Re: cross-reference markers and online help

["Janice Enger" <enger -at- ilog -dot- fr>]

Here's a strong recommendation: Use hyperlinks instead of custom ("one-off")
xrefs, which are difficult to track and maintain (also limited in number per
file if you get really enthusiastic about adding them). A hyperlink allows
you to use the word or phrase that is already in the text; to this you add
the hyperlink capability.

The key to adding a hyperlink is putting a character tag (any character tag)
on the hyperlink word(s) to make it different (to Frame) from any
surrounding character tags. For example, if you are adding a link to a
manual name 'Frobish User Manual' that is in italics, then it already has a
character tag applied. However, in your case you want to add that link to
just the plain word 'manual.' For this you will want a 'hypertext' character
tag (that is exactly what I call mine) that allows you to designate a word
or phrase as different from the surrounding text, but otherwise does not
change the character design.

So, first you want to create a hypertext character tag with everything set
to As Is: Format-Characters-Designer-Commands-Set Window to As Is; then
Commands-New Format, type 'hypertext' (or whatever name you want to give it)
and with Store in Catalog checked, click Create.

Now, every time you want to reference a destination by anything other than
the destination's actual name or title (for which one of your standard xref
formats will work), do this:

1) At the destination, place a 'newlink' (Special-Hypertext-Specify Named
Destination), syntax "newlink <markername>".

2) At the source(s), place a 'gotolink' to create the link. Use the
sequence: select the word or phrase (e.g., double-click the word) and click
'hypertext' in the f Catalog; then add the link with (Special-Hypertext-Jump
to Named Destination), syntax "gotolink <filename:markername>" where you
include the "filename:" only if the destination is in a different file.

Just a few other advantages (or at least parallel features to xrefs): you
can spot hypertext markers in the text (because they're markers) whereas
xrefs are typically invisible. In Frame you can generate a list or index of
hypertext markers. You can use IXGEN to list and (if you need to) edit the
hypertext links, because they're markers. You can test all your hyperlinks
a) at the time you add them with the 'Validate Command upon Insertion'
option checked, b) individually with Ctrl-Alt-click (Windows, see Help for
others), c) all of them with Esc v h.

And, lastly, if you're getting deeply into Frame, check out the
framers -at- FrameUser -dot- com list.

Hope this has not bored the professional Framers.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Swallow, William" <WSwallow -at- courion -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2001 2:18 PM
Subject: RE: cross-reference markers and online help


> Edit the cross-reference definition. Get rid of <$paratext> and just use
the
> word "manual" (no quotes). Then use that cross-reference definition when
> linking to the manual's title. You should just get the word "manual" in
your
> output... hyperlinked, of course.
>
>
> ::  -----Original Message-----
> ::  From: Lori Lake [mailto:LLake -at- rpmtec -dot- com]
> ::  I am trying to create a cross-reference marker using
> ::  FrameMaker 6.0 that
> ::  will allow a portion of a sentence to be inserted.
> ::  What I'm finding is, that when I insert the
> ::  cross-reference, the entire
> ::  title of the manual is inserted (not just the word manual).
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



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