Re: Problem: Heading autonumbering suddenly doesn't work

[Dan Emory <danemory@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:24 PM 5/7/99 -0700, Rowena Hart wrote:
.------------------Snip-----
>Here's the situation: We use the autonumbering
>format H:<n=5>.<n+>/t for our headings, and change
>the number (5, in this example) manually in the
>paragraph designer for each new chapter (file).
>
>This has worked beautifully for months, but today
>the system broke down. For some reason, the
>autonumbering worked okay until Chapter 5, but
>in Chapter 6 FrameMaker failed to reset the 
>number to 0 (zero). So, the first first-level
>heading in the chapter was 6.3 instead of 6.1.
============================================================
Wow, The system didn't break down, and I don't know how it ever worked.
You're doing at least 6 things wrong:

1. You're either creating a different Heading paragraph tagname for each
chapter, or you're overriding or modifying the format defined for the
Heading paragraph in the paragraph catalog of each chapter. Either method is
very bad practice, for the following reasons:

        a. If you're using the former method, there are an indeterminate
number of Heading paragraph tags, each with a separate tagname, which makes
it difficult, if not impossible, to generate a table of contents, or
bookmarks in a PDF file.

        b. If you're using the latter method and you ever have to update
paragraph formats by importing them from a template or from a "master"
chapter file, all those format overrides/modifications to the Heading
paragraph will be wiped out.

        c. Either method is going to create difficulty in updating chapter
numbers if a chapter is added, deleted or moved in the book file, or if a
chapter is repurposed for use in another document where its chapter number
changes. For the same reason, either method will create problems in
cross-references to Heading and chapter number paragraphs.

2. The autonumbering as you describe it above will never restart the heading
numbering at 1 in each chapter file if those chapter files are in a book. In
that case, when you update the book file, the headings will be numbered
consecutively throughout the book (i.e., 1-1, 1-2......1-n, 2-n+1,
2-n+2,...2-n+x, 3-n+x+1, etc.

3. Your autonumbering scheme makes no sense unless the chapters are also
autonumbered. The paragraph containing the chapter number should be included
in the H: autonumbering counter, as follows:
        a. If the chapter number is prefixed to the chapter title, the
ChapterTitle paragraph should have the autonumber, and the autonumbering
specification for this paragraph should be:
                H:<n+>< =0>\t 
        b. If the chapter number appears thusly: "Chapter X", then the
autonumbering for the ChapNum paragraph should be:
                H:Chapter <n+>< =0>
        c. If the chapter number is on a line by itself, then the
autonumbering for the ChapNum paragraph should be:
                H:<n+>< =0>
Where the < =0> autonumbering building block resets the heading counter to 0
at the beginning of each chapter, and does not appear in the displayed
autonumber.    

4. If the chapter has an autonumber as described in item 3 above, the
autonumbering specification for all Heading paragraphs in all chapters
should be:
                H:<n>.<n+>\t

5. If the chapters are not autonumbered (which, as I stated in item 3 above,
makes no sense), you'll have to create two versions of the Heading paragraph
format--Heading and HeadingFirst--where:
        a. HeadingFirst is used only for the first heading in
           each chapter,

                and

        b. Heading is used for all the rest.

If this is the case, the autonumbering specifications should be as follows:
        For the HeadingFirst paragraph:
                H:<n+>.<n=1>\t
Where the <n=1> autonumbering building block restarts the heading numbers at 1.
        For the Heading paragraph:
                H:<n>.<n+>\t
Both the Heading and HeadingFirst paragraphs would have to be included in
the generated TOC, or in the list of paragraphs for which bookmarks are to
be created in PDF files.

6. If you're also autonumbering figures and tables, prefixing the chapter
number to each figure and table number, then the autonumbering for the
TableTitle and FigureTitle paragraphs should also be included in the H:
counter. In that case, the autonumbering specifications should be changed as
follows:

        a. The ChapterTitle or ChapNum paragraph in item 3 above:
                H:<n+>< =0>< =0>< =0>\t for ChapterTitle, or
                H:Chapter <n+>< =0>< =0>< =0> for ChapNum
        b. The HeadingFirst paragraph in item 5 above:
                H:<n+>.<n=1>< =0>< =0>\t
        c. The Heading paragraph in item 4 or 5 above:
                H:<n>.<n+>< >< >\t
        d. The FigureTitle paragraph:
                H:<n>-< ><n+>< >\t
        e. The TableTitle paragraph:
                H:<n>-< >< ><n+>\t
Where the < > autonumbering building block specifies that the corresponding
number is ignored (i.e., it does not appear in the displayed autonumber).

 
     ====================
     | Nullius in Verba |
     ====================
Dan Emory, Dan Emory & Associates
FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing
Voice/Fax: 949-722-8971 E-Mail: danemory@primenet.com
10044 Adams Ave. #208, Huntington Beach, CA 92646
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