RE: Is it possible to link a table to a different file?

["Hedley Finger (EPA)" <Hedley.Finger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Kathleen:

Stating your problem as I interpret it, you want tables documenting command
syntax to appear (a) in a reference section, possibly sorted in alphabetical
order, (b) elsewhere in procedure descriptions as 'just in time'
documentation, and (c) to be drawn from a single master set so that all
appearances of each table only need to be updated once, in one place.

The solution is text insets.  Create a master document to hold all the
tables.  There will be one flow per table.  (You need to look up text
insets, disconnected frames, and flows to understand how to have multiple
independent flows in a single master file.

You import text insets as follows:

1	Choose File > Import > File. The Import dialogue opens.

2	Select the file containing the flow to be imported and click Import
By Reference. The Import Text Flow by Reference appears.

3	Choose the Body Page Flow that holds the table you want to import.
Specify Reformat Using Current Document's Formats.

The text inserts into the document and can be viewed and printed but NOT
edited.  You can only do this in the master document.  If the local document
contains formats with the same tags as those in the master document, the
text will reformat according to the locally defined formats.  This allows
the possibility of having large headings and side labels in the reference
section but small text headings in the procedures section.

It's a lot of work to initially set up the master file but it will pay off
in the end. 

Regards,
Hedley

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Kathleen Holscher [SMTP:kholscher@NSISW.COM]
> Sent:	Tuesday, February 01, 2000 6:19 AM
> To:	framers@FrameUsers.com
> Subject:	Is it possible to link a  table to a different file?
> 
> I apologize if this seems confusing. I'm struggling with how to concisely
> ask my question. 
> 
> Here's my situation: I document a client/server software program that has
> two clients, one GUI and one text. In our manual, we have an appendix that
> contains all of the commands that are available in the text client.  Each
> command is in a table and the table sizes vary depending on the
> information
> for that command (syntax, any necessary options, examples, any relevant
> notes, etc.). There are 74 commands so the appendix is basically 74
> tables.
> Throughout the rest of the manual (15 chapters), the same tables are
> provided when describing how to complete a process.  There is a lot of
> room
> for human error when a command changes because it has to be changed in
> every
> occurence 

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