AboutWayne Johnson Expertise Basic set-up of books, master pages, generation of List of Effective pages (LEP), Indexing, auto-numbering. Various ways to import graphics, including advantages and disadvantages of importing into a text frame or importing into a "blank" page. Using a "book" to generate PDF files, with hyperlinking. Customization of function keys, currently setup for Frame 7.0 i.e. change F1 to turn "Change bar" On and Off, F2 to "Cut" a selection, F3 to copy, F4 to Paste, F6 to set line to "TOP OF PAGE" and Shift F6 to start line "anywhere" these can be easily your current config files and if you do not like them - old config files can be restored.
I have no expertise in Structured Framemaker, (i.e. XML or SGML).
Experience 10 years working with Framemaker, all version through Version 7.0
Primarily writing to Aviation ATA spec 100. Currently responsible for maintaining all company published maintenance documents in Framemaker and PDF and making them accessible through the company intranet.
Expert: Wayne Johnson Date: 1/1/2008 Subject: RE:Question about Adobe Framemaker
Question QUESTION: What are Smart Quotes and Smart Spaces
ANSWER: Smart Spaces - with this box checked - Framemaker only allows one space to be entered between words, (i.e. you cannot hold down the spacebar and enter 20 spaces). It removes the "typewriter" effect of 2 spaces between words, since the computer word processing programs, use proportional spacing for characters depending on the selected font.
Smart Quotes - If this box IS NOT checked, then your quotes appear like inches characters ('') - if this box IS CHECKED then the quotes will appear like "right side up" and "upside down apostrophes" if you look at any book you will see the quotes this way.
Just check and uncheck the boxes and try it out.
Regards, Wayne.
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QUESTION: advantage of FrameMaker over Microsoft Word
Answer The following is only my opinion.
If you have never used Framemaker, In my opinion here are some of the main reasons to use Framemaker over Word.
If you want to control "long" (by long I am referring to anything over 500 pages), or a manual which contains many chapters or sections.
When you put your documents into a "Framemaker Book" you can accomplish the following:
a. Accomplish a search for a word or phrase in "All" of your individual documents at once.
b. Auto-generate a Table of Contents, Index, List of Effective Pages, etc.
Additional Items Are:
1. Autonumbering and style setups are much easier in Framemaker, (Word thinks it knows how you want numbering).
2. I can have a different header and footer or revision date on each page within the given document. In Word you have to create a "Section" Break everytime you want to change the header. In Framemaker you just "ADD" what you want to each page, as required.
3. I can "mix" Text and graphics without having to go to a "page layout" as you have to in Word.
4. I can set Framemaker to add "Change or Revision" bars automatically.
5. I can import a "graphic" by "reference" into Framemaker.
Then if I have it referenced in 3-4 places in my document and decide to update it, all places where I have imported it by reference will be updated at the same time.
6. I can use "conditional statements" to have information display or not display. For Example - If I have a catalog of our stuff for sale - I can display just the cost to the end user. But for the internal staff, I can reset a conditional statement to also show "what our markup" is or anyother information for the Company Eyes Only.
7. When I want to generate a PDF File all links to other files and any styles I want to use as bookmarks will be carried forward in the PDF - WORD does not do this.
8. With a graphic - I can draw and add text to the graphic much easier than in Word.
Word Advantages
Word can handle Tables better than Frame, (i.e. various rows of a table can have different cell widths.
Converting a Table to Text - Word is more logical.
Again these are only my views - others may have different reasons for using Frame over Word
