Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
Rene Stephenson wrote on 06/09/2006 04:43:01 PM: > Changing to text destroys the purpose of using the xref (e.g., one-stop > updating/changes). You only do it just before creating the PDF. You don't save the documents. So, there's no loss of functionality in the FrameMaker working files... Eric L. Dunn Senior Technical Writer ___ This e-mail communication (and any attachment/s) may contain confidential or privileged information and is intended only for the individual(s) or entity named above and to others who have been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose the contents of this communication to others. Please notify the sender that you have received this e-mail in error by reply e-mail, and delete the e-mail subsequently. Please note that in order to protect the security of our information systems an AntiSPAM solution is in use and will browse through incoming emails. Thank you. _ Ce message (ainsi que le(s) fichier/s), transmis par courriel, peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels ou prot?g?s et est destin? ? l?usage exclusif du destinataire ci-dessus. Toute autre personne est par les pr?sentes avis?e qu?il est strictement interdit de le diffuser, le distribuer ou le reproduire. Si vous l?avez re?u par inadvertance, veuillez nous en aviser et d?truire ce message. Veuillez prendre note qu'une solution antipollupostage (AntiSPAM) est utilis?e afin d'assurer la s?curit? de nos systems d'information et qu'elle fur?tera les courriels entrant. Merci. _
RE: Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
Eric Dunn wrote: The situation was this: hundreds of components, multiple ways of writing their descriptions, abbreviations, and specifications which led to an unmanageable mass of variables. So, I turned to cross-references. snip detailed description What are the downsides? Well, so far nothing. But I have an itch in the back of my skull concerning Xrefs and character formatting that I just can't shake. Something as to whether character formatting applied in the source (all character tagging is done using catalogue formats common to source and destination) is kept in the destination or not... Anyone know what I should be worrying about? Yeah, potentially char formats, but maybe not. IIRC, there are some formatting characteristics that are preserved in xrefs and some that aren't. I think the basic variants of a font (e.g., bold, italic) are discarded, but significant changes (e.g., Symbol, superscript) are preserved. I'm afraid I don't recall the details -- maybe someone else does? I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this way because they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! If your deliverables are printed books, of course, this isn't an issue. :-) Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this way because they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! Actually they'd become BROKEN hyperlinks, since most likely the referenced document isn't included in the doc set! Deb Correia ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
Combs, Richard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote on 06/09/2006 01:09:11 PM: I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this way because they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! Not a problem. You just change all those Xrefs into text and all is good. The Xref formats used for the purpose of terminology are used ONLY for terminology... Eric L. Dunn Senior Technical Writer ___ This e-mail communication (and any attachment/s) may contain confidential or privileged information and is intended only for the individual(s) or entity named above and to others who have been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose the contents of this communication to others. Please notify the sender that you have received this e-mail in error by reply e-mail, and delete the e-mail subsequently. Please note that in order to protect the security of our information systems an AntiSPAM solution is in use and will browse through incoming emails. Thank you. _ Ce message (ainsi que le(s) fichier/s), transmis par courriel, peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels ou protégés et est destiné à l?usage exclusif du destinataire ci-dessus. Toute autre personne est par les présentes avisée qu?il est strictement interdit de le diffuser, le distribuer ou le reproduire. Si vous l?avez reçu par inadvertance, veuillez nous en aviser et détruire ce message. Veuillez prendre note qu'une solution antipollupostage (AntiSPAM) est utilisée afin d'assurer la sécurité de nos systems d'information et qu'elle furètera les courriels entrant. Merci. _ ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
