Thanks to David, Lin, and Robert for replies to my question about picking up a paratext from a previous file in a book and displaying it in a running header/footer. It appears that FM will not do this.
To David: No, I can't use the Volume building block because it is already in use. To Robert: I can't incorporate my "divider" page into the beginning of a chapter because I am generating output from a ditamap. To Lin: Thanks for the suggestion of using a crossref. I could do this, but it would need to be replaced each time I generate the output from a ditamap. That's just because of the way it works (using one template for all chapters in the book). So I will have to do without it. Thanks for your help. You have at least saved me from trying to get it to work when it won't. Roger On 12/12/2012 9:11 AM, David Artman wrote: > |From: Lin Sims <ljsims.ml at gmail.com> > |Date: Tue, December 11, 2012 8:20 pm > | > |Where I work, we have a sort-of-similar issue, and we solved it by > |using cross-references. It means you'll have to remember to check that > |you're pointing to the right files if you add any new ones in, but it > |beats typing everything in (and you'd have to manually update that > |way, too). > > Lin, wouldn't that make it into a link, after PDFing? I'm assuming that > one wants other xrefs to be live links and so one leaves that option > checked in PDF Settings. If xrefs aren't automatically being made into > links, that would work fine. > > Roger, can't you use the Volume value at the book level on the files(s) > and then use that building block in the H/F? Or have you already used > that building block for other purposes? > > As a final, hacky solution, you could make a super-stripped file (I use > MIF editing to kill, like, EVERY catalog I can) and then have one of > those files for each part, in which you define a Variable to carry the > H/F text? That way, you could still use book-wide variables (in another > blank file or in your main template) to apply "major" Variables and the > part-level blank file to apply "minor" variables afterwards. Kind of > manual, but not nearly so much as other methods. > > [I don't have/use FM9+, but it seems like setting the parts up as > books-in-a-book would let you access other Numbering properties > (Section, Sub-Section). So your 'part' text would be the "Chapter" > values--with their para styles handling numbering via autonumbering--and > then "Section" would handle your 'chapter' numbering in the > book-in-book.] > > HTH; > David