Sidenotes for each paragraph

[Doe Johns]

Hi all,

I have a question about how to implement HTML-like sidenotes.

Here is my attempt to create a sidenote in FrameMaker (using Side Head-Alignment option). As you can see, the sidenote is colored into olive color:

But I want this:

In the start of my post I call it "HTML-like sidenotes" because it may be easily made by HTML tables.

May be you ask me, why I want such thing? The answer is:

That's because sometimes every paragraph has it's own sidenote, and so, I want to see a clean visual relationships between each paragraph and it's sidenote, i.e. Paragraph1--Sidenote1, Paragraph2--Sidenote2, Paragraph3--Sidenote3, and so on.

Has anybody succeeded in making this?

[Bob_Niland · Accepted solution]

You can use the same trick described here: Re: A way to label graphics?

Just use "Across All Columns and Side Heads" instead of "Across All Columns" for the paras that would use a right run-in anchored frame to contain a text frame with what would otherwise be sidehead content (i.e. the page layout includes room for side heads, but no paras use Format: Side Head).

[Doe Johns]

Looks like it really works, so I'm very grateful for help 🙂

That's what I have now. Is it what you mean?

Sadly, when I try to publish as HTML5, it becomes to this:

[Bob_Niland]

re: Sadly, when I try to publish as HTML5, it becomes to this:

I was afraid that's what you had in mind. Being on an older FM (with terrible HTML workflow), I'm limited in what I can experiment with.

One hack might be to use Side Heads, and have the Body paras alternate (using Next Pgf Tag) between paragraph formats Body (InColumn), then SideHead, and then say, ClearLeft (AcrossAll&SH), and back to Body.

ClearLeft might be an otherwise empty para, point size 4, Line Spacing 0 (and perhaps Space Above of -4) a text color visible in edit but set to Invisible by Color Views for publication, with an Autonumber format of "----------------" so you can see it, and a pagination of "Across All Columns and Side Heads". It's Next Pgf is Body.

Hit Enter thrice at the end of each SideHead para to start a new Body guaranteed to clear any hanging side head. What this ends up doing in the HTML workflow is left as an exercise for the student.

[Doe Johns]

Okay, thank you very much, I will try 🙂