looking for a bit of input regarding FrameMaker templates

[FrameMaker-dk]

I design and develop templates for FrameMaker. These are standard designs which are premade and usable for whatever purpose you have in mind. I could need some input, however, as to what you would look for if you were to purchase a premade design.

Would you look for design aspects like page size, colors and typography or would you look for content/function aspects like User Guide, Instructions, Study book? Or would you look for a content standards like medical/medico/airplane/etc.?

And what would you need to make certain that you are on the right track? A sample User Guide in the design or samples showing all the paragraph designs and building block functions?

Please take a look at these pdf's where I try to communicate the design of a template. Would that be sufficient to communicate the intentions of that specific design? ....

https://framemaker.dk/en/blog/quiote-2

https://framemaker.dk/en/quiote-adobe-framemaker-template-for-technical-documentation

Best regards

Bjørn

[Bob_Niland]

Each layout probably needs 3 set of objects:

1. Demo123.pdf (free)
   This an example of the finished product for template #123, and allow the potential client to find one that meets (or is close to) needs.
2. Template123.fm
   This is part of the purchased deliverables. It contains all the formats of the template, and is self-documenting for each aspect of it, showing FM dialog pages with all the attributes, variables, colors, page layouts, etc; plus rationale narratives as needed. Customization of the template is done in this file by the client. The actual project files import from it. Creating one of these is what I do for non-trivial projects. An unstructured template.fm can easily run 150 pages.
3. Start_Here.fm & .book (&.sts etc.)
   This is another deliverable set. This is a mostly-empty actual project that the client can use for authoring.

[FrameMaker-dk]

Hi Bob

Thanks for answering me. I am not able to find a download link for the files you mention?

[Bob_Niland]

There are no download links. Those are hypothetical names only. Such template.fm/pdf files as I have are not shareable.

And none of my suggestion addresses the question of industry or general topic. Some of those will want structure too.

[FrameMaker-dk]

aha - thanks. Got it. And I agree.

I have mostly been unsure about how big the need is for templates which will allow the user to be within certain industry standards like the Medical Device Regulation (EU) 2017/745, the EN IEC/IEEE 82079-1.

[Bob_Niland]

re: …unsure about how big the need is for templates which will allow the user to be within certain industry standards…

That would require some market research I couldn't even guess at. I'm also wondering how to scope the customer expectations and effort.

Obvious expectations include workflow targets (print, PDF, eBook, HTML/XML), page sizes, page layouts, organization, ToC/LoEP/LOF/Glossary/IDX/etc., numbering, xref conventions, and default typefaces. These are likely already on your to-do list.

But based on my last foray into a specific market (ag machinery, plus a subset using a hazmat chem), you may also need to invest in a bunch of Standards (many not free), to pick up insurance carrier standards, industry standards, common regional standards, national standards, international standards, target market(s) standards, signal color definitions, iconography, boilerplate admonishments/art, expected phraseology, regulation declarations/cites, etc.

And of course the whole package would pre-encoded to support translation for the growing Elbonian market.