"Page intentionally left blank."

Report · Jan 10, 2012

I am using FrameMaker 9.0 on Windows, and I'm trying to add the statement "Page intentionally left blank" on the last page of my chapters. I've found some information online about how to do it, but not step-by-step instructions. I tried each of the solutions (adding a reference frame in the reference pages, adding a new master page), but for some reason, I can't get this to work. I also tried just manually typing the line in, but that's risky because I'll probably forget some in the final edit and/or I'll add/delete text and the pagination will change.

Sorry if this has been posted before. I did a search and couldn't find it.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Report · Jul 10, 2012

Hi Meganew,

Can we apply your suggested method to removing blank pages inserted by FraemMaker. I still can NOT remove blank pages even though I used all suggestiins in this forum.

thanks

Joe

Report · Jul 10, 2012

Hello Joe,

If blank pages are being inserted, it's probably because the settings in the book template. You can make the book single page or double page. If it's double pages, it will insert the blank pages so that your chapters start on an odd page number for printing purposes. I don't have FrameMaker in front of me, so I can't tell you the exact steps, but if you click your book and click settings, you should be able to fix that issue.

Let me know if that solves your issue.

Thanks!

Megan

Report · Jul 10, 2012

Many thanks Megan,

I tried all solutions,nothing worked. In a single chapter I can delete empty pages using pagination command in format. As soon as I update the book empty pages appear.

Any ideas?

regards

Joe

Report · Jul 10, 2012

Hello Joe,

Sounds like there are elements being inherited from files somewhere.

Did you try this?

When you generate and update a book, the files in the book inherit structure information from the book file. A file’s Element Catalog may have inclusions and exclusions from the book, and other inherited information in the file may affect the formatting of its text elements.

If you delete a file from a book to use the file as a stand-alone document, reapply the file’s element definitions to remove any structure information that came from the book. If the file’s text formatting was affected by this structure information, reapplying the definitions also restores the file’s original formatting.

1. Make the appropriate document window or book window active. If a book window is active, select the documents you want to affect.

2. In the file, choose File > Import > Element Definitions.

3. Leave the Import from Document pop-up menu set to Current, select While Updating: Remove Information Inherited from Book, and click Import.

Report · Jul 11, 2012

In addition to checking to see if book chapter pages have been set to

always be even in count, look to see if the chapters that follow are set

to begin specifically on a right or left hand page. For example, if

chapters are set to start on a right-hand page and is chapter 1 is three

pages long, it will also end on a right-hand page. Chapter 2 MUST then

insert an extra left-hand page in order to start on a right-hand page.

Report · Jun 14, 2018

I like your approach to the TPILB solution.

I use a TPILB para to trigger a TPILB page (containing the TPILB message).

The only downside is that I need to manually check for unneeded TPILB prior to final publish. I generally publish the PDF and then check the end of each chapter, so it takes only a minute to confirm.

Circumventing the use of the Left page would seem to be good, but I'd still be checking the end of each chapter for proper application of the page, just to be safe.

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

Report · Jan 10, 2012

Hi meganew,

I set mine up on a reference page. Created a page size reference frame (See below for instructions on a ref frame.) and then a text box (of course, it has to be placed in the frame correctly for your format.) in it with "This page intentionally left blank." Then created a para format called blank page. In the para designer, click on the advanced icon and select the drop down arrow beside Frame Below pgf. Whatever you have named the frame on the reference page will be in the drop down menu. Click on it and apply. Your blank page should show up.

Hope this helps!!

To create a reference frame:

With the Reference page displayed, select Graphics > Tools.
Click (Place a Graphic Frame) to place a graphic frame.
Draw a graphic frame the size needed. I have used reference pages for several things.

After you complete the frame, the Frame Name dialog box appears. Name your frame....

Report · Jan 10, 2012

Thank you both for your great responses. It's very nice having so many knowledgeable people on this site.

Since so many of us have had to find workarounds, it would be nice if there was a template that included this as a master page or reference page. Maybe I'll post that on the Requested Features page (or whatever that forum is called).

Thanks again!

Megan

Report · Jan 10, 2012

It would be nice if the MasterPageMappingTable feature supported a notation for empty pages in the Paragraph Tag Name column, say: "\blank" (or some other illegal or unwise name never used for a real para fmt name). Then we could tell Frame to map TPILB Master Pages whenever a page would be content-free.

By the way, I tested my hack, with the addition of setting up both Left.Used and Right.Used. It automatically handles both any trailing blank page at the end of the file, and any blanks within the flow resulting from paras with Start on "Top of Left Page" or "Top of Right Page".

The AMP seems to take a little longer to run, but it's worth it to eliminate the need to look for stray unneeded manually inserted TPILBs.

I doubt that I will use my hack, because we don't bother to put TPILBs on normal blank pages. They have a header, footer and page #, which is ample advice to the reader that the page isn't blank due to toner run-out or paper misfeed.

