FrameMaker vs. InDesign

Good day everyone! I have a client that is considering going from FrameMaker to InDesign...because someone "within Adobe" said that FrameMaker was being phased out and that InDesign will be taking over the large document business. This client has many participant manuals that are text intensive with over 75+ pages, and all graphics are embedded in these documents. One of their products is almost 2000 pages and we use WebWorks to convert to the web.
Quite frankly, I have both products and use InDesign for projects that are graphic intensive and less than 10 pages. I've always considered it a good marketing product. But most of work I do for clients...FrameMaker is king, and never "breaks" like Word.
So the question(s) (you knew that there had to be a question): Is FrameMaker going to be around for awhile? Does anyone know if InDesign is slated to take over the FrameMaker business? What would you say to the client that may want to go from FrameMaker to InDesign?
Thanks,
Cindy

cll-durango wrote:
Good day everyone! I have a client that is considering going from FrameMaker to InDesign...because someone "within Adobe" said that FrameMaker was being phased out and that InDesign will be taking over the large document business.
It's not likely that any Adobe employee, contractor, independent developer, or beta tester, who might know this for a fact, could reveal it without severe legal repercussions. Anyone who might know it officially has to be under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA.)
To calm your client, ask them to vet the reliability of the source of this specific instance of a very long-running and persistent history of such rumors about the demise of FM. So far, they've all been premature.
Quite frankly, I have both products and use InDesign for projects that
are graphic intensive and less than 10 pages. I've always considered it
a good marketing product. But most of work I do for
clients...FrameMaker is king, and never "breaks" like Word.
This client has many participant manuals that are text intensive with over 75+ pages, and all graphics are embedded in these documents. One of their products is almost 2000 pages and we use WebWorks to convert to the web.
ID CS4 has improved output for DreamWeaver Web use. However, if you also use WebWorks for creating Help systems with FM, currently there's no smooth solution for creating help from ID.
So the question(s) (you knew that there had to be a question): Is FrameMaker going to be around for awhile? Does anyone know if InDesign is slated to take over the FrameMaker business? What would you say to the client that may want to go from FrameMaker to InDesign?
Thanks,
Cindy
As InDesign continues to enhance existing long-document features and introduce new ones, it may become a close competitor to FrameMaker in workflows that it's been the wisest choice.
Regarding moving one's workflow from any long-established tool set to another, newer, one, is never simple, clean, and painless. Adobe or a third-party developer would need to provide a conversion method, application, service, or combination, that would make migration of existing documents as transparent and painless as possible, to be attractive in any degree. User training, dual-workflows during the transition, new workflow methods for current third-party and customized follow-on processes, are all significant costs to consider when deciding whether to change or stay put.
I would ask the client to list all shortcomings that they find with FM, what advantages they see in ID currently, and what they hope that ID will introduce in forthcoming releases that would fill important gaps for them, should they become realities. This would be a good place to start.
I would also ask how much cost they expect to save in ongoing operations after a successful migration, and compare it to how much the cost of migrating as described above, plus the cost of licensing new software - InDesign plus any third-party tools - plus some multiplier to allow for the inevitable surprises.
I would also ask if the current workforce would be willing and able to make the transition. Adjust the cost calculation by adding any increased costs for new or replacement employees, and subtracting any expected reduction in employees based on a realistic evaluation of increased efficiency.
Then, I would ask if they have the money, and can justify the costs, and WILL actually spend the money.
IOW, it's a normal business decision that should be based on thorough research.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not connected to Adobe. I'm writing a book for FrameMaker users who want to move to InDesign.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

