"Topic templates" for providing a base structure

Report · Mar 25, 2014

Hi all,

is there a way to provide "content templates" for the autor, containing a certain base structure with which to continue his work? The goal is to provide a set of topic templates with different base structures, i.e. elements already inserted when creating a new topic. Technically these will all be DITA concepts. I want to avoid specialization (with different topic types defined in the structapps) just for this reason because the DTDs will all be identical. It is just meant as an assistance in every-day work.

Do you know a script that could be used, or do you have any other suggestion?

Robert

Report · Mar 25, 2014

Hi Robert...

You can create any number of "template" (XML) files, that you open to create a new document, then do a SaveAs to the "new" file name. These template files can have whatever structure you want.

BTW .. DITA-FMx provides this feature as part of the "New File" dialog in a feature called "element templates". You set them up ahead of time and you can either choose to create a new "empty" file, or choose from your predefined element templates to create a new file.

Alternatively .. Leximation offers a plugin called Structure Snippets, which lets you create "snippets" of structured content that you can insert into the current document as needed. You could use this to store new file "templates" if needed ..

http://leximation.com/tools/info/structuresnippets.php

Cheers,

...scott

Scott Prentice

Leximation, Inc.

www.leximation.com

Report · Mar 27, 2014

Thanks for the ideas, I think we actually bought an FMx license for FM11 but since I installed the TCS5 the older versions do not work any more. I hope it is possible to transfer the license to FM12 (I saw that there is an updated version of FMx available that suports FM12).

BR,

Robert

Report · Mar 27, 2014

Your current license for DITA-FMx 1.1.x is good for all versions of FrameMaker and all 1.1.x updates. The current version is 1.1.18, and may be the last 1.1 release, since DITA-FMx 2.0 (DITA 1.2 support) is due out soon. (FMx 2.0 will still support DITA 1.1 as well.)

Cheers,

...scott