Multi-page tables: Adding text at top of each page (FM 8)

Report · May 13, 2009

Hi everyone,

I inherited a document (1000+ pages) that contains many multi-page tables that contain auto-numbered rows. When a table runs onto the next page, I am not able to add any text above it, such as the required Section and Paragraph titles. I think I would need to manually break the table to get what I need, but I don't want to have manual breaks because I am still adding and deleting a lot of pages.

The previous authors added the Section and Paragraph titles to the repeating header row so that this information would appear at the top of each subsequent page. This works fine for the subsequent pages, but when the table begins in the middle of a page, then I have the Section title unnecessarily displayed in the middle of the page. In these cases, the previous authors covered the initial header row with a white box so the Section title wouldn't appear there.

I am hoping there is a cleaner way to have automatically breaking tables, yet still be able to add text above the first row on subsequent pages. I thought I would create master pages with the Section titles in the header, but I'd need over 100 unique master pages, and I think that creating and manually applying these would take longer than just continuing to use the white boxes. I've searched the online help for information about breaking tables, but I can not find anything helpful for my situation.

Any ideas are appreciated!

Amy B.

amy.bates@gdc4s.com

Report · May 20, 2009

I'm not positive if this is what you want to know, but...

Putting the Chapter Title, Section Title, Heading, or anything else in the header is relatively easy. Create a variable (Running H/F 2, for example) and define it as the item you want. For example, I use Running H/F 3 in my header to show the current Heading 1. Its definition is <$paratext[H1 Head1]>. This repeats the current Heading 1 on each page.

Hope this helps.

Report · May 20, 2009

Hi WordDog,

I have the Chapter and Section titles in the running header, and that works fine on subsequent pages. However, the first instance of the running header is usually in the middle of a page--where the table begins right below a graphic. The problem is that then, on these pages, the Chapter and Section titles appear twice: at the top of the page (where they should be) and again in the middle of the page (so they will be in the running headers on subsequent pages).

Previously, the authors used a white box to cover up the first headers in the middle of the page. I'm hoping that I can remove the Chapter and Section titles in the running headers, and just type this information at the top of each page, so I won't have to cover up the first header with a white box. However, when a subsequent page begins with the continued table, I can not type anything above the table.

Any ideas? I appreciate your help. It's hard to explain, so I attached an example.

Thanks,

Amy

Report · May 20, 2009

Amy, unfortunately the way the forums work now is that attached files take .... for...ev...er... (as in days) to get through the queue, so is there any chance you could add a msg and insert a screen capture using the little camera icon that's above the text entry area?

Report · May 20, 2009

I was about to say the same thing as Sheila. Until I see the example, I'm mystified by what you are trying to do and what is happening.

Report · May 20, 2009

Here you go. Thanks!

Report · May 20, 2009

OK...I've got to be honest...I think that's a pretty screwy set-up.

Anyway, this is what I'd do. I'd put a real header at the top of the page to repeat the Section/Heading. I would put a TableTitle above the table and use the Table Continuation System variable.

In my examples below, you can see I have the Doc Name (User Guide), Chapter title (Introduction), and Last Heading 1 (GUI Navigation) in my header. The Table Title repeats above the table on each page.

Report · May 20, 2009

On your second page, can you type anything above the table? That is, can you add something above the Table Title?

I do have a header at the top of each page (not shown in the example I attached). The header contains the Army TM number and is set up in the Master Pages. I thought about creating Master Pages for each Section so that the Section titles would appear at the top--above each table, but I'd need over 100 unique Master Pages (left and right for over 50 Sections). Is there a way to define a header to be applied automatically other than through Master Pages?

I think what I need is a table style that (1) automatically breaks and (2) repeats a header row on each page, but (3) also allows me to type Section titles, or any other text, above the table on each page. Maybe I need to read up on the Table Continuation System variable you mentioned. I've read all about tables in the Help, but can't find what I'm looking for.

My files date back to 2003. The authors then used the white-box method I mentioned, and no one seems to have solved the problem since. Also, as you can probably tell, I am fairly new to FrameMaker.

Thanks,

Amy

Report · May 20, 2009

So in this two-page spread, what is in the table, and is there only

one table in play?

Art

Art Campbell

art.campbell@gmail.com

"... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52

Vincent and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson

No disclaimers apply.

