Table of Contents

Previous

Next


Paragraph Formats in FrameMaker

Create paragraph formats for items based on function, not based on formatting. This approach allows you to modify formatting over time and the format names continue to apply. It also prepares you for structured writing in the future. If you are using DITA, paragraph formats are already defined.

Name your paragraph formats starting with naming conventions that group formats by function. For example, group procedure-related formats together by starting the format names with Procedure, such as ProcedureIntro, ProcedureStep1, ProcedureStep, ProcedureSubStep1, and ProcedureSubstep. You do not need to restart numbering using a step1 format. If you have a format that always proceeds a numbered list, such as a ProcedureIntro, you can restart the numbering with that format, which allows you to not use a step1. Either method is fine, but one can require less maintenance when updating steps in a procedure topic.

Note: Format names should not include a period in their name. The period can cause display issues when ePublisher creates the cascading style sheet entry that defines the appearance of the format.

To simplify formatting and save time for future maintenance and customization, set the default paragraph font for all formats, then customize specific formats that need customization. You may need multiple paragraph formats to define functions that support pagination settings, such as a BodyListIntro format that has Keep with next paragraph set.

In ePublisher, you can scan the source documents to list all the paragraph formats. Then, you can organize them in ePublisher to allow property inheritance and to streamline the customization process for your generated output.

To automate and simplify template use, define the paragraph format that follows each paragraph format. This process allows the writer to press Enter after writing a paragraph and the template creates the next paragraph with the format most commonly used next. For example, after a Heading format, the writer most often writes a body paragraph of content.

Common paragraph formats include:

ePublisher projects use custom marker types, paragraph formats, and character formats to define online features. You need to give the list of markers and formats to the writers so they know how to implement each online feature. The writers use the markers and formats you create to define online features.

The Stationery defines the custom markers and formats. To reduce complexity, you can use the format names defined in the documentation, or you can define the online feature to a different format. The following list identifies additional paragraph formats you may need to support ePublisher online content features:

For more information about enabling a specific online feature, see “Designing, Deploying, and Managing Stationery” on page 111.

ePublisher/2009.2/Help/02.Designing_Templates_and_Stationery/2.05.Designing_Input_Format_Standards (last edited 2009-08-03 19:09:11 by TonyMcDow)