______

PS - There is a caveat to the hack. Mapping other page layouts (like chapter start) requires that the triggering para fmt be the first Flow A text on the page. Frame gives priority to the first format found on the page that appears in the MasterPageMappingTable. The order of that table appears to have no effect.

Report · Aug 13, 2012

@Error7103,

Great idea. Thanks for posting.

I'm testing it here. It works in most cases.

Anomalies that I see are:

A table is the last content in a file and continues across a page boundary. The last page in the file, with the continued part of the table, is mapped to Left (not Left.Used). The table anchor paratag and table title paratag appear in the mapping table. This consistent with ana030's results.
Generated files, such as a TOC. Same as before, the paratags for the (apparently) first paras in flow A on each page are in the mapping table, but no luck: Left (not Left.Used) and Right (not Right.Used) are being mapped.

Definitely worth more testing here. So far I'm stumped on these two anomalies.

Best regards,

Report · Aug 15, 2012

Hi,

I was going through some mail for my elderly mother and, in one of the renvelopes was a blank, white, plastic credit card with this printed on it.

This card intentionally left blank.

As Charlie Brown would say: Good Grief!

Yours,

Michael F.

=======

Report · Aug 15, 2012

So, re: pages with table continuation, apparently none of the paratags of the table is the first paratag of flow A on the page.

I wonder how we could learn if FM believes a paratag is "on" that page at all? And if so, which one?

Report · Dec 15, 2016

Due to some more recent confusion about this, here's a step-by-step for the AMP hack:

File > Open
some existing file with content & formats you use.
I selected the sample file:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\FrameMaker7.0\samples\MoreSamples\Reports\Report1.fm

This sample document defines paragraph tags: Author, Body, Bulleted, Callout, CellBody, Cellheading, Extract, Figure, Footnote, Heading1, Heading2, HeadingRunIn, Indented, Numbered, Numbered1, Subtitle, TableFootnote, TableTitle, Title, TitlePage, TitlePg-back

It also has a manually-applied Master Page usage of page "Plain" on the page 1 and 2. We'll fix that.
Format > Page Layout > Apply Master Pages
[ OK ]
Master Page Mapping table does not exist.
A new table will be created in the reference pages.
[ OK ]
(In the unlikely event that your document already has a MasterPageMaps Reference Page, you won't see that dialog.)
View > Master Pages
Special > Add Master Page
Name:Left.Content
(•) Copy from Master Page [Left]
[ Add ]
Special > Add Master Page
Name:Right.Content
(•) Copy from Master Page [Right]
[ Add ]
Navigate to Master Page Left
Use the graphics text tool to add, at page center:
"This page intentionally left blank" or as desired.
Set the color to Gray or as desired.

Select that text line as an object.
Graphics > Send to Back
and copy it to Master Page Right, sending to back there as well.

View > Reference Pages
Navigate to Reference Page MasterPageMaps

Add as many rows to the UnstructMasterPageMaps table as needed for all the paragraph formats that need to be mapped to Left.Content and Right.Content pages. Typical rows look like:

Paragraph Tag Name	Right-Handed Master Page (or Single-Sided Master Page)	Left-Handed Master Page	Range Indicator (Single, Span pages, Until changed)
TitlePage	Plain	Plain	Single
Body	Right.Content	Left.Content	Single
Bulleted	Right.Content	Left.Content	Single

For this specific sample template, that first row converts the front page mapping from manual to automatic. The back-of-front page was also manual, but becomes automatic because we don't list it in the table. Add the same Right.Content/Left.Content to more rows, for each tag found on normal body pages.

View > Body Pages
If there are no empty pages in your trial document, create some, typically by forcing some heading to start on the top of a right page.

In the case of the sample template used here, page 2 contains just an empty paragraph of format TitlePg-back, which is absent from the UnstructMasterPageMaps table.
Format > Page Layout > Apply Master Pages
Check your empty pages. They should all have TPILB at center.

Note: Unless enhanced in later FMs, this hack doesn't work if the document contains tables that span more than two pages. FM7 ignores paragraphs in table cells for master page mapping. You need some non-table Flow A body content above or below the table to get proper mapping. Alternatively, if the table cells are all filled with a background color (including white), it might not matter if they get a TPILB page that is otherwise identical to our Left.Content and Right.Content, as the table will obscure the TPLIB text.

Report · Dec 29, 2016

Bob Niland,

Thanks again.

Multi-page tables work for me in FM11 and FM12 with the addition of two paratags, such as ta-TableAnchor and te-TableEnd.

On the body page, insert the table in a para styled with ta-TableAnchor. Also on the body page, append a te-TableEnd para immediately after the table. Negative space above and line height can make the ta- and te- paras be almost invisible. Because they have no text in them, I color them red for visibility while editing. I can image the color change might cause a problem with some publishing, but it hasn't caused a problem for me.

