Framemaker to Word

Hey guys,
What is the best way to save a Framemaker file as a word document, preserving as much of the layout and details as possible?
Thanks in advance

User MIF2Go from omsys.com to save as RTF.

Similar Messages

  • How do I change the margins in Word output?

    I'm using RoboHelp 9 as an intermediate format to convert FrameMaker 10 source to old-school 7-bit ASCII text with layout. The whole path is FrameMaker > RoboHelp > Word 2010 > Save as MS-DOS Text with Layout. I have this working with MIF2Go but want to switch it to RoboHelp since that's what the company owns.
    The FrameMaker doc's page layout is 8.5" x 11" with .25" margins (8" text column). The text is Courier New 12.
    The Word document generated by RoboHelp has 1" margins. Where can I change that?

    Have you tried creating your own Word template with the required margins and using this when you generate your Word file from RH? See Peter Grainge's site - http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/printing/rh9_printing.htm for details

  • Page/chapter numbering probs in material converted from Word

    Situation: Need to convert ~300 pages (multiple files) of Word into structured Frame. I'm not very familiar with structured Frame (but am working on this), and am a long-time user of nonstructured. Moving Word 2007 files into Frame9 (in TCS2).
    Problem: Chapter/page numbering. No matter what I try, including copies of a file that demonstrably works, one copy does not accept the "Continued" settings for page numbering. It resets the TOC to page 1. Copies of that file added to the TOC also reliably reset page numbering to 1. When I go in to see what's going on I find that the Numbering dialog for each problem file shows it mysteriously reset to start page numbering at 1. (These copies are nearly identical, differing only in a numeral in one heading to remind me what chapter each is file supposed to be.)
    Further, when I added an autonumbered ChapterTitle paragraph at the top of each file to test chapter numbering, the page numbering problem resolved itself (!) but the chapters don't increment as expected. Numbering string: "C:Chapter <n=1>" for Chpt1 and "C:Chapter <n+>" for the rest of them.
    Test setup: Saw this in production files and stepped back to use a simple Word source file as a test. Constructed several Normal paragraphs, a bulleted list, and a numbered list, and two heading levels (Heading1, Heading2) in this file. Saved; closed. Opened the file in Frame (Structured). Created several nearly identical copies and added all to a book file. Added a TOC to the book. Set the numbering: Chpt1 starts Chapter and Page at 1 and all others are set to "Continued" in both categories.
    Added the ChapterTitle paragraph to each file after conversion.
    In one experiment I applied several of the "target" Frame paragraph formats. Target formats were supplied by writer who works primarily in a  structured Frame setup that is similar to the one planned for the  converted material. In one file all paragraphs were set to their Frame equivalents. In others there was a mix of original (as brought over from Word) and Frame formats. Made no apparent difference.
    Questions: Is this something about structured vs. unstructured? About  structured Frame WRT conversion from Word? Either way, has anyone else  seen (more to the point, *resolved*) similar?
    Thanks in advance for any insight!
    Anne

    OK--
    WRT "<$chapnum>": check, thanks for the reminder. (Yes, I agree that chapter/page numbering tabs are different items.) :-)
    To clarify: yes, the idea is a Word > Frame conversion. The process stumbled upon so far starts with opening Word files in unstructured Frame. (I'd never done it, either---never had a need to try. Somebody new to Frame asked if it was possible, so we experimented and voila!) I have recommended dropping files into .mif and then resaving as .fm in order to lose any artifactual Word stuff.
    Step 2 is applying appropriate Frame paragraph styles from a supplied list, and creating book files. (The page numbering issue resolved once I added a ChapterHead paragraph.  Using the <$chapnum> tag handles the remaining chapter number  issue.)
    In theory Step 3 will be the move into handling the fully-converted material as structured Frame documents. The key point, though, appears to be the conversion table. I get this from a WritersUSA article by Alan Houser at http://www.writersua.com/articles/frame/index.html:
    FrameMaker provides a mechanism called a conversion table to automate  much of the task of legacy document conversion. The conversion table  maps unstructured FrameMaker paragraph and character formats to  elements, and allows you to automatically nest groups of elements. If  your legacy documents were created using a style-based authoring tool  (typically FrameMaker or Word [!]) and your authors have used those styles  consistently, you may be able to automate 80%-90% of the conversion  process. If your legacy documents include a significant amount of manual  or ad-hoc formatting, the conversion will be substantially more  tedious.
    Looks like my group will have to create this.
    Thanks, all, for the help. :-)
    Anne

