Is it possible to use a MIF wrapper around imported content

[_Vern_McGeorge_]

I have a considerable body of computer generated content to import into an unstructured frame document.

It would speed up the process greatly if I could generate a MIF wrapper around each piece of content to assert the paragraph style and conditional text settings (both of which are known at generation time).

I've tried a number of experiments so far without success. Has anyone ever done this successfully or is this just impossible?

Is it possible in some other format? MIF is the most obviously promising but if something else works, that's okay too.

[FieryPantone]

Where there aren't too many tables/referenced graphics, I have a fondness for mml. No problems with asserting paragraph styles.<br /><br />Never tried it for conditions, but perhaps you could wrap conditions in the mml <bold>...<nobold> tags and then search/replace. I'm keeping this deliberately succinct so not to flaunt the breadth of my ignorance on s/r and conditions <g><br /><br />I'll follow the thread with interest to see what more powerful solutions come up.

[peter minneapolis]

The MIF Reference Manual in the OnlineManuals folder is your friend here, under the FM install directory, for FM 7 and earlier; in the Documents folder for FM 8.

Often it's helpful to save a small sample of FM content as MIF and open it in a text editor (or in FM by holding Shift while you click Open, to force it to open as text) and observing the MIF coding. Don't be dismayed by the hundreds of pages in the beginning of the document. Go the the end and look for your conditionalized "Hello, you colorfulcolourful world!" test passage.

NOTE: To save MIF code that you're viewing or creating in FM, save it as TEXT; this is like saving from a text editor.

HTH

Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

[Arnis Gubins]

Vern,

As Niels recommends, MML might be a simpler route if all you have are
paragraph formats and conditional settings.

MML does support the (limited) insertion of markers, so you can place
your conditionals - see page 17 of the MML Reference manual).

[AxialInfo]

A great tool for inspecting MIF is the freebie MIFBrowser, at http://www.grahamwideman.com/gw/tech/framemaker/mifbrowse.htm

Unfortunately not an editor, but together with an editor that has line numbers (TextPad, UltraEdit, et al) it's a great combo.

[_Vern_McGeorge_]

Thanks all for the great input.

So far, MML looks like it will not work. The reference manual says that it will not do conditional text and that conditional text must be set after the import. Unfortunately, MML has the same problem Text does - the conditional text settings are lost when the text insert updates.

The whole point of this exercise is to get low maintenance text inserts that retain their conditional text settings and paragraph style when the content changes.

No luck so far with MIF. I get a dialog box that pops up and immediately disappears followed by a dialog box that says "The filter encountered and error and could not complete the translation."

If anybody knows how to make some useful, specific information visible, please let me know.