RE: TOC with embedded LOF & LOT

["Richard Combs" <richard.combs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ADAM MORGAN wrote:
 
> How do you generate a list of figures and a list of tables, 
> which can be embedded into the TOC but are not included in 
> the book?  Sometimes a book may contain a list of 4 figures 
> and 5 tables.  When a LOF and a LOT file is generated these 
> are separate files in the book.  If I want to import these
> into a TOC so that I do not have a page by itself with just 4 
> figures listed, I currently use two book files. <snip> 

I, too, wanted more control over pagination for these lists (LOF & LOT on same page, etc.). My solution has worked pretty well for me. Here's how my books are set up (file names genericized, FM6): 

titlepage.fm
frontmatter.fm
about.fm
... <chapter files go here>
IX.fm
TOC.fm
LOF.fm
LOT.fm

The frontmatter file is a "container" into which I import the TOC, LOF, and LOT as text insets. Its pgf catalog is the same as the generated list files' (e.g., it includes the *TOC, *LOF, and *LOT pgf tags). 

The frontmatter file's main flow consists of, typically, only six paragraphs, whose contents are as follows (tag names in brackets): 

Contents [TitleFront]
<non-breaking space> [zz7ptSpacer] 
Figures [TitleFront]
<non-breaking space> [zz7ptSpacer] 
Tables [TitleFront]
<non-breaking space> [zz7ptSpacer] 

The TOC, LOF, and LOT files contain nothing but the generated lists (no headings, etc.). I import each as a text inset into the zz7ptSpacer paragraph below its heading, making sure that the insertion point (text cursor) is to the *left* of the non-breaking space when importing. 

This last point is important. If you place a text inset immediately adjacent to the end-of-paragraph mark, then the "container" paragraph (in this case, zz7ptSpacer) takes on the formatting of the first paragraph in the text inset, which messes with the spacing. You don't have to use a non-breaking space -- a regular one will do -- but I want to see a text symbol as confirmation that it's done right. 

This arrangement is very flexible and no trouble to maintain once set up. You can insert PageBreak paragraphs, spacers, etc., without having to redo it after each gen/update. 

But there are a couple of caveats: 

-- Each time you gen/update the book, you have to do it twice. That's because FM updates the text insets *before* it updates the generated lists. So you need a second update to bring the latest generated list changes into the frontmatter file. It's only one extra mouse click. ;-)

-- When you want to print/PDF, you have to select (in the book window) everything *except* the TOC, LOF, and LOT files. Then, instead of choosing File>Print Book, use File>Print Selected Files (this is in FM6). 

Try it, maybe you'll like it. YMMV, IMNSHO, etc. 

Richard


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Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT voyanttechDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT freeDASHmarketDOTnet
303-777-0436
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