Left page repeated in book

Report · Feb 10, 2011

In FM7.2, I need to create a left page that repeats throughout the entire book and does not get counted in the page count. I just started using Framemaker in June 2010 so I'm not real versed in it yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Report · Feb 10, 2011

Mesadobe,

Do I get you right, you want a double-sided book with a page numbering that counts only the right pages? So for seven FrameMaker pages the numbering sequence would be like that:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

1 - _ - 2 - _ - 3 - _ - 4

Are those left pages supposed to be empty or do they contain text? If they contain text, how would you reference text on those pages (»see at the back of page 3«)?

Where does such a requirement come from?

Since you are new to FrameMaker we might be able to come up with better ways to achieve your goal.

- Michael

Report · Feb 12, 2011

Hi Michael,

That's the page count I'm looking for. I don't want to count the left page. The left page contains text. The same text is repeated on every left page. Kind of like "this page is intentionally left blank" but every left page would say this (for example). This left page is called a foldout page in the Nuclear industry...

Report · Feb 14, 2011

If these foldout pages are as I imagine, it might be a good idea to use a different page format (e.g. landscape A3 with the text frame placed on the right half of the spread).

Otherwise, you could try the following solution which relies on disconnected pages:

0) Start with an empty document.

1) Choose View > Master Pages to edit the master pages

2) Choose Special > Add Master Page to add a master page for your left pages. Name the master page e.g. "LPage".

3) Select the "Right" master page to be used for right pages. Cut its footer frame.

4) Paste the footer frame where it was before. On pasting, FM asks you what type of frame you want to create. Choose "Template for Body Text Frame"(!) and set an unused flow tag, e.g. "P". Then click Add.

5) Choose View > Body Pages to return to body pages.

6) Choose Special > Add disconnected pages. Set "Before page: 1" and "Use Master Page: LPage". Then click Add.

7) Start inserting your content on the right page. Whenever the page breaks, add a disconnected page before the new page to get alternating blank & content pages.

Concerning page numbering:

8) On the first right page, click into the footer frame. Create and apply a paragraph format for the footer with the following settings:

- Pagination: Start: Top of Right Page

- Numbering: Autonumber format: <n+>

9) Still in the footer frame (with the new paragraph format), press ENTER repeatedly until you reach the last right page.

Johannes

Report · Feb 16, 2011

Johannes,

We use headers that have the current page count and book page count variables in them (page 1 of 20 for example). Is there any variable that counts just the odd pages or even pages? I didn't quite understand what you were trying to do with the footers. The disconnected pages will work for creating the foldout page though. Thanks!

Report · Feb 17, 2011

FM counts every individual page/sheet, and you can't separate odd/even numbers. However, using Johannes' first suggestion of using an over-sized landscape sheet to hold both the left/right pages using two separate text frames/flows should accomplish what you want. Remember that FM allows only a single page size in any given file, so you may need to use multiple files if you alternate between standard and fold-out pages.

Report · Feb 18, 2011

Sorry, mesadobes, I didn't keep track of this conversation.

My earlier suggestion clearly has its limitations. The idea was to set up mock page numbers using numbered paragraphs in separate text flow, as there is no alternate page count that would count only even (or odd) pages.

Therefore any variables related to built-in page numbers (e.g. <$lastpagenum>) do not apply. To refer to mock page numbers, you have to treat them like paragraph numbers, because that's what they are. For example, to get the maximum page count, you'd have to insert a cross-reference to the last footer paragraph and use the <$paranum> building block.

-- Whether this solution is good at all depends on your overall requirements for the document. It should work within a limited scope, but that's probably not enough.

Using landscape pages is certainly more robust but might require splitting the A3 spreads in half afterwards (Acrobat or some Postscript utility might do that).

A problem with the script-based approach would be that, while you can control disconnected pages, you won't be able to use built-in page numbering either.

Johannes

Report · Feb 17, 2011

mesadobes, using disconnected pages can have significant maintenance issues when/if content needs to be added/deleted later on. If your files will need to be edited on an ongoing basis, I'd suggest looking at having Framescript(s) written to manage your documents and their pagination.

The following is undoubtedly too simplified to meet your specific business rules or workflow requirements, but as an example:

1) the "original working" document would be maintained as a single-sided (right sides only) document, so any content changes can be maintained without the writer having to constantly juggle where the "foldout" pages might occur.

2) when the document is "finalized" for production, the script runs through the chapter (or the book) to create a duplicate set of files. The script then does the page disconnects, changes the pagination to right/left, possibly reads in a "master" FrameMaker template file to ensure that the page layouts are consistently applied, manages the headers/footers and page numbering, and ensures that the foldout left pages are correctly in place, and creates PDFs. This "finalized" document set is saved under a new name for backup purposes.

3) the next time the document is edited, the writer(s) use the "original working" document again, does the editing, and the script runs to finalize the next "edition" of the document.

Sheila