TOC doesn't work with Master Pages using specific para tags

Report · Nov 12, 2009

I used the advice about the master pages with specific para tags using the table in the reference pages...I was so thrilled...but then I tried to make the TOC. I have tried to change the range indicator to see if that mattered...but it didn't. When I create the TOC...it will not reconize my tabs in the reference pages. It actually makes the parts page toc para tag into courier 12 point with none if the para tag properties. I can change it in the TOC and save it, then make another TOC and the para properties are there but my tabs aren't. My TOC worked in another document when I had a parts page odd

and even master, but I was adding the correct master page manualy each time and not using the reference table. Any idea on what I am doing wrong?

Thanks for your help,

ls

Report · Nov 12, 2009

It might be a bit easier if you can post a copy of your FM TOC file here (Note: zip it so that the Forum scanning software will accept it).

Report · Nov 12, 2009

I have attached the reference table, toc set up and results in the toc. H2, and H2 parts page toc are set up using the same tabs, but the H2 parts page toc isn't recognized. And as I said before, it worked when I was using a parts page odd and even master page and manually telling each page which one to use....so I figure I must be doing something wrong in the reference page table. But I have no idea...

Thanks,

ls

Report · Nov 12, 2009

Did you regenerate the TOC after you set things up? The fact that the tabs aren't being automatically inserted in the Body pages suggests that either the paratag name is different or the TOC was not regenerated.

Tip: Avoid using spaces in your naming conventions. Try underscores ( _ ) instead. This may come back to bite you if you need to make interactive PDFs with cross-file links.

Report · Nov 12, 2009

I have attached the first time I create a toc and the second time after I correctthe formatting in the first toc and save it. For some reason the only thing not working is the tab.

Thanks,

ls

Report · Nov 12, 2009

Check the Reference pages to see if you somehow have additional flows (Text Frames) for the TOC definitions. You may be modifying one that FM is ignoring.

If the paratags on the TOC Reference page have the exact same name (FM is case-sensittive) as the ones on the Body page and the tabs are defined in the paratag, then you should see the tab when you re-generate the TOC.

Pay attention to your status bar in the lower-left corner of the FM window when you place the cursor in the various paratags. If you see an asterisk (*) there, that means you have an override condition. If this override is defined on the Reference page, then you won't necessarily be getting the same features on your Body page.

Report · Nov 12, 2009

OK...this is strange...I had deleted an old para tag called H2 parts pageTOC (with no space...just trying to make this work...), but I have attached what the TOC creates on its reference page. It includes the old para tag with no tab at the top of the page. I don't have that in my document anymore. Why is it including it in my reference page? When I click on the H2 parts page in the TOC...it is the old one with no space. How do I get rid of the old tag since it isn't in my body document any more. I have had this happen before....old tags showing up for no reason...when I know I have deleted them....kind of strange. When I delete the para tag in the TOC and save it and make a new TOC...I get the (thought it was courier but it is Times New Roman, 12 pt...with no properties set up and the old para comes back....

I am sorry for all this...I just would really like to use the reference table instead of manually using a different odd and even master page for our parts pages.

Oh...and the only one with no asterik is the one that doesn't work.

Thanks,

ls

Report · Nov 12, 2009

Check your TOC setup for the paratags that you want to include. I suspect that's where the problem is.

Note: the screen shots don't show what the paratag names are, which is the most important thing in diagnosing this issue. Attaching the actual TOC file would be preferable.

Report · Nov 12, 2009

I have attached the file for you. You will notice the old para tag that I deleted in the body shows up in the TOC. (I deleted H2 parts pageTOC) In the TOC it shows up at the top of the page, of course with no tab or formatting and the third TOC line is the correct para tag, H2 parts page TOC. But it is using the one I deleted....just think that it is strange for the old tag that has been deleted to show up.

Thanks again for helping,

ls

Report · Nov 12, 2009

Check your paratags used in the documents very carefully. You have both "H2 parts page" and " H2 parts page " (a space at the end) in use, which is why FM keeps throwing that one in there to give you the two different TOC tags. As I said before, FM is case-sensitive and tag names have to match exactly including leading and trailing spaces. Using spaces in naming conventions is a dangerous practice.

I also don't see why you even need to be using the MasterPage mapping table. If you set up your default Left/Right pages to use variables in the Header, you can assign the "Replacement Parts" and "Tape Selector" to appropriately named variables and these can be used throughout the Book when properly implemented via templates. I'd also recommend using a variable for the date at the bottom.

The reason that the H1TOC and H2TOC tags show as overrides (*) on the TOC Reference page is that the definitions for the tabs are different. They are Right-aligned on the TOC Reference page whereas the actual paratag definition has them Decimal aligned for H1TOC, which is what is used on the Body pages. The H2TOC has a different tab position value. You need to fix the overrides.

You really need to clean out the paragraph catalog for the TOC so that you only have the xxxTOC tags left. You then should use Apply to the Header and Footer formats on the Master pages to set that into the catalog.

Report · Nov 12, 2009

The para tag without the space is only in the TOC. It has been deleted from the body and shows up when I create a TOC.

From what I read earlier last week, I thought I couldn't use another variable only on certain pages. That is why yall

said to use the mapping table. Anytime the H2 parts page para tag is used, the replacement parts master pages are

used. In this case we have a couple of Appendices in the book, so the replacement parts aren't at the end, whereas I could just

create another document within the book for only replacement parts. The table works great for what I need. Why does the old

para tag only show up in the TOC?