Similar Messages

From FrameMaker to InDesign

Hi,
I am new to this forum, and I am new to InDesign. I have actually never used InDesign, but I have many years of experience with FrameMaker.
My situation is that many of my clients are interested in switching from FrameMaker to InDesigen, which means that the various applications I have developed for converting text into FrameMaker must now be changed to fit InDesign instead. I have been reading on the web about importing text into InDesign, but quite frankly I am not at all sure how to go about doing this, or if it is at all possible.
With FrameMaker I develop applications in VB, which converts text from whatever format (xml, databases, ascii text files, etc.) into FrameMaker's MIF-format. These MIF-files contains all information needed for the publications, and they are simply read into frameMaker like any proprietary file, and there you have it. I do have an SDK for FrameMaker, but I don't use that for creating documents, as it is both slow and cumbersome to use.
Is it possible to do something similar with InDesign?
I need a way of converting which is very dynamic. I don't have a fixed template for every page, as no pages are identical. It is typically a flow of text with images, tables, lists, etc. which are presented on the page as they come. I need to be able to mark words for indexes, make lists of contents, make cross references between pages, scale images, use new master pages according to contents, and otherwise be able to format the text in any way that you would be able to do directly within InDesign.
I would prefer my convertions to end up in files which can simply be opened (or imported) into InDesign without the user having to do further work (like handling templates or importing text into one chapter at a time). If it can be done in a separatate application without using an SDK, I would like that too, as they usually turns out to be slow. A typical publication would contain 500+ pages, several thousand images and tables, so I would prefer a method that doesn't require hours or days of data crunching (with FrameMaker it takes a couple of minutes to make such a complete 500+ pages publication.)
Any advice is welcome. Even telling me that it would be stupid to switch from FrameMaker to InDesign, because I really don't see the point myself, but if my clients want it, then I do what I can to help them. But talking them out of it could also be a solution. :-)

FrankB62 wrote:
Hi,
I am new to this forum, and I am new to InDesign. I have actually never used InDesign, but I have many years of experience with FrameMaker.
My situation is that many of my clients are interested in switching from FrameMaker to InDesigen, which means that the various applications I have developed for converting text into FrameMaker must now be changed to fit InDesign instead. I have been reading on the web about importing text into InDesign, but quite frankly I am not at all sure how to go about doing this, or if it is at all possible.
With FrameMaker I develop applications in VB, which converts text from whatever format (xml, databases, ascii text files, etc.) into FrameMaker's MIF-format. These MIF-files contains all information needed for the publications, and they are simply read into frameMaker like any proprietary file, and there you have it. I do have an SDK for FrameMaker, but I don't use that for creating documents, as it is both slow and cumbersome to use.
Is it possible to do something similar with InDesign?
I need a way of converting which is very dynamic. I don't have a fixed template for every page, as no pages are identical. It is typically a flow of text with images, tables, lists, etc. which are presented on the page as they come. I need to be able to mark words for indexes, make lists of contents, make cross references between pages, scale images, use new master pages according to contents, and otherwise be able to format the text in any way that you would be able to do directly within InDesign.
I would prefer my convertions to end up in files which can simply be opened (or imported) into InDesign without the user having to do further work (like handling templates or importing text into one chapter at a time). If it can be done in a separatate application without using an SDK, I would like that too, as they usually turns out to be slow. A typical publication would contain 500+ pages, several thousand images and tables, so I would prefer a method that doesn't require hours or days of data crunching (with FrameMaker it takes a couple of minutes to make such a complete 500+ pages publication.)
Any advice is welcome. Even telling me that it would be stupid to switch from FrameMaker to InDesign, because I really don't see the point myself, but if my clients want it, then I do what I can to help them. But talking them out of it could also be a solution. :-)
If clients ask you to switch their work from FrameMaker to InDesign, and after discussing it thoroughly, you and they agree that it's a good idea, then go for it! If you both agree that there's value, good, and if you both agree that it's not appropriate, good, too. Perhaps it's not appropriate at the present time, but perhaps reviewing the decision periodically, after you've both had time to research and experiment with InDesign and have some experience with converting old content, and have compared working in InDesign with converted content, and developing new content, you'll be better able to decide.
Search Google for terms like "converting FrameMaker to InDesign," "FrameMaker vs InDesign," "compare FrameMaker and InDesign," "InDesign scripting," "InDesign and XML," "importing FrameMaker into InDesign," and similar terms, without quotes, for links to a wealth of discussions. You'll find many of my earlier posts on this subject. I often mention DTP Tools' (www.dtptools.com) commercial InDesign plug-in, MIF Filter, as one solution to consider. I have no connection to the company other than having used the product some, and having reviewed it for InDesign Magazine a couple of years ago. You can use the product free as much as you like, to see how well it works on your files. You can't save or print the conversions without purchasing a package of page-conversion credits; it works like a phone card. Depending on your designs and layouts, it may or may not suit your projects.
Here's one from today on this forum: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3206944#3206944
InDesign has a strong scripting capability, using applescript, vb, and/or javascript. It also has a useful XML import ability, but not round-trip like FrameMaker.
The projects you describe sound more like InDesign-type page layout designs, than the usual FrameMaker single-flow documents, so perhaps InDesign would be suitable, especially if you and your clients find FrameMaker isn't completely satisfying. Be sure to look at FrameMaker 9 closely before leaving it - if you've been a long-time FrameMaker user and developer, you may have overlooked some of the newest features.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
Message was edited by: peter at knowhowpro

FrameMaker to InDesign conversion?

