Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
January/February 2003

Meeting Report: November 2002

by Dara Golden
Silicon Valley Chapter

This article is reprinted from the September issue of Connection, the Silicon Valley Chapter newsletter. The same presentation was given at both the East Bay and Silicon Valley chapters.

What's New with FrameMaker 7?

Chris English and Scott Hamlow, both from Adobe, gave a presentation on Single Sourcing with FrameMaker at November’s EBSTC meeting. In their 90-minute presentation, they covered much information about the new features of FrameMaker, including its XML capabilities.

Hamlow, a former technical writer, stated that Adobe had one goal with this version of FrameMaker: to increase extensible markup language (XML) authoring and offerings. He added that, in addition to full XML support, FrameMaker 7 has a number of other new features, including improved Adobe product integration and “ease of use” enhancements.

XML Overview

Adobe was generous with door prizes!
Ele Croze won FrameMaker Classroom in a Book
Diane Blakely won an Adobe backpack.
Marsha Howard won PhotoShop Elements.

Hamlow presented an overview of the new FrameMaker features. Here is a summary of some new FrameMaker XML features:

• A “structured authoring environment” allows for creating and editing valid XML.
• Read-write rules allow for mapping with continuous validation.
• Visual clues show correct or improper XML validation in the structure window. A broken line means “broken structure,” while a checkmark means “okay to place item here.”
• Element tags appear either inside the FrameMaker document or in the separate Structure View window.
• Starter templates and a basic mapping table are included.
• While FrameMaker and XML are fully integrated, FrameMaker does not force users to create structured documents.

Hamlow then demonstrated the new version of FrameMaker. He explained how the Structure View window worked, including showing the “visual clues” FrameMaker includes for structure validation. He also showed the audience how to apply structure to non-structured documents and how to save FrameMaker documents in different formats.

Product Integration

Is there better integration with other Adobe products? According to Hamlow, users will be surprised at the integration improvements. With the WebWorks Publisher integration, <ALT> tags have been added. Adobe Illustrator 9 and 10 files can now be imported natively.

Acrobat Integration

Many users had problems saving FrameMaker documents to Adobe Acrobat. Hamlow explained that Adobe has better integrated the two products. Highlights include:

• Bookmark expansion can be specified.
• Pages can be saved larger than 8 ½ x 11 inches.
• Information reflows to fit the window size as the page is resized.
• Text can be saved as two columns.

“Ease of Use” Enhancements

According to Hamlow, FrameMaker has improved exporting capabilities. Files can now be saved in many formats, including print, PDF, SGML, HTML, PalmReader, XML, Wireless Markup Language, and Voice XML. Hamlow showed the audience how Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) can be used to enhance web pages. SVG are flat file line drawings that, when compiled with Flash, appear as animations on web pages.

Questions

During Hamlow’s presentation, the audience had many questions regarding the capabilities of FrameMaker. Some of the questions and their answers follow.

XML

Can book files be converted to XML?
Yes.

Does FrameMaker come with a mapping table?
Yes. Hamlow added that the mapping table, similar to a cascading style sheet in HTML, can be modified. It is also possible to have different mapping tables.

When a FrameMaker document is saved as XML, can I edit it outside of FrameMaker and then reimport the file?
Yes. You can import an XML file that has been worked on in a non–FrameMaker program.

Can I export the DTD (data type definition)? Is the DTD standard?
Yes.

Is saving Frame to XML and then back to Frame reliable? Should I use MIF instead?
If the XML is valid, then saving is reliable.

How are Adobe Illustrator digital photos listed in the conversion table?
A graphic, no matter what type, is wrapped in a graphic element in the table.

Is it possible to create nested tables?
Yes. Hamlow stated that “rules can be made, based upon structure hierarchy” to create nested tables.

Can conditional text be used in XML?
Conditional text will work. However, Hamlow cautioned that users must ensure that the XML is still valid. If the conditional text turns off a required element, then the structure is invalid.

Can I create my own element definition documents (EDD)?
Yes. An EDD gives specifics about final output. Hamlow added that users can have multiple EDDs, such as one for printed documentation, another for HTML, and another for PDF.

Are schemas supported?
These are not supported, as they were too new when FrameMaker 7 was finalized. Hamlow added that schemas are great for data and databases, but that most people were using DTDs instead. He did not mention if a future version would support schemas.

HTML

Can I take my FrameMaker file and export it to multiple HTML files?
Yes. Using the WebWorks standard edition, which comes with FrameMaker 7, you can create a new HTML page for every Level 1 heading.

UNIX

Has the UNIX functionality been upgraded to that of Windows?
According to Hamlow, font integration has been improved in the UNIX version of FrameMaker. It now supports Open, TrueType, and Type 1 fonts. He added that it is now easier to add fonts. However, there is no PDF import support.

Converting

Is it easier to convert Word documents to FrameMaker 7?
Yes. Hamlow mentioned that Adobe had a number of complaints about the Word to FrameMaker conversion process and Adobe addressed some of the concerns, including no extra row in tables. He added that Excel files can also be converted to FrameMaker 7. He reminded the audience that Word is not structured, so the FrameMaker document must be converted a second time to become structured.

Is FrameMaker 7 backward compatible?
Yes. FrameMaker 7 documents can be saved as FrameMaker 6 documents. Hamlow cautioned that the FrameMaker 7 features would be lost in the conversion.

Training

Is there going to be a Classroom in a Book for FrameMaker 7?
There will be a FrameMaker 7 Classroom in a Book. Hamlow added that it will have “complete coverage of XML.”

Is there an XML sample in FrameMaker 7?
Yes. In addition to an online User Guide, there is also an XML tutorial (available in English and French). There is an Enterprise Solutions Guide CD available on the Adobe web site. Included on the CD is a 30-day trial of FrameMaker 7.0 for the PC and Macintosh systems. Hamlow added that if users want only the information, a PDF can be downloaded from the Adobe web site.

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