In the UnstructMasterPageMaps table, add rows for those to paratags as:

:

ta-TableAnchor	Right.Content	Left.Content	Until changed
te-TableEnd	Right.Content	Left.Content	Single

Report · Dec 29, 2016

Cool. That seems to solve the table span problem.

What's the reason for the TE tag?

And on the color, use Color Views to manage that. Define an enterprise-wide standard for which View number is what, and for the authoring view define a color named, say "Meta", which makes such meta text visible only during edit.

Report · Dec 29, 2016

Bob Niland,

Thanks again.

I've never used Color Views and wouldn't have thought of it. Schweet!

The te- tag switches AMP from "Until changed" mode back to "Single" mode. A bit like a bookend.

Top-of-mind, I'm not sure if it's needed. I don't recall noticing it as the first body para on any page, so maybe it's never really used.

A useful test case for a force-even pagination file would be to set the table length so that the table concludes its multi-page run on an odd page, with te- as (or not as) the final para in the file. How does FM set up the next (final, even) page? As Left or as Left.Content?

(I'm away from a machine with FM at the moment, so I can't test it.)

Happy Holidays!

Report · Dec 29, 2016

Ah yes, the TE is needed to terminate the "Until changed".

On CVs, see: Re: Color Views Common Conventions?

Report · Jan 10, 2012

meganew,

Just to be clear....once you have this set up with the frame after the para format, it should work for you all the time. Just be sure when you copy formats from another document that you include the reference pages. Sometimes I have had it not show the blank page frame, but you just go to the advanced column and click on the blank page frame after para again. Sooo, just saying this is pretty much a template once you set it up.

We also use this for Heading 2 continued. The Heading 2 continued para format has included with it a automatic (continued) that has been set up on the reference page.

ls

Report · Jan 12, 2012

meganew,

I looked at my copy of the Adobe Framemaker User Guide and they use completely blank pages for even last pages. How is that for a model? Even one of my technical writing books uses completely blank even last pages.

A few years ago, I worked at an electronics company that required that "blank page" format. A new VP looked at it and said "Get rid of those dumb statements." At which I said hooray, for that was my opinion from the outset, but I got voted down by people who thought we needed to do this "for the customer."

At my current job, I simply insert a page break (Special -> Break -> Top of Page) and let the headers and footers continue.

At the previous job, I created a master page that was blank except for the main content text box. In the center of the page I inserted a text frame with the blank page wording. Whenever I needed a blank left page, I'd apply the blank master page.

If you can rally enough support, the best solution is to talk them out of it.

Yours,

Michael F

=======

Report · Jan 12, 2012

... the best solution is to talk them out of it.

I suspect that in many cases the TPILB is required by government or industry document specification.

And in many cases where it's just enterprise spec, it's memorialized in a glossy printed Style Guide that can't get changed without Board of Directors approval.

But sure, otherwise just ask local management: "Have you ever asked any actual customers if they think this is necessary?"

Report · Jan 12, 2012

>>But sure, otherwise just ask local management: "Have you ever asked any actual customers if they think this is necessary?"

Error,

Right on! I remember asking proponents of the blank page notice that same question, and the answer was something like, we haven't done that in years but we think customers need us to tell them where the chapter ends.

This tag line was probably invented by the same people who created other "helpful" sayings like "Remove wrapper before eating."

Yours,

Michael F

=======

Report · Jan 12, 2012

or "free gift"

;>)

Report · Jan 12, 2012

For our purposes we have to use the "Intentionally Blank Page" with words. Anytime a page is blank, we get emails and questions about them. People think there is something missing. Guess it just depends on the audience you are writing for.

Report · Jan 12, 2012

Blank Page Sufferers,

I agree with Peter that a graphic or symbol on the blank last page would be better. It would be more aesthetic than that dopey text and you could include it in the front matter where you explain conventions used in the manual. I think in the news business, I have seen "--30--" used to end a raw story or press release.

I nominate the Greek omega (which I can't seem to reproduce here), as in "the Alpha and the Omega."

For isk2002's customers, could it be that they may need remedial reading help? I hope not.

I would love to get e-mail from customers about the documentation. It seems that most complaints are about the product or that the service people never forward documentation complaints to the tech writers.

Anyway, after explaining to a customer that the blank pagea are just that, I would use the opportunity to ask them if they could spare a few minutes to answer some usability questions about the documentation. Now that would be valuable information. After a few such conversations, you could design a pretty effective questionnaire for future calls.

Yours,

Michael F

=======

Report · Jan 12, 2012

A more appropriate dingbat might be null sign, " $\varnothing$ ".

Or how about a large faint watermark saying:

"No content for this page."

"Page intentionally left blank."

1 Correct answer