I have FrameMaker 7.2 and InDesign CS3. I have a few book projects in FrameMaker that I would like to convert over to CS3. However, one of them has extensive (hundreds) of cross-references (footnotes, basically), and the other has been indexed. I don't mind losing formatting, since I figure I'll be creating a new format in InDesign anyway, but I do mind losing the cross-references and the indexing.
Is there a way to import my FrameMaker files into InDesign that will retain cross-references and indexing?
What I've tried:
I tried saving a test FrameMaker file as RTF, text, and MIF, but InDesign didn't recognize any of these formats. (Though text and RTF would lose my indexing and cross-references, I was trying to see if InDesign would recognize ANY format.)
I found a service online that charges rather steeply for converting from FrameMaker to InDesign, but that isn't an option.
Thanks in advance for any help that is offered.
regards,
Marina

semiwool wrote:
But that tool didn't work with our test files. At the request of the DTP Tools folks, I ftp'd two of our archives. They acknowledged receiving them, but I haven't heard anything since. I'm guessing that these files are too complex for their filter. I should explain that these files began life as design-y Quark files, which were later converted to FrameMaker. So there are a lot of design elements you might not often find in FrameMaker documents.
InDesign table styles and table cell styles are very smart and offer more formatting options than FrameMaker, but InDesign doesn't sort tables, and doesn't have the FrameMaker column-width settings like "make current column same width as column x," or "make selected column(s) as wide as its longest text line."
Here's where I get really confused: ID tables.
In FrameMaker, the Table Tag contains the information about rules. But when I build rule information into an ID Table Style, nothing happens. I get no rules at all unless I ALSO specify rules in the Cell Style. What am I missing here?
Also, this business of associating cell styles and paragraph styles seems like an unnecessary pain to me. What am I missing here?
Also, ID doesn't make a distinction between the title block and heading rows, which is a problem for us because each of these elements is formatted differently in our tables.
Also, ID doesn't have the "table continuation" variable.
Whew! 8-)
There's an InDesign table-sorting script (search Google) somewhere around, but I don't think anyone's yet created scripts for these other features.
As always, submit format feature requests at https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform. The more requests they receive, the better chance it will happen sometime in a future release.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
The DTP Tools' MIF Filter for InDesign commercial plug-in converts conditional text and cross-references.
It's not surprising that non-standard FrameMaker methods and techniques don't convert well with a tool designed for standard FrameMaker, so the workarounds to wrangle Quark originals into FrameMaker may be helpful to the DTP Tools folks to work with going forward. It's always OK to drop a note to follow-up on their progress with your files.
Yes, InDesign turns certain table properties over to cells. Not necessarily better or worse than FrameMaker, just different. One example is that FrameMaker's paragraph format Table Cell margin property is a Table Cell offset property in InDesign. That's consistent with InDesign's text frame offset property; FrameMaker has no text offset property within a text frame that corresponds to this InDesign property.
FrameMaker table formats save the paragraph formats in the first row of table cells. When you create a new FM table with a given format, the last-created table's number of header and body rows, and table columns, are the initial suggestions; the first row of cells has the saved paragraph formats, and so do the additional rows.
True, InDesign tables have no title element. Using the paragraph in which you create the table for the title text probably will do the same thing as your FrameMaker table titles. Search Google for "indesign table continuation variable" without quotes for tips on emulating them.
You'll get used to the fact that these two products are different. One major difference you'll probably see going forward, is that the familar basic FrameMaker tool set that you've grown used to, isn't going to change markedly, even as its user interface, interactive-media options, outputs and frameworks like XML, DITA, etc, do change; compare this to InDesign's steady growth in technical-publishing features, release-by-release. The more you make use of the feature request form, the more likely you'll see some of your requests come to a future release.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

FrameMaker or InDesign (IDML)?

