level headers)...

Heading 2

etc

On any given page, I want the running header to display the text of the most recent Heading 2 title to be used. However, if a new Heading 1 title was used more recently than the most recent Heading 2, and there is no text of type Heading 2 on that page, then I want the running header to display the text of the most recent Heading 1 title.

For example, suppose the "introductory text" in the above outline were to take up a few pages. On one of the pages having only body text, I would want the running header to display the text of the Heading 1 just above it, rather than the text of the Heading 2 title preceding that. In other words, I would like some sort of decision process, on a page-by-page basis, on which title's text it should use.

Is it possible to do this in FrameMaker 8? I tried using the <$condtag> building block, but I couldn't even get it to display anything meaningful, much less the correct text. I think I was misusing this building block - that it's only for use on pages that have conditional text, is that correct? My document has no conditional text in it at all.

Can anyone suggest how I might accomplish what I'm trying to do?

Thank you!

Joyce

Report · Jul 17, 2009

Joyce,

Try using: <$paratext[Heading2,Heading1]>

This tells FM to use the first Heading2 on the page. If it doesn't find one, then search backwards until a Heading1 is found. You can keep adding multiple paratags in the specification. Just remember to list them in the reverse order of hierarchy.

You definitely do not want to be using the <$condtag> building block. This just tells FM to list the specified conditional tags found on each page and include alternative text if none are found.

Report · Jul 17, 2009

Thanks - that did it!

Joyce