Drag and Drop graphics from Adobe Bridge into Framemaker 2017

[anthonyb78960445]

Hello, we have recently upgraded to Frammaker 2017 from Framemaker 10. In Frame 10 you were able to drag and drop graphics directly from Adobe Bridge and have them "Import by Copy" into an anchored frame. With Frame 2017 the graphic only comes across as "Import by Reference".

Is there a setting that can be changed to have the graphic "Import by Copy" using the drag and drop method from Bridge?

When doing many graphics, it's a bit long winded going through the File-Import-Graphic and then select the file and remember to check the "Import by Copy" check box each time.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Not sure if there's a flag for that but Import by Copy isn't "best practices" these days as it bloats your files.

[Bob_Niland]

re: Not sure if there's a flag for that but Import by Copy isn't "best practices" these days as it bloats your files.

It's never been sound stewardship. In addition to bloat:

• There's no record of what the source object was or where it came from.
• There's no record of the date (revision) of the object.
• A corruption elsewhere in the document, eve one that might be mitigated by MIF wash, can cause multiple import-by-copy objects to become unrecoverable gray boxes.
• No real control over efficient object size (resolution in the case or raster objects).
• No obvious control over whether aspect ratio has been distorted.
• No optimization of the color model used.

Any entity that generates illustrated documents needs to have a managed repository for imported objects, a policy for preferred graphics file formats, and specific guidelines for vector/raster, and compression by subject matter.

A policy of drag'n'drop, OLE or import-by-copy amounts to no policy.

[TomSchenck]

I've been asking for that change for a few years now and am happy that it's finally happened. Just curious, Why do you prefer "Import by Copy?"

[anthonyb78960445]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I do understand it's not best practices.

We are working towards having a CMS implemented.

As for now we need to continue with what we are doing.

So, I guess if there is no setting to make the drag and drop method go in as "Import by Copy", we'll just have to go the long way round via File-Import method.

Cheers.

[Matt S - Tech Comm Tools]

When you say Import by Copy, do you mean Copy into Document, or Import by Reference?

Regardless, in Fm 2017 you have two new features:

• Insert > Image,  which is a greatly simplified image insertion workflow that works for most file types (but not all...) See http://www.techcommtools.com/framemaker-2017-new-feature-project-manager/  for a video
• The Project Manager, which lets you set up common locations from which you can drag/drop images. Bridge was the first thing I thought of when I saw this feature, but because it's similar in look/feel to a book file, I prefer it to Bridge (though I wish I had a preview like Bridge provides.) See http://www.techcommtools.com/new-fm-2017-menus/  for a video

[Barb Binder]

we'll just have to go the long way round via File-Import method.

Do you use keyboard shortcuts? For File > Import > File just tap Esc f i f (if this is new, note that Esc key shortcuts use sequential keystrokes, not consecutive). And in 2017 you now have two options Esc f i f and Esc f i i because Import was added to the new Insert menu.

Maybe that will help a little.