Hello
I have to work with XML file with lots of footnotes page (Footnotes) ...
A long time ago that I no longer put the hand in FrameMaker (v. 8)
FrameMaker or InDesign (IDML)?
I posse the same question on the forum FrameMaker.
Bonjour
Je dois travail avec des fichier XML avec beaucoup de notes de bas de page (Footnotes) ...
Il y a très longtemps que je n'ai plus mis les main dans FrameMaker (version 8)
FrameMaker ou Indesign (IDML)?
je posse la même question sur le forum FrameMaker.

In addition to Arnis' suggestions:
Read this brief description of UniMerge, by Dan Emory. If you're interested in it, email Dan for a copy of his longer description of UniMerge.
UniMerge can probably output the data in a form useful for importing into InDesign as tagged text.
PatternStream may work with InDesign.
Here are some results from a Google Search for indesign database:
Search Results
InDesign DB Publishing
www.65bit.com EasyCatalog™ - a complete database publishing solution
InDesignSecrets » Blog Archive » Great Article on InDesign's Data ...
What you're talking about is database publishing: Taking data from a database or spreadsheet and making it pretty in InDesign. There are lots of options for ...
indesignsecrets.com/great-article-on-indesigns-data-merge.php - Cached - Similar
Database publishing - Directory of plugins for indesign
Powerful, easy to use, Database Publishing for Adobe InDesign ... Xactuell - CODEWARE GMBH Database Publishing with Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress ...
indesign.pluginsworld.com/index.php?...adobe...indesign... - Cached - Similar
Automator - Examples
The first step in creating this example workflow is to open the InDesign template file and the FileMaker Pro database located in the Automator Publishing ...
automator.us/examples-04.html - Cached - Similar
Options for database publishing with InDesign: use XML, InDesign ...
Options for publishing data using CatBase and ?InDesign: use InDesign tags, XML, delimited text files, or Xtags.
www.catbase.com/Tutorials/indesign-publish.html - Cached - Similar
Database Publishing Software Overview
Database Publishing Software. Meadows Publishing Solutions has developed several ... or Adobe® InDesign® documents and virtually any external database. ...
www.meadowsps.com/site/main/overview_db.htm - Cached - Similar
HTH
Regards,
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

Adobe Framemaker V Indesign

Hi,
Probably a daft question, but:
What can Framemaker do that cannot be done in Indesign?
Reason I ask is that I am proficient in Indesign for years now, and I am doing a Masters degree at the moment.
The application that is being used in the course is Framemaker, so I am simply wondering what is the difference between them?
I have installed the trial version of Framemaker and I cannot see what the target audience would be for this application.
Any insight into the intended users of Framemaker would be appreciated so I can understand it better.
Regards

Macnimation wrote:
Hi,
Probably a daft question, but:
What can Framemaker do that cannot be done in Indesign?
Reason I ask is that I am proficient in Indesign for years now, and I am doing a Masters degree at the moment.
The application that is being used in the course is Framemaker, so I am simply wondering what is the difference between them?
I have installed the trial version of Framemaker and I cannot see what the target audience would be for this application.
Any insight into the intended users of Framemaker would be appreciated so I can understand it better.
Regards
No problem with the question. However, it raises others you may want to look into:
* If you're very comfortable in InDesign, why consider changing to a product you're unfamiliar with?
* Does your project (thesis in this case) require anything that your current version of InDesign can't do with built-in features, free or inexpensive scripts, free or inexpensive plug-ins? If you find that InDesign CS5 lacks features, you'll have to wait for a new release that might offer them; if you are using an earlier release, CS5 may have them already.
Have you searched with Google? Here are some good starting points:
* Search for "framemaker's market" without quotes.
* Search for "framemaker thesis" without quotes.
* Search for "framemaker <specific feature name>" without quotes for more information on a feature that's present or missing.
* Search for "compare framemaker indesign <specific feature name> without quotes.
* http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=convert+InDesign+to+FrameMaker
* http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=convert+FrameMaker+to+InDesign
* http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=differences+between+FrameMaker+and +InDesign
* http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=compare+FrameMaker+to+InDesign
After you do your research, if you have questions about specific features present or missing in one or the other application, please start a new thread with the specific question as the topic.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

FrameMaker and InDesign

I am new to FrameMaker (7.2) and I work in localization. What I like about InDesign is the "Package" option where the File, the Assets and the Fonts are combined in a neat deliverable file to the client. Is there no such thing in FM7, or even FM8? I really do not like FM but sometimes I don't have the choice. At this moment, I have to manually create a package (File, images, fonts). Is there a way to do this in FM? Or does a plugin exist to accomplish this?
Thanks,
Luke

