">" character being added to prefix automatically (FM2022 v17.0.2)

[QuintinSeegers]

I'm creating an element in my EDD to add custom HTML/CSS tags using Prefix rules.  However, I found that FrameMaker automatically adds the ">" character to the end of the Prefix rules, e.g. the Prefix Rule: <a href= shows as <a href=> in the document. Using Autonumbering can't be used because the autonumbering isn't copied when we copy the text from the document into another application.

Why is FM adding the extra ">" character and how do I stop this from happening?

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

It sounds like you are using reserved characters. Can you post the relevant portion of your EDD?

[QuintinSeegers]

Hi Matt,

Below is a screenshot of the element definition:

 

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

You have great timing for your question, as I'm teaching an online EDD class this week!

I suspect that Fm is having trouble with the < because it is a reserved character used for markup.

Try using alternate methods of entering the <, using hex, or other representation.  I tested using the \x3c code, but it didn't parse in my prefix the way it would in a "regular" FrameMaker dialog.

What's the goal here...to speed entry of URL content in your doc?

Maybe a script would be a better solution, since it would add the characters as content, rather than formatting.

-Matt

[Bob_Niland · Accepted solution]

re: I tested using the \x3c code, but it didn't parse in my prefix the way it would in a "regular" FrameMaker dialog.

Is there a more general escaping for EDD elements, like \<

[QuintinSeegers]

Hi @Bob_Niland 

That was the answer! I change the Prefix Rule to \<a href=" instead and it worked perfectly. 

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Awesome...I thought of  \< first but then looked up the Fm character sets without testing \< !

Doh!

-Matt 

[QuintinSeegers]

Hi Matt,

If the course you're running is anything like the Structured Development manual I bought off you a couple of years ago, the attendees are in for some great learning!

I didn't want to go into the long-winded explanation in my original post. We have all our training materials in FrameMaker. When we develop an online version of the course on our LMS, we 'convert' the text to HTML so that we can retain most of the formatting from our FrameMaker documents. I've developed an EDD that we apply to the FM document, which, using Prefix and Suffix rules, adds the HTML tags. (This is to make it easier for our content creators as they're not familiar with HTML and or CSS classes used on our LMS.)

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Yep, that manual is the workbook for the class.

Glad you liked it!

[QuintinSeegers]

I learned a lot from it - much easier to follow than Adobe's Structured Development Guide. I'd highly recomment it do anyone how is moving from Unstructured FrameMaker to Structured FrameMaker.