DoD 358

Report · May 20, 2009

Hi Art,

The two-page table is an example. I have a 1060-page chapter that has hundreds of tables, some tables going on for several pages. The tables contain software panel descriptions.

I need a table with a repeating header containing two columns: Feature and Description. But, I also need to include Section titles above the first row of each table. I have over 50 Sections that need to be identified at the top of each page. In the past, this was accomplished by including the Section title in the repeating header (and then covering the first instance of it with a white box).

Is there a way to force a running table down a bit in a frame to allow text above the first row on each page?

Thanks,

Amy

Report · May 20, 2009

OK, what I would try is adding a second row to each table header to hold the Section information. (The row under that has your Description iinfo as the column headers.)

In the new second row of header cells that IDs the section, I'd use two matching tags -- one for the first instance of the Section and the second for the "Continued" instances, so the "continued" can be automatically generated by the Autonumbering field/property.

The Section references on the page itself can be done with variables in the header that pick up the contents of the Section tags in the tables.

****

As a postscript to that, I'd also fragment the chapter into a snall herd of files instead of a single file. Then have each discrete table in its own file, imported into the parent "container" file by reference.

Art

Report · May 20, 2009

Hi, Amy:

To do what you're asking for, you need to combine a few of FM's tools:

* Running Header/Footer Markers $1 and $2

To create different text for the running header of a body page that usually picks up the table title of the first table that starts on that page - whew -

you need to create and insert a Running Header/Footer $1 (or $2) marker prior to the table title, pick it up with a matching Running Header/Footer 1 (or 2) system variable in a master page running header.

There are a couple of "but wait, doesn't that mean...?"

+ One master page's running header works with the markers.

+ You always have to type the marker text that gets picked up in the header. (A good place to insert these markers is at the very beginning of the table title, so it's always easy to find them, if you know where to look, and they won't get separated from the tables they work with.)

+ You need a separate master page to create running header text from table titles.

] Here's to get these tools play nicely together:

* Running Header/Footer System Variables Header/Footer 1 and 2

These variables are only available in the variables list when the master page view is active. You insert them into master page header or footer text frames. They work similarly to index markers - each time you create some text in a running h/f marker and insert it in the body page text flow, it's available to be picked up by its matching running header variable, Header/Footer 1 (or 2).

* Master Page Header Layouts and Running Header/Footer System Variables

To pick up either the TableTitle paragraph, or the Running Header/Footer marker in a Running Header/Footer variable on a master page header, you need separate master pages. Design the master page header for the table's starting page with the Running Header/Footer variable. Design the master page header for the table's continuing pages with the standard system variable building blocks: <$paratext[paratag]>. If there's no qualifying paragraph format on the current page, these variables look backwards in the text flow until they find one - in this case, the table title on the table's starting page. The last-started table's title continues to be picked up by the variable until a new table starts.

* Format > Page Layout > Apply Master Pages

Now, the only remaining problem is "how to switch master pages, so the one that picks up the marker on a table's starting page is applied to the correct page, and how to switch to apply the table title's master page on the rest of the pages, then switch back on a new table start page, etc. Automatically? Right?"

The tool you need here is the Apply Master Pages command, on the Format > Page Layout menu. This cool mechanism works by looking up a Reference Page Mapping Table that identifies which paragraph format(s) "trigger" a particular master to be applied to a particular body page, and also defines the scope - only the current body page, the next left or right body page, until the next trigger paragraph format, etc.

If there is no reference page mapping table in your file, when you perform Apply Master Pages, FrameMaker creates them and displays an alert.

You can run Apply Master Pages manually from the menu. Apply Master Pages is an option you can enable when you open the Edit > Update Book dialog box from an active book window.

You'll need to do the homework on creating and inserting the Running Header/Footer markers and their matching Running Header/Footer variables, and also on setting up and using Apply Master Pages. There's information in the Help, and always on these and other FrameMaker forums and lists.

HTH

Regards,

Peter Gold

Report · May 21, 2009

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your reply and detailed suggestions. It sounds like this is doable, which is good news. I'm familiar with the Master Page features, but I'll need to read up on the Running Header/Footer features. Thanks again for the help!

Amy

Report · Jun 26, 2009

Hi again, Peter.