I gotta put this on a macro.....
Luke,
Use Bruce Foster's Archive plug-in to create a FM "package" with all source file components. I haven't found a translation contractor yet who can't work with it. http://home.comcast.net/~bruce.foster/Archive.htm
Be aware that it only includes source files -- it intentionally doesn't wrap up fonts; those need to be the installed on the target system. However, you should be able to get an accurate list of what is used from a PDF set up to embed fonts.
Cheers,
Art

Is Framemaker a better option than InDesign for footnote-intensive reports?

We currently used InDesign to layout our reports and briefings, and are exploring it's XML capabilities with a view to output in multiple formats: high-res PDFs, web pages within our CMS, and e-Pubs. We are unable to tag our hyperlinked footnotes for XML output in InDesign, and wondered if Framemaker would be a better tool. Our layouts are in colour, in a 2-column format, contain charts and tables and occasional exhibits, and we adhere to a strict template with both paragraph and character styles.
Any direction or insights would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Andrea

Andrea,
Your sample does not look like being »foot-intensive«, I only find two footnotes. And those will not be a problem for FrameMaker.
For 2-column text layout FrameMaker (as InDesign) gives you the option to create one text frame set to have two columns, or create two connected text frames, each of them one column. To keep the footnote in the original column, you would use the latter method. More information can be found in the online help:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/using/WS6C3D24E6-2965-48bb-B6CF-50D1439AEB01.html
Regarding other elements of the sample pages I don’t see any stumbling blocks. Just be aware that the general approach to layout, and especially when using XML-structured documents, is completely different from InDesign. With InDesign you just move all the frames wherever and whenever you want. With FrameMaker you plan ahead, create master pages and paragraph styles and then follow this original design. Creating layout changes »on the fly« is just not the way you work in FrameMaker. But this limitation is the reason for a higher layout consistency.
- Michael

InDesign vs FrameMaker

I will probably end up needing both, but right now I would like to focus on one or the other. I write aviation manuals and would like an alternative to MS Word, which so far is working fairly well for me.
My typical project is 100-150 pages. I don't have many cross-references or need to reference between manuals.
My question is this: Will InDesign function in a way that will give me the basic word-processing features with headers and footers that can change with each page (for varying revision date and #), or will I need to replace Word with FM?
I will be posting this question on the InDesign forum as well.
thanks,
brian

P Spier wrote:
You can create a text frame anywhere onthe page and put anything you like into it, so yes, you could do that. Put something on the master page and it will appear in that postion on all pages based on that master.
There has actually been some other discussion here in the recent past about aviation manuals and things like tables of effective pages. You might wnat to search the forum for aviation and see what comes up.
Dang! I replied to the post on the FrameMaker forum, and I suggested including aviation in Google search terms. I was going back to add the list of effective pages and LEP to the search suggestions, but you beat me to it.
The FrameMaker thread is here: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3339121#3339121
Brian, it would be a good idea to consolidate your thread on one or the other forum, and provide the link. It gets confusing to switch between them. Perhaps for someone not familiar with both FrameMaker and InDesign, it's not a problem.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

XSLT and generated text using InDesign with xml

I have recently switched from Framemaker to InDesign and am still getting to grips with the differences so apologies if this is a very basic query.
Framemaker was used to format sgml tagged text. You could specify that a particular tag generated a prefix or suffix. You could also specify that the tag should generate the prefix or suffix only under certain circumstances (context rules). The prefixes and suffixes I need to apply are things like open and closing brackets, commas, full stops, and sometimes a bit of text.
I am told that this can be done with XSLT. There are whole libraries of books on XSLT out there and not knowing anything about the subject I really don't know where to start. Does anyone out there who uses InDesign with xml and XSLT have any tips about where to find useful information on the subject?
Thanks in advance for any help on the subject.
Steven

Yeah, we use to have such feature wayback then. Indesign package into GoLive. Kindly look through the idea section and vote massively for this idea.

HTML in InDesign

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone knows how to import HTML documents into inDesign and retain the same formatting from the CSS and also save the existing image tags. I know that you can export HTML but I haven't found a way to import it. If not, does anyone know of a good plugin somewhere that allows for this? I have been looking but have yet to find anything worthwhile.
Thanks!

