Line end Styles

[_Trevor_Copage_]

Does anyone know how I can modify the line end styles to change from an arrowhead to a bullet? This has frustrated me for years, however I now have a client who insists on this style for callouts in the graphics. If it was just a few, they could be individually fabricated but there will hundreds of figures in several manuals, each with several callout lines. Adding the callout lines to the graphics prior to importing them into FM is not an alternative option as their generation is specific to the authoring process.

[AxialInfo]

Although in this case I doubt that there is much change from one version to another, it's always a Good Thing to let us know what version of FM you're using, including the "pxxx" numbers from Help > About.

[_Trevor_Copage_]

Sorry Sheila, Currently using 7.2 (p158), and trialing 9. The request has been the source of frustration since I started using FM 4 many years ago (progressing thro' 5,6,7), but is only now that it has become a serious production issue for me.

[Michael_Müller-Hillebrand-basb]

If this is a "serious production issue" it is definitely worth an automated process that does the "individual fabrication" for you.

The task would be to use a defined line-end and then have a script (or API plug-in) run through all line graphics, detecting that line-end and placing a circle in the correct position. Such a solution would fo course tag all auto-added circles, so they can be easily deleted as well.

This would be better than waiting for a FrameMaker version with that feature.

- Michael

[Art Campbell]

I agree that Michael's programmatic solution would be the best solution (bar one) if you can find a Framescript coder to do it. I'd contact Rick Quatro at frameexpert.com.... he's done a number of great custom scrips and he may be able to help.

That said, this type of call-out has fallen way out of favor in many parts of the tech writing community because it's time intensive and actually gets in the way of translation and modification because the graphic itself has to change.

A more adaptable and easier-to-implement solution is to label the parts of the drawing with numbers or letters in a circle and have a key describing the parts outside the graphic in the text flow.

Art

[_Steve_Kubis_]

The Auto-Text plug-in (available from http://www.siliconprairiesoftware.com) could be a solution. You could make one of your callout lines with the bullet end from Frame's drawing objects, and then create an Auto-Text entry for that item. To add a callout to your graphic, all you do is select the graphic and insert the newly-defined auto-text item. It will be selected, and you an use Alt-arrow keys to move it to the desired location.

I use callouts with angled lines, square brackets, and some with bezier curves. I have Auto-Text items defined for all of them. It makes adding callouts to graphics quite easy.

Steve

[_Trevor_Copage_]

Many thanks for the ideas. Over the years, all of the solutions so far suggested have been tried except for a customised script which I shall investigate.

Steves suggestion for autotext is similar to the one I commonly use, in that I have a filed page with locally created individual graphics consisting of a line and filled circle bullets aligned and grouped. These are cut&pasted as required. Several lengths and orientations are there to minimise the need to ungroup to lengthen the line.

Embedding the lines at the graphics stage of the process is not always an option as the type of work I do which uses pictures in multiple places over several volumes - often framed in a montage of images. Many are conditional, dependent upon the product model or clients customer, and therefore callouts differ between examples of the same picture and are dependent on location in the books. Also continuing development means I receive modified pictures almost daily to maintain representative complex manuals for on-line download/viewing/embedding in the product, which often means modification to the callouts.

Normally I have used simple arrow heads for the task as these provide flexibility in that they are are easily lengthened, reshaped, flipped etc. I am being asked (told!) by a new client that he requires bulleted lines (he has them in basic manuals produced in Word and wants to maintain a consistent style). Although he appreciates the improvements FM will bring, he is still insistent that he doesnt want to change!

I was, and still am, hoping that someone in the forum has located or created the ability to add bullets instead of arrowheads to the simple line tool!

Trevor

[_joH_]

The closest you can get to a round bullet using only FM would be a diamond-shaped line end. You'd use a custom line end and set the base to 135°, the tip to 45°, the length to whatever fits best and the style to filled.

Maybe you could offer this to your client as a tradeoff, but I admit a square is hardly a circle.

Regards,
joH

[frameexpert]

Hi Trevor,

One thing I recently automated was shadows on callout lines. The callouts are "live"; when you resize or reposition the line, the shadow automatically follows. Something similar could be done with the "bullet" line ends. If you want to see a demo, please contact me offlist. Thank you very much.

Rick Quatro
rick at frameexpert dot com
585-659-8267

[frameexpert]

I have a working prototype of a FrameScript script that automates the bulleted lines. You choose an Add Bulleted Line command and it adds a line to the selected anchored frame with the bullet in place at the end of the line. As you drag the line end around, or move the line, the bullet automatically follows. The line and bullet specs are configured via an INI file, so they are easily configured.

[BulletLine]
Width=1
; LineCap= Use CapButt, CapRound, or CapSquare
LineCap=CapButt
BulletHead=1
BulletSize=6
LineLength=72
PolyLine=0

If you are interested in seeing this in action, please contact me offlist. Thanks.

Rick Quatro
rick at frameexpert dot com
585-659-8267

[_Trevor_Copage_]

Rick - Looks like your solution is ideal. I've emailed a couple of times offlist but haven't had any response.
Trevor

[frameexpert]

Try rick at rickquatro dot com

[frameexpert]

You can see a quick demo of how you might use a FrameScript script to add "bullet lines" to your FrameMaker documents.

http://www.rickquatro.com/demos/BulletLines.htm

You can see that the bullet stays attached to the line, even when it is repositioned. When you delete the line, the bullet is deleted automatically. The properties of the line and bullet are controlled through a simple INI file, which gives you the flexibility to use the script for different projects.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me offlist. Thanks.

Rick
rick at frameexpert dot com
585-659-8267

[_Trevor_Copage_]

Rick's script solution looks to do everything that I wanted, but does require FrameScript. (Adobe: please include alternative-shaped terminations to the existing line tool when you bug-fix/update FM.)

joH's idea to substitute a diamond termination using the existing arrowhead tool is a great compromise idea that requires no additional resources.

Thanks again to Rick and all who have responded.

Trevor