Thanks,

ls

Report · Nov 12, 2009

Since you're actually getting content pulled in for that paratag, I'd venture to say that it is in use.

To get rid of it (besides deleting the entry from the Reference page and the paratag from the catalog), you need to go to the TOC Setup window and check that the errant paratag isn't in the "Include Paragraphs Tagged" column.

Report · Nov 13, 2009

Thanks for all your time. I have looked everywhere for that para tag....and it started making a H2 Parts PageTOCTOC...yikes...where in the world would that come from. I even made a whole new document and imported formats from another document thinking it may just be something I couldn't find. I have finally just changed back to my H2 Center and H2 CenterTOC and got rid of the other master pages using the table and named my master pages Replacement Parts left and right...course just manually applying for each page. The TOC comes out fine. I will take a look at the other comments you made about our document and show them to my boss. I am not the one that created the template. That table is a great idea though. Maybe I can somehow figure out how to use it.

Thanks for all your time and help.

ls

Report · Nov 13, 2009

A tip for whomever created the templates that you're using: http://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/training.html

Report · Nov 13, 2009

lsk2002 wrote:
Thanks for all your time. I have looked everywhere for that para tag....and it started making a H2 Parts PageTOCTOC...yikes...where in the world would that come from. I even made a whole new document and imported formats from another document thinking it may just be something I couldn't find. I have finally just changed back to my H2 Center and H2 CenterTOC and got rid of the other master pages using the table and named my master pages Replacement Parts left and right...course just manually applying for each page. The TOC comes out fine. I will take a look at the other comments you made about our document and show them to my boss. I am not the one that created the template. That table is a great idea though. Maybe I can somehow figure out how to use it.
Thanks for all your time and help.
ls

When you get TOCTOCs or IXIXs, it means that you generated a TOC or index with active TOC or index document. It's easy to overlook which document is active, especially when you're going back-and-forth during a development cycle. One helpful tip is to use Window > Tile to present the TOC and other documents side-by-side in one window, rather than overlapped or cascaded.

Another helpful tip is to have the template developer create documentation for use of the template set and store it on a reference page in a text frame, or even in the main "Flow: A" text frame of a master page. Frames on master pages that have a flow tag, like Flow: A, do not show their contents on the body pages they control; they only create body page frames of the same size and page position. BTW, they're called "Template Text Frames."

And, perhaps this will help with formatting TOC problems:

Sometimes the body page template text frames for main documents ("chapter files" for example) are a different width (usually narrower) than the text frame in which you set the tab stop positions of TOC paragraph formats; usually you define these paragraphs on the TOC or index Reference Page, where the text frame is likely to be wider than the body page text frame. This causes tab stops that you set at the right margin position of the narrower frame to lie outside (to the right of) the TOC or index body-page's text frame right edge. In earlier FrameMaker releases, this "bug" would not matter, but, I think starting in FrameMaker 6, it was "fixed," causing tab stop positions outside the text frames to be ignored, and creating odd results. When you said tabs you inserted into the TOC paragraph formats on your TOC Reference Page weren't working, I remembered this gotcha! The fix is to set the paragraph format's tab stop positions in the narrowest text frame that the paragraph will appear in.

HTH

Regards,

Peter

_______________________

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

Report · Nov 13, 2009

Thanks Peter,

I really haven't had problems with my TOC files until I tried to use the Table with a particular para tag that would use the correct master page. It worked great until I got to the table of contents. So, I just went back to manually assigning the master page that I need to each particular page. We are pretty new to FM, so just learn a little at a time. The forum has been of great help!!

Thanks,

ls

Report · Nov 13, 2009

lsk2002 wrote:
Thanks Peter,
I really haven't had problems with my TOC files until I tried to use the Table with a particular para tag that would use the correct master page. It worked great until I got to the table of contents. So, I just went back to manually assigning the master page that I need to each particular page. We are pretty new to FM, so just learn a little at a time. The forum has been of great help!!
Thanks,
ls

The Apply Master Pages mapping table ignores paragraph formats that are in a table or inn a text frame on a master page.

HTH

Regards,

Peter

_______________________

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

Report · Nov 13, 2009

Mine was just a plain old para tag that I want to use for Replacement Parts pages. That is why I liked using the table. It would use the Replacement Parts master page anywhere my H2 parts page para tag was used and change back to the other regular master page when the para tag wasn't used. It really worked great....don't know why the TOC wasn't working...really doesn't make sense..I may go mess around with it again....

Thanks,

ls

Report · Nov 13, 2009

Well,

I decided to play around with it again. I named my para tags Parts Page and Parts Page TOC. I renamed my 3rd tab to Parts Page TOC and used the table in the reference page as before. And, I made a new master page for Replacement Parts and deleted the other odd and even ones. Created a TOC, and once again there it was....Parts PageTOC...with no space...course mine has one...which I know you said not to do...Am working on discussing that with co-workers. Anyway, I decided it didn't like the space, then I wouldn't put one. So I changed The Parts Page TOC to Parts PageTOC in all the appropriate places. Ran the TOC...IT WORKED!!...WOW...after all this...it just didn't like the space!!!...

Thanks for all the comments and help,

ls