I know pasting the information in could work, but its more or less a time consuming way with what I am trying to do. I am currently trying to take our books written in Adobe Framemaker, and get them converted to ePUB format for an ipad. The only problem I am running into is that initial conversion that I have to do to get the books from Framemaker to InDesign.The problem is the only InDesign supported formats from Framemaker are .pdf and .html. HTML seems to be the lesser of two evils but it tends to ruin a slight bit of the formatting (not alot, but enough to notice), while .pdf imports into InDesign as a single image per page, therefore it loses all my links. Replacing the links isn't that big of a deal I guess but when ure working with hundreds of pages and hundreds of books, It could be a lengthy process. I am just trying to find the lesser of the two evils for the conversions.

Error in converting a pdf document to a Word document

I have Adobe Acrobat 6 running under Win XP.
My Panasonic Lumix camera manual is a pdf file that I wish to place on my Kindle 4. I copied the pdf file across but, although Kindle is supposed to be able to handle pdf files, it wouldn't with this one - it simply froze when I opened it in the Kindle. I therefore decided to convert the pdf file to a Word document file and email it to Amazon for a free conversion to a Kindle azw file. I attempted to use Save As in Acrobat to save the pdf file as a doc file but, after a few pages, I got the error message:
Bad pdf; could not read page structure. <Bad pdf; error in processing fonts: cannot find CMap resource file> [26-27].

For what it's worth I pulled in some of the product line's user guide PDFs. Those I looked over were authored with FrameMaker or InDesign.
As these both support solid PDF output and from a quick look-see I'd not attribute the core issue to a poorly created PDF.
With that said; two things are evident. They are not Tagged and, with the heavy graphics content, of a healthy file size.
Tagged PDF is more than a little important as this is what provides the essential ingredient for export of PDF content (retaining font info, format, layout, etc.).
A healthy file size associated with the significant graphics content means that what is "under the hood" of the computer in use is significant as export puts a load on these resources.
Example: A local machine having integrated graphics is hard pressed compared to a local machine having a dedicated graphics card with a comfortable amount of onboard RAM.
Due to "design" improvements over the years Acrobat X does a much better job of "export"/"save as" for untagged PDF.
But, "export"/"save as" of a well-formed Tagged PDF trumps.
Be well...

Is there a better option than spark VideoDisplay with AV syncing capabilities

We have developed an AIR application that involves syncing multiple audio tracks with a video track. We are using the Spark VideoDisplay component for video and the Flash SoundChannel object for audio. We are having trouble keeping the audio synced with the video. Is there a better component to use for this? Is there some technique to keeping audio and video synced in Flash/AIR?

Andrea,
Your sample does not look like being »foot-intensive«, I only find two footnotes. And those will not be a problem for FrameMaker.
For 2-column text layout FrameMaker (as InDesign) gives you the option to create one text frame set to have two columns, or create two connected text frames, each of them one column. To keep the footnote in the original column, you would use the latter method. More information can be found in the online help:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/using/WS6C3D24E6-2965-48bb-B6CF-50D1439AEB01.html
Regarding other elements of the sample pages I don’t see any stumbling blocks. Just be aware that the general approach to layout, and especially when using XML-structured documents, is completely different from InDesign. With InDesign you just move all the frames wherever and whenever you want. With FrameMaker you plan ahead, create master pages and paragraph styles and then follow this original design. Creating layout changes »on the fly« is just not the way you work in FrameMaker. But this limitation is the reason for a higher layout consistency.
- Michael

How can i give multiple paragraph styles on the same line

i want to give different paragraph style in the same line in an indesign document. bt when i tried it, it is coming in two different line.
actually i am doing a project in which Frame maker document is transformed into indesign document. in frame maker this is possiable, but in indesign i cannot give different paragraph style in the same line of the document.
Is there any way to do this ????