  • Interfacing with Microsoft Word

    Issues with taking Word to FrameMaker, FrameMaker to Word, and troubles with the Word and RTF import/export filters abound.

    Interfacing with MS Word
    Don't bother round-tripping from FrameMaker to Word unless you absolutely have to do it.
    Checkout this valuable resource. Thanks, Tim Murray:
    http://www.techknowledgecorp.com/public/word2frame.pdf.
    FrameMaker does not work like Word. The two products have some features that overlap, agreed, but each has its own unique way of conducting itself.
    If you go between FrameMaker to Word often, consider a third-party filter. Mif2Go (
    http://www.omsys.com) and Filtrix (
    http://www.blueberry.com) are two that others have praised. I have not used either.
    If problems between MS Word and FrameMaker persist, consider removing all graphics before conversion. Reimport them later by reference.
    Consider converting tables in Word to tab-delimited text before importing them into FrameMaker. Convert them back to a table after the import.
    Consider getting rid of headers, footers, table of contents, and index, from Word before importing into FrameMaker--although the TOC and index might come in fine if the planets are aligned in your favor.
    The FrameMaker MS Word and RTF import filters take a looooong time. This time gets especially long if you have some complexities in the source file. Often, Windows inaccurately reports the program as "not responding" when, in fact, the import is still on going. Give the filter a chance, an hour or so. Make a five-course lunch or otherwise occupy yourself, just to give the import filter a chance.

  • Word to Frame - Help Getting Started

    Hello,
    I am working at a place where all the authors write their documents in MS Word - 2007/2010 and I am using FrameMaker 8.
    I've read the Converting Between Word and Frame document that is on the Web, but I wondering about alternative solutions. Specifically, I want to have the writers use a Word Template that I create. The Word template would be built so that when I open the document in FrameMaker there would be little editing required. I generally don't have to worry about the TOC or index because the writers don't create those.
    That is one  idea. I'm just not sure what I need to do or consider when I start creating the template (styles, style names, etc...)
    The other idea I have is to create a Macro that will format the Word document to the way I need it to be. Again, any suggestions on what styles, style names, etc... I need would be helpful.
    Any suggestions about either of the above ideas would be greatly appreciated. Other suggestions would also be appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Michael Randall

