Re: How to implement navigation bar in FV?

["Thomas Michanek" <thomas.michanek@xxxxxxxxx>]

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From: "John Cornellier" <tw@cornellier.com>
> I'm authoring on UNIX FM 5.5.6. My target environment is Frame Viewer
> on Solaris and SGI UNIX.
> 
> I have been asked to implement a software help system in the classic
> tri-pane model of, for example, JavaHelp, or PDF Viewer.
> 
> There should be a pane down one side with a table of contents, each
> entry being a hyperlink. There should also be a pointer or some
> indication of where you are in the document.
> 
> I understand that I can generate the TofC list automatically then
> paste it in. But where? MP or Body? I'd also appreciate any ideas
> about how the position indicator could be updated dynamically.
> 
> Everything could be positioned by hand, but it's a large multi-document
> set, and long term maintenance cost is a consideration. Obviously I'm
> reinventing the wheel here -- it might be more efficient to output to
> PDF or JavaHelp -- viewers which have built-in nav. systems. But Frame
> Viewer is part of the spec for the moment.

For your FrameViewer document to have a content frame on every page,
you need to put the TOC in a separate background text column on the
master pages. Hyperlinks on master pages will work on body pages.
You can also import the generated TOC as a text inset into the text
column on the master page to automate the inclusion.

That is: create a separate text column on your master page(s) and
make it a background text frame. Import the TOC file into the text
column using File>Import>File, Import by Reference and Automatic
Updating.

However, an indicator in the content frame showing you were you are
at the moment cannot be automated, to the best of my knowledge.
You'd have to manually put such an indicator on each body page...


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Thomas Michanek, FrameMaker/UNIX/MIF expert
mailto:Thomas.Michanek@telia.com   (Sweden)
http://w1.133.telia.com/~u13304072/framers
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