YaneshTyagi wrote:
i want to give different paragraph style in the same line in an indesign document. bt when i tried it, it is coming in two different line.
actually i am doing a project in which Frame maker document is transformed into indesign document. in frame maker this is possiable, but in indesign i cannot give different paragraph style in the same line of the document.
Is there any way to do this ????
Hi, Yanesh:
Please understand, the FrameMaker feature known as a run-in paragraph, which is a paragraph with a "carriage return" but without a "line feed," HAS NO COUNTERPART in InDesign. InDesign also lacks the FrameMaker side heading feature, which is created by the combination of a reserved area in the text frame and the paragraph property to inhabit that area. FrameMaker separates paragraphs by using the larger of space below paragraph and space above paragraph, but InDesign separates paragraphs by adding the space below paragraph and the space above paragraph.
There are several complicated manual methods of simulating these FrameMaker properties in InDesign.
Here's a recent forum discussion of these exact issues: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3759635#3759635. The thread mentions DTP Tools' conversion tool, the MIF Filter commercial plug-in for InDesign, and discusses its shortcomings. I don't recall it mentioning in-tools.com plug-ins that can simulate side headings, like those in FrameMaker, but they don't convert FrameMaker to InDesign.
You can add your vote for InDesign's developers to include these FrameMaker features, and any others you'd like to see, here: wish.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

Trying to create a template with adjustable text fields.

I need to creat a form or template with adjustable text and image fields. I need to have a background template for multiple pages that when I make a change to the template it make the changes to all pages, like the master page of indesign. I also need to have text and image fields that are specific to each page but the dimensions and placement are controled by the template,but the information inside is page spacific. What program should I use and anyone know a tutorial for help?

What you want would require elaborate programming or dealing with variables in Framemaker or InDesign (Server) to dynamically generate the output upon request. You can of course get part of the features using normal variables in ID e.g. to pull linked images based on some parameters, but generally your request sounds too complex to deal with all scenarios.
Mylenium

How do I create on-line PDFs which will read them to visually impared customers?

I have seen a handful of unanswered questions about getting Adobe Reader to read aloud, on-line or downloaded PDF content to people who are visually impaired. None of them seem to answer the questions about Acrobat X.1 or backward compatibility. Before I spend $45 for one chapter from a book, perhaps one of you experts know of a simple site which explains how to comply with the ADA Americans with Disabilities’ Act.
I know there are many variables like OS, Reader version and user ability to enable their sound card and configure a few settings.
This summary is excerpted from chapter 23 of The Acrobat X PDFBible by Ted Padova, published by Wiley. Follow the link further below to download the complete 16-page sample chapter. Adobe Acrobat is compliant with U.S. federal code regulating document accessibility for vision- and motion-challenged persons. This means that screen readers can intelligently interpret the PDFs you create; in other
words, PDF files can be read aloud in a reading order as a sighted person would read a document. Through an extensive set of keyboard shortcuts available in Acrobat, almost anyone with vision or motion challenges can share your documents and read them. In order for a document to be accessible, you must use authoring applications capable of delivering a document's structure to Acrobat. You need to know something about the internal structure of documents and which programs to use to create the structure required by Acrobat to make a document accessible. Not all the content in a document travels through the PDF-creation process with the information necessary to make a document completely accessible. Therefore, you need to perform some work in Acrobat to either add accessibility or to polish up a document for delivery to a screen reader in a form that makes sense to the user.
In chapter 23 of The Acrobat X PDF Bible, you will learn how to check documents for tags and accessibility, add additional tags and arranger eading orders. Topics covered include:
Using screen readers can interpret accessible PDF files and create audio output for people with vision and motion challenges. Using Adobe PDFMaker for Microsoft products, version 2000 or higher, including Word, Excel, Visio and so on; Adobe PageMaker 7 and higher; and Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe LiveCycle Designer, Adobe InDesign 2.0 and higher are capable of creating tagged and accessible PDF forms. Adding tags to PDF documents from a menu command within Acrobat Standard and Acrobat Pro and Pro Extended. Checking files for accessibility with the Quick Check command in Adobe Reader, Acrobat Standard, and Acrobat Pro and Pro Extended or with a Full Check in Acrobat Pro and Pro Extended. Tagging documents so they contain a structure tree. Elements in the tree locate respective elements in the document if you enable the Highlight Content menu command. Adding alternate text to elements in Acrobat by addressing the element's properties. http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470612916.html
Thanks if you know something helpful