    Hi Peter,
    Thanks for responding. Any ideas that help me move the process forward or decide not to are definitely welcome. I've listed my responses below your questions.
    * Will you be the sole or main collector, reconciler, regular, style administrator, etc for the sets of documents? Have you been performing this role already? What have you found to be the most difficult aspects of working in this role?
    I am the sole collector and style administrator. I am in charge of anything documentation. I have worked as a technical writer for about 5 years and I have (I think) pretty solid experience with FrameMaker and Word.
    * Are the Word authors currently skilled enough, and disciplined enough, to produce consistently-formatted documents by adhering to the clear style guide they're expected to follow? If not, will they ever?
    The authors are skilled enough and disciplined enough to produce consistently-formatted documents that adhere to a style guide.
    * Are the Word authors using customized macros and plug-ins to enhance how they work in Word? Would they expect to find similar tools in FrameMaker? What if there are no such counterparts?
    I don't think that the authors are using customized macros or plug-ins.
    * Is there a compelling reason to move to FrameMaker? Are there any FrameMaker features or abilities, or any Word shortcomings, that are driving the decision?
    We already have FrameMaker. The decision to use FrameMaker was made before I arrived. I'm not sure of the initial reason for moving to FrameMaker although I have a suspicion that Word was unable to handle our larger documents. We do have a few documents that are published in Word and when saving as PDF we encounter a few problems, i.e., missing graphics. If I open Adobe Acrobat and generate a PDF from the Word file, it works.
    * Have you been working with FrameMaker already? Have you been doing trial conversions? Are you finding absolutely compelling reasons to migrate, or significant show-stoppers?
    I have worked with FrameMaker for approximately 5 years. I have been experimenting with trial conversions. I have created a small Word document and set up styles in Word that that match (name and styles) the Frame name and styles. I'm able to open the Word document in FrameMaker and the styles look similar. However, Words default style names also show up in the FrameMaker paragraph catalog. I will need to do more experimenting.
    I haven't tested bullets, numbers, tables, or graphics yet., but this solution looks somewhat promising.
    * Do you expect to "round trip" documents between FrameMaker and Word, and back again?
    I don't expect to "round trip" the documents. I'm thinking Word to FrameMaker will be the standard. I suppose if I get real ambitious I could try to figure out how to implement some kind of structured/xml solution so that i could reuse content in other areas.
    IMO, your answers to these questions should give you an idea of what you need to do.

  • Frame vs Word - RH Integration

    I am working on justifying the use of FM for our
    single-source documentation tool. With all the problems associated
    with FM8 -> RH7, what are the pros of this decision? The
    importing of Word documents is almost seamless and seemingly
    painless. There is always the issue of referencing graphics files,
    of course, but does this one advantage outweigh disadvantages
    associated with fighting FM8's massive learning curve?
    Any ideas or comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in
    advance.

    If your documentation is over 100 pages, stay away from Word.
    Author care is right on. Frame is worth the learning curve time.
    You will spend that time pulling your hair out trying to 'tweak' a
    large Word document.
    I am hoping and praying however, that Adobe will produce the
    'printed output' of robohelp in FrameMaker, not Word.

  • Creating Bookmarks in PDF Output

    I am going to be exporting my final InDesign document to PDF. I need to create bookmarks for the document because they are used to access topics in online help. I've attempted to do this by selecting Bookmarks in the export settings, with no results. I am not sure how to get headings in my InDesign document to appear in PDF output as bookmarks. Is there such a thing as a heading style in InDesign, as in FrameMaker and Word? Does anyone have experience doing this? I really need to know how to do it. Thanks.
    Best wishes,
    Tony

    The TOC uses only the headers that appear at the top of each page. How doI get the headings and subheadings throughout the document to appear as bookmarks in PDF?
    A TOC will include whatever you tell it to include.
    Right. Any paragraph-styled text can be extracted to TOC/bookmarks.
    The functionality you want is there, but your statements demonstrate that you've assumed limitations that aren't. They also demonstrate that you're not clueless. Look just a bit deeper.

  • How do I re-enable the Markzware Q2ID conversion options window?

    I'm converting documents from Quark to InDesign using Q2ID. I want the option of converting plain text across from Quark. In InDesign, the only menu options I have for Markzware are Q2ID>Convert Quark document and Q2ID>Help. I've gone to the Markzware online help, and found that Q2ID has a popup Conversion Options window that allows you to convert files without styles. Unfortunately, this window has been disabled. Can anyone help me re-enable this popup window. Markzware help instructions for re-enabling this window follow. Unfortunately, I don't have an Options selection in my Markzware/ID2Q Menu. Can anyone help?
    Once you have set the don’t show option, in order to disable  it:
    1. Go to the Markzware/ID2Q Menu
    2. Select Options
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    4. Uncheck the don’t  show checkbox
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    Now, whenever you select an InDesign  file to convert, the Conversion Options window will appear.
    Read more: http://markzware.com/support/manuals/id2q-manual/id2q-conversion-options-window/don_t-show -option/#ixzz2tmY9PfJ1