Eric, Nice innovation. One of the challenges some writing teams face is project portability vs. linking to shared content on a network. Sometimes variables provide a way to maintain portability and standards without requiring a live connection to a LAN architecture. Single-sourcing and using shared content across multiple documents in a library and among several writers at various locations can get challenging. Your solution could work for some situations that come to my mind, though. In my experience, you can format a cross-reference by using various character tags in the cross-reference definition, but any cross-reference otherwise uses the paragraph formatting of the destination, rather than the source. For most traditional uses of cross-referencing, this default works well. Whether you can flip that around by hacking at something, I don't know...but I usually avoid changing .ini files and the like, if at all possible. Rene Stephenson --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What are the downsides? Well, so far nothing. But I have an itch in the back of my skull concerning Xrefs and character formatting that I just can't shake. Something as to whether character formatting applied in the source (all character tagging is done using catalogue formats common to source and destination) is kept in the destination or not... Anyone know what I should be worrying about? Eric L. Dunn Senior Technical Writer Rene L. Stephenson eNovative Solutions, Inc. Business Phone: 678-513-0051 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
"Ridder, Fred" wrote on 06/08/2006 11:57:39 AM: > In a situation where only the name changes, I find that it is *much* > more maintainable to use a variable for the product name because > you only have to make a change in one place (the variable's value > definition) when one of the names changes or when a new variant > is added to the list. Personally, I don't like conditional text. Usually it gets far too complex very quickly and you're hobbled by the limitation of OR logic for overlapping conditions. But, are variables the right answer? Why not Xrefs instead? Perhaps this idea isn't terribly Earth shattering, but it came to me in a flash and I've been using it successfully for some time now. The idea struck me as more of a 'DUH' kind of realisation when I implemented it, but after giving a FrameMaker class, I was amazed at how foreign the idea seemed to so many. The situation was this: hundreds of components, multiple ways of writing their descriptions, abbreviations, and specifications which led to an unmanageable mass of variables. So, I turned to cross-references. A stand-alone document contains a three column table. Column 1 - CB Number Column 2 - CB Placard Column 3 - Complete description ex: CB1 LIGHTINGCB1, LIGHTING Three cross-reference formats are used: 1 - CBNumber 2 - CBPlacard 3 - CBPlacard (Num) So, depending on the requirements I can include CB1, LIGHTING, or LIGHTING (CB1) in my documentation. If the placard or information changes, I change the source document and that's it. A generate update of all books ensures the data is correct. I've actually begun using the same approach for terms and equipment names. Any text that needs to maintain consistency is grouped with like terms in a file. So three HUGE advantages IMO. First, no need to maintain a MIF snippet of variables or using a script/plug-in to import user variables only (because invariably, one or more of the system variables are defined differently for different sections/files). Second, instead of hundreds of variables, I have 3 Xref formats. Third, generating and updating is already a step in the publishing process. So, the step of importing variables is skipped and not there to be forgotten. What are the downsides? Well, so far nothing. But I have an itch in the back of my skull concerning Xrefs and character formatting that I just can't shake. Something as to whether character formatting applied in the source (all character tagging is done using catalogue formats common to source and destination) is kept in the destination or not... Anyone know what I should be worrying about? Eric L. Dunn Senior Technical Writer ___ This e-mail communication (and any attachment/s) may contain confidential or privileged information and is intended only for the individual(s) or entity named above and to others who have been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose the contents of this communication to others. Please notify the sender that you have received this e-mail in error by reply e-mail, and delete the e-mail subsequently. Please note that in order to protect the security of our information systems an AntiSPAM solution is in use and will browse through incoming emails. Thank you. _ Ce message (ainsi que le(s) fichier/s), transmis par courriel, peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels ou prot?g?s et est destin? ? l?usage exclusif du destinataire ci-dessus. Toute autre personne est par les pr?sentes avis?e qu?il est strictement interdit de le diffuser, le distribuer ou le reproduire. Si vous l?avez re?u par inadvertance, veuillez nous en aviser et d?truire ce message. Veuillez prendre note qu'une solution antipollupostage (AntiSPAM) est utilis?e afin d'assurer la s?curit? de nos systems d'information et qu'elle fur?tera les courriels entrant. Merci. _
Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
