Re: Automation and Windows/Unix questions

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

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From: "Rich Rochelle" <rrochelle@amcc.com>
> For example, I want to be able to update a Visio drawing and
> automatically update all of the Frame docs that it occurs in, save them,
> make pdfs out of them, then email them to someone for review, all by
> issuing a single command name.  I am using 5.5 in Windows 2k. I see
> that there's an fmbatch command line interface in the Unix version, and
> this seems like it does what I want, except that I will still need to
> use the Windows version of Frame, 

You say you're using Windows 2000, but I get the impression that you
still have access to FM on UNIX? If so, this is fairly easy to accomplish
by writing a small shell script that uses fmbatch for the FM stuff and
then call Distiller and an email program. Note that Acrobat Distiller
is not available for all UNIX platforms!

> 1)  If I can make Framemaker happy with the same doc in Unix AND Windows
> this is a breeze (currently in unix, I am having some font  unavailable
> issues, plus printing to a pdf isn't working, but this might just be an
> issue on my end)

Yes, you must solve the font issues for fmbatch to work properly
(see http://w1.184.telia.com/~u18407300/fonts/unavailable.html ).
Printing to PDF via fmbatch is easy, provided you do have Distiller.

> 2)  I could learn how to talk to Frame with scripts in Windows, but I
> don't know if this is even possible, or what language I would use

For the FM stuff, you could use either of the following:
1. DZbatcher, a free Windows version of fmbatch:
   http://www.miramo.com/dzbatcher2.html
2. FrameScript, a $150 scripting language for FM:
   http://www.framescript.com/default.htm
3. DoBatch, a free plugin somewhat similar to DZbatcher:
   http://www.telecable.es/personales/cud/homepgs/plugins.htm

For the distill/email stuff, you would probably have to write a
small BAT file or similar. (I have no experience of this.)


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Thomas Michanek, FrameMaker/UNIX/MIF expert
mailto:Thomas.Michanek@iar.se      (Sweden)
http://go.to/framers   (updated on Oct. 11)
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