Single template for TOC, indices and body chapters [long] (was: Automatic TOC tab stop before page number)

[Michael Cudmore <mcudmore@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dan, you might like to read and comment on my notes below before I
post to the list. My facts might be wrong, and you obviously know what
you're talking about here.

(Using FM 5.5 / Win 98SE)



Dan Emory wrote:
[snip]

> I still maintain that reference pages for generated lists and indexes
> should be included in the master template used to create new chapter
> files, and those chapter files should be updated by importing the
> formats (including the reference pages) from the latest version of the
> master template. That way, you can generate properly formatted
> generated lists from individual files as well as from books without the prior
> existence of a list or index file having the correct formatting information.

Some further notes on this topic: 

FrameMaker offers FOUR order-of-occurrence lists of paragraphs in the
File>Generate/Book... dialog box: Table of Contents, and lists of
Figures, Tables and Paragraphs. For each of these it uses a different
abbreviation (TOC, LOF, LOT and LOP, respectively) that serves as the
reference page tag, flow tag, paragraph tag suffix and default file
name suffix. And all of these types of lists have the same
functionality: if your book doesn't need a list of tables, you could
use LOT as a brief table of contents and TOC as the full table. 

This means that you can add up to four order-of-occurence lists to the
ordinary chapter template, and use that template as the master format
for body chapters and up to four tables of contents or list of
paragraphs. 

Similarly, there is one list of markers, one list of references, one
alphabetical list of markers, one alphabetical list of paragraphs,
four functionally equivalent types of index and one index of
references shown in the Generate/Book... dialog box, and FrameMaker
reserves for each a different abbreviation (again used as reference
page tag, flow tag, paragraph tag suffix and default file name
suffix). So you can specify defaults for each of these items in a
normal body chapter by adding one master page and set of paragraph
formats for each of the entries shown in the Generate/Book... dialog
box which you need in the book. 

The problem comes when you need more lists or indices than are
available. I often add generated lists which will not be part of the
final book but which aid editing and troubleshooting: for example, two
or more lists of reference (unresolved cross-refs, list of fonts,
imported graphics, etc). Now I can use different file name suffixes to
keep two or three lists of reference in the one book, but FrameMaker
will still use the default abbreviation of LOR in each file for the
reference page tag, flow tag and paragraph format suffix. So in this
type of case, I would be forced to keep several templates to
accommodate the different list formats needed.

--
Michael Cudmore
Project Development Manager
National Educational Advancement Programs (NEAP) Pty Ltd
58 Pelham St  Carlton  Vic  3053   AUSTRALIA
Tel:    +61 3 9663 2523    Fax:  +61 3 9663 7182
e-mail: (work)    mcudmore@neap.com.au
        (pers)    mcudmore@email.com

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