How can I set an auto-numbered chapter title style outside the left margin?

[AlissaNY4]

I inherited a suite of documents in FrameMaker 12 that had all the page layouts, paragraphs, and references created. This is my first time working with FM, so I still find the menus a bit confusing. Our corporate branding recently changed, and I need to move the auto-numbering in the Chapter Title style outside of the left margin.

The example below shows how the numbering is currently aligned with the left margin.

I've tried the paragraph designer, master pages, but I can't figure out how to set a negative indent. An anchored frame doesn't seem to be the correct approach, because the content outside the margin is only text. I know how to fix this in Word or CSS, but can't figure it out in FM. Please help.

Thanks!

[Bob_Niland]

Negative indent is not the solution (I've never treid it, but I suspect it never works, although negative space-above does sometimes).

What you need is to change the page layout to leave room for Side Heads (Format > Page Layout > Column Layout, Room for Side Heads check box and specs).

Then set the Heading to start there (Pagination > (*) Across All Columns and Side Heads).

If you want only the Heading number to be in the SH, you can use the Heading tabs and indents to control that.

[AlissaNY4]

Hi Bob,

I do have room for side heads set and the Paragraph design is set to run across columns and side heads. Perhaps I just need to adjust how my side heads are set. Many thanks, Alissa

[Barb Binder]

Same thing, but now you want to set the tab/left indent to match the sidehead width plus the gap width. In the example below, I set the sidehead to 15pt and the gap to 5 pt, so the tab/left indent both need to be 20pt.

[AlissaNY4]

Thank you!

I'm sure I'll eventually wrap my brain around FrameMaker works.

Alissa

[Barb Binder]

It takes time, Alissa! And here's my assessment, gleaned from 25 of teaching and using FrameMaker: it is not a difficult program to use, but for most people, it is difficult to teach yourself how to use it.

~Barb

[Barb Binder]

Either the side head solution Bob offered, or leave the head where it is and indent everything else to give the illusion of the number hanging outside the margin.

A tip on indents in FrameMaker that isn't intuitive for a Word user: The first line indent controls the first line of a paragraph, the left indent controls the second and subsequent lines. That's why you aren't finding a negative 1st line indent option like Word or InDesign, where the left indent controls all lines initially, and the first line indent overrides the first line position.

For example, a block quote needs an identical first and left indent, along with a right indent.

A numbered list (or head) might just have a left indent that aligns with the tab after the numbers. As a heads up, your second line isn't aligned with the tab yet, which might mean you just haven't gotten there yet, but knowing that is confusing to a new users, I want to point out that you need your left indent value and tab value to match exactly for a clean hanging indent.

~Barb