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milmacrose
milmacrose
Known Participant
February 16, 2017
Question

Running header problem

  • February 16, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 1433 views

I'm using Windows 7 – FrameMaker 11 – Unstructured

I have a book with several chapters, and each chapter has several files in it. I’m trying to get the chapter title to run across all the files in that chapter.  Many previous authors have worked on these files, and some even set the Running H/F 1 thru 4 variables as plain text to get them to work.  I’m going through and standardizing this.

I place a Header/Footer 4 marker at the chapter title in the first chapter file.

I use Running H/F 4 in the master page headers of all the subsequent files in that chapter.

All Running H/F 4 are defined as <marker2>.

Most files properly show the chapter title, but some are blank. I can’t figure out why there are still a couple of files that won’t pick up the marker2.

Any suggestions on what’s wrong and how to fix this?

Rose

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      3 replies

      Arnis Gubins
      Arnis Gubins
      Inspiring
      February 16, 2017

      Hi Rose,

      It's not clear if you're inserting a <$marker2> into each file. The marker needs to be in the file in order for the running h/f variable to pick it up for the variable content in that file.

      It might be easier to use global variables that you import into your files for some of this. You can create a MIF snippet (a simple text file) to import the global definitions and leave other variable definitions alone. See the following message & thread for an example: Re: Variable to Pull Book Name?

      Also, as noted in the thread, you could make use of Leximation's BookVars utility as another way to help on this.

      Bob_Niland
      Community Expert
      Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 17, 2017

      Arnis: It's not clear if you're inserting a <$marker2> into each file.

      Not having needed to do this until lately, let me lay out the process and see if I have it covered.

      1. On the Master Pages, in the header or footer frames, insert one of the Running H/F system variables, which has or is modified to have a definition of just system variable
        <$marker1>
        (or<$marker2>, as needed). Running H/F 3, by default is <$marker1>.
      2. Back in the Body pages, at each point where the current and subsequent RHF is to be changed, insert a Marker
        Marker Type [Header/Footer $1]
        if following <$marker1> or [Header/Footer $2], if following <$marker2>
      3. The dialog presents an empty:
        Marker Text: [    ]
        field. Enter the text to be displayed in RHF.
        Typically this is the same as some Heading being used, but you do have the opportunity to have the RHF text be different from the actual source para. For example the actual Heading1 of the ToC might be "Table of Contents", but the RHF could be just "Contents" to prevent crowding the header or footer.

      …and you're done. The RHFs currently displayed update instantly.

      Upsides:

      • RHF doesn't have to be based on ¶formats that might not exist in the file (e.g. chapter or section broken into sub-files at the book level).
      • RHF doesn't need to pull from text visible to end users.
      • RHF text can vary from actual content of ostensible ¶ instance.
      • RHF text could even change between instances of ostensible ¶.


      Downsides:

      • $Marker# has to exist in every file where you want that RHF, otherwise it goes blank.
      • <$marker1> and <$marker2> apparently can't include any formatting beyond what is applied to the RHF on the MPs via f/¶ formats (e.g., you can't change font, superscript, etc. within the text string).
      • There are only two of these special markers (and yeah, it does suggest that FM has long had code which might be extended to support generic cross-reference by $MarkerText, aka, spot cross-reference).
      Arnis Gubins
      Arnis Gubins
      Inspiring
      February 18, 2017

      Bob,

      You've got the basics. However, there are more markers available for use now in the running h/f of the  current FM versions (eight of them since FM11, IIRC). You should be able to include formatting, just like in Index and other markers.

      Bob_Niland
      Community Expert
      Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 16, 2017

      re: ...some even set the Running H/F 1 thru 4 variables as plain text to get them to work.

      Yikes. Short of that stewardship headache, users need to consider using Variables, or Xrefs in the header/footer. I commonly use Xrefs to ToC/IX in the headers of PDF versions of what I write.

      As it happens, I'm working on a book in which one chapter is multiple files (at the book level), the Running H/F 1, which is supposed to pick up Heading1, is blank at that spot for except for the first file in that subset. I expect to either merge all that chapter's content into a single file, or use one of the workarounds above.

      milmacrose
      milmacroseAuthor
      Known Participant
      February 16, 2017

      Bob,

      I tried using Running H/F 1 also, but it didn't seem to work at all.

      or use one of the workarounds above.

      "Above" where?

      Rose

      Bob_Niland
      Community Expert
      Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 16, 2017

      re: "Above" where?

      "...consider using Variables, or Xrefs in the header/footer."

      Barb Binder
      Community Expert
      Barb BinderCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 16, 2017

      Hi Rose: I want to clarify this statement:

      I have a book with several chapters, and each chapter has several files in it.

      Does that mean that one chapter (one .fm file) has multiple flows? Flow A, Flow B and perhaps Flow C? And you want the running head to show the chapter title for all pages of this one, multi-flow file?

      ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
      milmacrose
      milmacroseAuthor
      Known Participant
      February 16, 2017

      Barb,

      No, the files are all in a single flow - the files are grouped according to content, and the first file in the group has the <Heading> designation (chapter title) that the marker2 cites. In the example below, the chapter Introduction has 5 files in it, Safety has two files, etc.

      Rose

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