I had a chance to experiment with this again today, and your suggestions are working well so far. The running H/F variables in the new master pages are picking up the marker text, and everything looks good on the page.

I know it's been a while since this discussion, but I do have another question. Do you know if the H/F variables can reflect the autonumbering of the current section?

Here's what I've done:

1. Created markers containing the headings that I want to appear at the top of subsequent pages.

2. Assigned those markers to the H/F variables on the master page.

3. Assigned a Heading paragraph style to the H/F variables on the master page (because I need a specific font and indention).

4. Applied the master page (manually for now).

Here's the problem --it's related to #3 above:

The Heading paragraph style has autonumbering that is built from the first section (<$chapnum>-<n>.\t, <$chapnum>-<n+>.\t, etc.). However, the master page does not know what the <n> is, and so it displays a zero on the body page. I would like for the autonumbering to be reflected automatically, but it seems that the master pages and the body pages don't share that information. The autonumbering list on the Paragraph Designer gives me a pretty scant list of building blocks, and I can't find one that works for what I need. Can I create and assign a new building block? I've read all through the online Help, but I don't see instructions for creating building blocks--just using the default ones.

Maybe I'm overlooking something. Your previous response says to "Design the master page header for the table's continuing pages with the standard system variable building blocks: <$paratext[paratag]>," but I was able to get the paragraph tag by applying the paragraph style to the variable. The only building blocks I've used for the new variables are <$marker1> and <$marker2>. I added <$paratext[paratag]> to the definition (like this: <$marker1><$paratext[paratag]>) at one time, but nothing changed.

I still need to figure out how to use a "trigger" to apply the master pages automatically, but I'm not there yet.

Thanks for all your help on this!

Amy

Report · Jun 26, 2009

Hi, Amy:

One thing I strongly suggest is to save a copy of your file to a new name, and try working with the variables' building blocks examples in the help, so you can get the feel of how they work in their simplest forms; then build up the complexity.

The only building blocks I've used for the new variables are <$marker1> and <$marker2>. I added <$paratext[paratag]> to the definition (like this: <$marker1><$paratext[paratag]>) at one time, but nothing changed.

If you're using "<$paratext[paratag]>" exactly like this, you won't capture anything. You need to substitute a real paragraph format tag name for [paratag]. For example, "<$paratext[Heading1]>." This will capture all the text - the $paratext - of the first Heading1 paragraph on the current page, or the text of the most-recent Heading1 paragraph on the previous page or pages. If there is no Heading1 on the current page or on previous pages in the file, it captures nothing.

To capture the paragraph's autonumber, you need to use the <$paranum> (captures the entire autonumber format including the number and any text, like "chapter," "section," etc.) or <$paranumonly> (captures only the numeric portion of the autonumber and ignores text like "chapter," "section," etc.) building block.

Here's an example of a Heading1 paragraph and how it's captured by the variable building blocks:

"Section 3-22: Figuring out stuff"

To achieve this result in the running header, for a body-page Heading1 paragraph that looks like "Section 3-22: Figuring out stuff," and whose autonumber format is: "H:Section <$chapnum>-<n+>: ," the variable building blocks in the running header should look like this: "<$paranum[Heading1]> <$paratext[Heading1]>." This is how FM captures both the complete autonumber portion of the paragraph indicated by the <$paranum[paragraph-format-tag-name]> - the autonumber and its associated text, and also captures the text portion of the paragraph indicated by <$paratext[paragraph-format-tag-name]>.

HTH

Regards,

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

Report · Jun 29, 2009

Peter,

Thank you for the example. This is exactly what I needed. I also found that I don't need to use the markers now because the variables are picking up all of the necessary text from the headers.

Now, I'll experiment with the automatic master page application (in a copy of my file).

Thanks again--you've been a terrific help!

Amy

Report · Jun 29, 2009

Amy Bates wrote:
Peter,
Thank you for the example.

You're welcome, Amy.

This is exactly what I needed. I also found that I don't need to use the markers now because the variables are picking up all of the necessary text from the headers.

I suggested markers only because it seemed that you wanted the running h/f variables to display text that wasn't present in the body page of the document.

Now, I'll experiment with the automatic master page application (in a copy of my file).
Thanks again--you've been a terrific help!
Amy

You're welcome again. Glad that you've got it working.

Regards,

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices