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QuintinSeegers
QuintinSeegers
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July 31, 2023
Answered

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

  • July 31, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 914 views

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?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Bob_Niland

    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

     

     


    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 \<

    1 reply

    Matt-Tech Comm Tools
    Community Expert
    Matt-Tech Comm ToolsCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 1, 2023

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

    -Matt Sullivan, FrameMaker Course Creator, Author, Trainer, Consultant
    QuintinSeegers
    QuintinSeegersAuthor
    Legend
    August 1, 2023

    Hi Matt,

    Below is a screenshot of the element definition:

     

    Matt-Tech Comm Tools
    Community Expert
    Matt-Tech Comm ToolsCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 1, 2023

    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.)

     

     


    Yep, that manual is the workbook for the class.

     

    Glad you liked it!

    -Matt Sullivan, FrameMaker Course Creator, Author, Trainer, Consultant
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