Converting Frame to HTML - template problems?

[Elohsay -at- comcast -dot- net]

Hello gang:

Let me first say that I appreciate and enjoy most all of the posts my
fellow TW's contribute. As a novice in the professional world of technical
writing, I have learned quite a lot regarding theory and tricks regarding
documentation. However, with a 2-week deadline, as a full-time master's
student in addition to my two part-time jobs, and  after exhaustive
research in indexes and TOC's for FrameMaker, I am running out of time.
Without enough time to read entire manuals or to wade through the archives
for "possible" suggestions or solutions to my problem, I am posting my
plea here in hopes of a quick lesson. Hopefully a couple of you will find
my problem familiar and will be able to offer me input regarding where to
look or how to address my problem. In fact, maybe someone can supply me
offline with an example of a template (reference page with "proper" Book
HTML mapping information) that I can peruse to determine where mine is
different and which differences might account for my problems.

As a novice, I have been asked to perform much of the "dirty work" to
relieve the load of my senior TW's. In the past couple of months I have
learned quite a bit about FrameMaker7 and I enjoy this kind of work. But
of late, I have been asked to convert multiple (about 25) Frame manuals
into HTML. I think part of the problem is that these manuals were created
in Frame5.5 and I am now using Frame7 to work with them. Another possible
issue, though I'm not sure if this is a problem or not, is that these
manuals were created in on a unix platform and I am now working with them
on windows. Any clarification of how these two issues might affect my
conversion task is appreciated.

Specifically though, I am having problems with how the HTML pages are
created when converted. For example: after setting specific headings as
the start of new Web pages (manual, level1, title, titleC, etc.) I get the
multiple HTML pages that seem necessary. However, some of the content that
should follow the headings to their new Web page is often left behind on
the first (.htm) page created and I have to manually cut&paste the chunks
to the appropriate page.

Another problem I haven't figured out how to fix is the layout of notes
and warning paragraphs. The original Frame files use a two-column setup
and the .gif image with the "note arrow" and the "warning triangle" are in
the left column in front of the corresponding text. But when the Web pages
are created, the text is preceded by a bullet and the .gif falls on the
next line -after- the text. It makes reading the notes and warnings
onfusing to say the least and I have been manually editing the .html files
to correct this for the first manual I completed. It would be nice if I
could find the tricks to do this automatically without making hundreds of
"repairs" in either the frame files before converting or in the HTML files
after converting.

One more quick question: The procedure I am following includes the running
of scripts to change file names, image names, and other miscellaneous
items. But the scripts are out-dated now and need revising. UltraEdit
doesn't let me cut or type in these .pl scripts. Is there a specific
program or way of editing scripts that you folks would recommend?

Thanks in advance for any help offered. 

--Eloh