Eric Dunn wrote: > The situation was this: hundreds of components, multiple ways > of writing their descriptions, abbreviations, and > specifications which led to an unmanageable mass of variables. > > So, I turned to cross-references. > What are the downsides? Well, so far nothing. But I have an > itch in the back of my skull concerning Xrefs and character > formatting that I just can't shake. Something as to whether > character formatting applied in the source (all character > tagging is done using catalogue formats common to source and > destination) is kept in the destination or not... > > Anyone know what I should be worrying about? Yeah, potentially char formats, but maybe not. IIRC, there are some formatting characteristics that are preserved in xrefs and some that aren't. I think the basic variants of a font (e.g., bold, italic) are discarded, but significant changes (e.g., Symbol, superscript) are preserved. I'm afraid I don't recall the details -- maybe someone else does? I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this way because they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! If your deliverables are printed books, of course, this isn't an issue. :-) Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 --
Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
> I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this > way because they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! Actually they'd become BROKEN hyperlinks, since most likely the referenced document isn't included in the doc set! Deb Correia
Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
"Combs, Richard" wrote on 06/09/2006 01:09:11 PM: > I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this way because > they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! Not a problem. You just change all those Xrefs into text and all is good. The Xref formats used for the purpose of terminology are used ONLY for terminology... Eric L. Dunn Senior Technical Writer ___ This e-mail communication (and any attachment/s) may contain confidential or privileged information and is intended only for the individual(s) or entity named above and to others who have been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose the contents of this communication to others. Please notify the sender that you have received this e-mail in error by reply e-mail, and delete the e-mail subsequently. Please note that in order to protect the security of our information systems an AntiSPAM solution is in use and will browse through incoming emails. Thank you. _ Ce message (ainsi que le(s) fichier/s), transmis par courriel, peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels ou prot?g?s et est destin? ? l?usage exclusif du destinataire ci-dessus. Toute autre personne est par les pr?sentes avis?e qu?il est strictement interdit de le diffuser, le distribuer ou le reproduire. Si vous l?avez re?u par inadvertance, veuillez nous en aviser et d?truire ce message. Veuillez prendre note qu'une solution antipollupostage (AntiSPAM) est utilis?e afin d'assurer la s?curit? de nos systems d'information et qu'elle fur?tera les courriels entrant. Merci. _
Variables vs Cross-references [WAS: Hiding Pages?]
Changing to text destroys the purpose of using the xref (e.g., one-stop updating/changes). I think you can modify PDF setup not to convert xrefs to hyperlinks... but if you have functional xrefs for other purposes, you might not want to do that. So much depends on what you've already done in the rest of the book...and whether it would impact the rest of the library... Rene Stephenson --- eric.dunn at ca.transport.bombardier.com wrote: > "Combs, Richard" wrote on 06/09/2006 > 01:09:11 > PM: > > I deliver primarily PDFs, and I wouldn't use xrefs in this way because > > they'd become working hyperlinks in the PDFs. Ugh! > > Not a problem. You just change all those Xrefs into text and all is > good. > > The Xref formats used for the purpose of terminology are used ONLY for > terminology... > > Eric L. Dunn > Senior Technical Writer > > ___ > > > This e-mail communication (and any attachment/s) may contain > confidential > or privileged information and is intended only for the individual(s) or > entity named above and to others who have been specifically authorized > to > receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, > copy, use or disclose the contents of this communication to others. > Please > notify the sender that you have received this e-mail in error by reply > e-mail, and delete the e-mail subsequently. Please note that in order to > > protect the security of our information systems an AntiSPAM solution is > in > use and will browse through incoming emails. > Thank you. > _ > > > > Ce message (ainsi que le(s) fichier/s), transmis par courriel, peut > contenir des renseignements confidentiels ou prot???g???s et est destin??? ??? > l?usage exclusif du destinataire ci-dessus. Toute autre personne est par > > les pr???sentes avis???e qu?il est strictement interdit de le diffuser, le > distribuer ou le reproduire. Si vous l?avez re???u par inadvertance, > veuillez nous en aviser et d???truire ce message. Veuillez prendre note > qu'une solution antipollupostage (AntiSPAM) est utilis???e afin d'assurer > la > s???curit??? de nos systems d'information et qu'elle fur???tera les courriels > entrant. > Merci. > _ > > > > ___ > > > You are currently subscribed to Framers as rinnie1 at yahoo.com. > > Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com > or visit > http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/rinnie1%40yahoo.com > > Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit > http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. > Rene L. Stephenson eNovative Solutions, Inc. Business Phone: 678-513-0051 Email: rinnie1 at yahoo.com