    Unfortunately, this doesn't work. I think there must be hidden commands in the converted file coming from Quark or some other application that prevent the style assignment from working. Some of these documents appear to have been converted multiple times. Worst case, from FrameMaker to Word to Quark, then to InDesign. The imported styles seem to be hopelessly garbled. Even deleting the style, creating a new one and assigning it to the paragraph doesn't work. My conclusion is I must re-type the documents from scratch because the behaviour of converted files is unpredictable. Sometimes a selection will take on the attributes of the assigned style, sometimes it won't.
    Any thoughts?

  • RH 6 Index Question

    Good morning!
    I'm creating an index in RoboHelp 6. I've created indexes in
    FrameMaker and Word, but this is a first for me in RoboHelp.
    Certainly there are general principles for a good index that apply
    regardless of the tool.
    Are any best practices, pitfalls, and/or limitations
    associated with RoboHelp?
    Thanks,
    Veronica

    Here are the steps that I’ve taken to generate printed
    documentation for the index.
    From the Printed Documentation screen, these options were
    selected:
    • Output format – Generate Word Doc
    • Enter name – Index
    • Specify path – C:\Documents and
    Settings\vjordan\Desktop\AIM+\!SSL!\Printed Documentation\Index
    Generate individual documents - selected
    Create master document – selected
    • Images – Embed in documents selected
    • Conditional Build Expression – Not Future
    Release, Not In Review, and Not Online (conditional tags excluded
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    Included tags – HTML links, Index, Print
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    • Advanced options
    o Include expanding text – selected
    o Start new chapters on odd pages – selected
    o Include drop-down text - selected
    o Include glossary text – selected
    From the second Printed Documentation screen, these options
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    From the fourth Printed Documentation screen, the default
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    Hope this may be useful to determine what’s going on.
    Thanks for your time and help.
    Veronica

  • Reader 8, Notes/Comments and Permissions

    Greetings,
    We use FrameMaker and Word to create PDF manuals for our field technicians. They use Reader to view them.
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    thanks
    Solon

    I do the actual manual in InDesign make PDF, convert to Word. Send the Word doc which the engineer can actually make changes to with Words track changes and highlight changes tool. He then sends this back to me and I make the changes in InDesign. I was looking to get away from the Word doc and have him make the changes directly to PDF but he does not have full Acrobat just Reader. From what you are telling me this is not something he can do even if I make the pdf form 7 or 8. Any other suggestions besides him getting Acrobat which the company will not spring for.
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  • Erreur de lecture de document (43)

    Suite à des modifications d'un document avec l'outil retouche de texte, il m'est impossible d'enregistrer le document j'ai ce message:  Une erreur est survenue à la lecture de ce document (43). 
    pouvez-vous m'aider avec ce problème ?

    PDF (the file format / technology - see: ISO 32000) is not a word processing file format and does not support word processing like editing.
    Minor touchups are possible with Acrobat.
    If more than minor touchup is neeeded you have two choices.
    Edit in the authoring file (FrameMaker, InDesign, Word, whatever) and output a fresh PDF.
    Use Acrobat's feature to export to a Word file.
    Cleanup the word file and output a fresh PDF.
    A set of tutorials: 
    http://acrobatusers.com/startingpoints/how-to-edit-a-pdf  
    Be well...