An accessible PDF is a well-formed Tagged PDF.
You start with the proper authoring application that has tag management (there are not that many - discussed below).
Your Tagged output PDF must be post-processed with Acrobat Pro.
You evaluate the post-processed PDF.
If satisfactory, you deploy the well-formed Tagged PDF.
Adobe Reader or Acrobat (from 8.x forward) both provide the read out loud feature (ROL).
While this is not equivalent to a full assistive technology (AT) application it can be useful for simpler narrative content.
However, PDF page content consists of graphic objects (text included) that are painted to the page in a sequence/order that is "machine" centric rather than human centric.
So, the raw print stream's read order can jump around.
(Look over ISO 32000-1 Forward paragraph 2 & Sections 8.1 & 8.2 to get a feel for what "PDF" is (& isn't).)
PDF became an ISO Standard in 2008. This is currently ISO 32000-1. ISO 32000-2 is expected to be out in 2012.
In terms of accessible PDF, ISO 14289-1 is expected to be out in 2012.
ISO 14289 will define/describe the requirements for accessible PDF.
Adobe introduced "Tagged PDF" with Acrobat 5.x (PDF version 1.4) "Full" release.
For Acrobat 5.x this was an add-on that you took from the install CD-ROM.
Since then "Tag" creation, management, etc. has been included with the install of:
(n.b., PDFMaker provides "tag management")
--| Acrobat 6.x Pro (PDF version 1.5)
--| Acrobat 7.x Pro & 3D (PDF version 1.6)
--| Acrobat 8.x Pro & 3D (PDF version 1.7)
--| Acrobat 9.x Pro & Extended (ISO 32000 & Adobe Supplement BaseVersion 1.7, ExtensionLevel 3)
--| Acrobat X Pro (ISO 32000 & Adobe Supplement BaseVersion 1.7, ExtensionLevel 3)
If the PDF is a well-formed Tagged PDF then ROL works its way down the structure tree (which can be viewed in Acrobat Pro's Tags panel).
A well-formed Tagged PDF (built to comply with ISO 32000 currently & going forward built to comply with ISO 14289 / ISO 32000 will, in fact meet current Section 508 criteria and Section 508 Refresh criteria.
Actually, it will met more rigorous criteria (Section 508, compared to other nations' requirements is somewhat anemic).
For English, ROL will read left to right; top down.
Not very useful for understanding tables and some other aspects of more developed content.
AT uses the structure tree to convey the PDF's logical hierarchy and semantic content flow to users.
So, a well-formed Tagged PDF is an essential for users of AT.
Section 14 of ISO 32000-1 provides discussion of logical structure and tags.
An ISO approved copy is at Adobe:
ISO 32000-1
In a nut shell, you'd want to provide a well-formed Tagged PDF.
To effectively consume a downloaded well-formed Tagged PDF end-users will want to use AT (NVDA (free, open source), JAWS, etc.) rather than Adobe Reader / Acrobat ROL.
As to Ted's PDF Bible.
I've got 'em on my bookshelf. Most excellent global references for all things Acrobat.
However, to deploy well-formed Tagged PDF requires more detailed references.
There is the up front authoring. Content must be mastered so as to support output of a well-formed Tagged PDF.
There is the requisite post-processing of the PDF with Acrobat Pro.
There is the requisite understanding of what the tags/elements are & how to properly use them.
There is the need for specific "how-to" with examples.
As to a "simple site" - - well, ahhh, "simple" precludes anything of usable worth, eh.
A search on variations of "accessible PDF" will provide links to resources that provide "how-to".
One resource is the Accessiblilty Forum at the Acrobat User Community.
AUC Accessibility Forum
An older thread there has links to Adobe "how-to" for various Acrobat releases.
An older list of reference material
As the core of Acrobat's accessibility features are largely the same since Acrobat 5.x older how-to documents are still useful.
For the most part, the most definitive discussions of the how-to & the why are in older Adobe documents.
Of course, stuff comes & goes out on the web so the links may or may not be functional.
(n.b., you'll have to copy-paste the URLs into a browser's address bar)
However, a search on a document's title may provide an alternative link.
If not, send me a forum PM.
Remember that the key to success (for a well-formed Tagged PDF) is in the authoring.
Proper authoring with an application that provides adequate Tag management is critical.
--| Adobe FrameMaker or InDesign with Acrobat Pro
--| MS Word with Acrobat Pro (for PDFMaker & ability to perform requisite post-processing of the PDF) for pre Office 2007
--| MS Word 2007 / 2010 have a Save As PDF feature that can provide tag management -- but Acrobat Pro is still needed to perform requisite post-processing
--| Open Office (& Acrobat Pro for requisite post-processing)
Be well...
Message was edited by: CtDave

FrameMaker vs. InDesign

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