  • Master page mapping & two-level running headers

    Using running headers for two or more levels is probably an age-old problem both in Framemaker and Word. I wonder if anyone has a solution that works with master page mapping.
    To elaborate a bit, I have a number of documents with a typical chapter structure like this:
    1
    1.1
    1.2
    1.3
    2
    3
    4
    4.1
    4.2
    When I use a running header that references both first-level (H1) and second-level headings (H2), the previous second-level heading is carried over to the next first-level section. For example, H2 from section 1.3 is carried over to the running header of sections 2 and 3, as there is no new H2.
    The obvious solution is to apply a different master page to sections that have no second-level heading.
    However, I failed to find master page mapping rules that would give me the intended result: When I use a master page mapping rule for H1 paratags ("use a master page with a running header for H1 only, until changed"), it doesn't consider if there is a H2 paratag on the same page. In conjunction with a mapping rule for H2 paratags, the second-level running header would start at the second subsection of every first-level section, i.e. 1.2 or 4.2, leaving 1.1 and 4.1 with a different header (which is a trade-off, but not too nice).
    Do you know of any solution or workaround (preferably without using FrameScript)?
    Thanks in advance for any helpful comments.
    Johannes
    (This is for unstructured documents in FM 8.0p277 on Windows.)

    JohannesKrueger wrote:
    Good news, I think found a workaround myself. (The solution is similar to what I did in Word.)
    My "magic" building block for the second-level running header is
    <$paratext[+,H2,#EmptyPara]>
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    If you like to share your solution, I'd still be interested.
    Johannes
    Hi, Johannes:
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    If the blank paragraphs cause inter-paragraph spacing problems, you might want to create a new paragraph format, "H2_NoSub," for headings that have no subsections, and make it a run-in, so that it pulls the #EmptyPara onto its own line, hence, there's no effect on text flow.
    Yes, you'd need to adjust running header definitions, and TOC included paragraph definitions to deal with the new paragraph format. Just a suggestion.
    HTH
    Regards,
    Peter
    Peter Gold
    KnowHow ProServices

  • Final Artwork Size

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    Thank you. I'm saving as Illustrator (.ai). The Use Artboards is not available. Import options in FrameMaker or Word are unchanged and nothing indicates a selectable option related to this.
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  • How can I go back and forth between Word and FrameMaker

    I have a client who has all their documentation in FrameMaker, but needs to export to MS Word to distribute files for editing by various parties. Once edited, my client needs to bring the updated text back into Frame, ideally without having to re-format the entire file. It was suggested that RoboHelp 10 might work, but they are using unstructured FrameMaker.
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks!

    Jeff's recommending the best tool and workflow; I'll happily second that
    because it creates a much better audit trail of who wrote what and what
    happened to it than Word.
    If you have to user Word, export isn't too big a problem, although I'd
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    Art Campbell
              [email protected]
      "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent and
    a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
                                                          No disclaimers apply.
                                                                   DoD 358
    I support www.TheGrotonLine.com, hyperlocal news for Groton MA.

  • Help with working on Word files that were created in Framemaker and saved as PDF

    Please help. I was given a pdf from a vendor that they created in Framemaker. The pdf was 2+MB. I saved it as a Word doc so I could delete sections that I don't need for our folks but the file is saving at over 20MB (after I deleted a lot of pages from it). It is so large that I cannot even email it. I've tried to zip it and also convert it back to a pdf and in both cases the file only decreases by a few hundred KB while still leaving it over 20+MB. Any idea how I can work this file to take the sections I need without it creating such a large file size? Thank you. Brian

    The contractual requirements between the vendor and your company may be the key. The contract may or may not discuss whether the vendor's permission to modify the material includes an obligation to make the documents usable. "Usable" may be construed to mean providing original files. If the vendor is required to provide originals, they may or may not be required to provide them in a common format, like MS Word, rather than the proprietary FrameMaker format they use. Their providing a PDF may completely satisfy their obligation; your lawyers may be helpful here.
    HTH
    Regards,
    Peter
    Peter Gold
    KnowHow ProServices
    bmr0330 wrote:
    I did ask them for the source file but they haven't been forthcoming with that. I may look into the evaluation copy of FM anyway but considering the price ($868 USD through our catalogue supplier) I doubt I would be able to get a licensed copy once the evaluation runs out. I do appreciate the suggestion though. Thank you. Brian

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