Software Need - Advice and Recommendations Requested

[Jeremy H. Griffith]

On Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:26:00 -0400, "Loren R. Elks" 
<lelks at exstream.com> wrote:

>Program Need
>My company is looking for a program that will enable us to automate the
>PDF process on our documentation.  Currently generating PDF output from
>our FrameMaker based documentation set is time consuming and user
>dependant. Our current process leaves us open to user error and file
>corruption.  We would like to find a program that can generate PDF
>output from FrameMaker Files that fits the following guidelines.

Have a look at the free runfm.exe utility that comes
with Mif2Go.  Note that you do not need to purchase
anything (including Mif2Go) to use it.  The version in
the demo software is fully functional; just install
the demo, and it will work.  No time limit or license
restrictions.  Download at:
  http://www.omsys.com/dcl/download.htm
Also see the User's Guide, Chapter 29, "Converting via 
runfm" for more details.  The WinHelp version of the
UG is included in the demo package; many other formats 
are available (free) on the download page.

>Program Minimum Requirements:
>System requirements for automation software
>Software must be compatible with:
>* FrameMaker 7.2
>* Acrobat Professional 7.0
>* Acrobat Distiller 7.0
>* TimeSavers 4.0 from MicroType (we use this utility to make the links
>in our documentation work)

Yes.

>Functional Requirements:
>Software must be able to complete the following tasks:
>* Open a FrameMaker .book or .fm file

Yes.

>* Update .book or .fm files to include recent page, link or content
>changes

We can add that easily.

>* PDF using the TimeSavers setting (Use customized PDF Job Options and
>can use a customized prologue and epilogue in the distillation of a
>PDF.)

Yes.

>* Store document build information. Program can retain FrameMaker
>information and PDF output settings so documents can be generated at a
>later date without having to reprogram.

Yes; the info is stored in Frame, just as with manual PDFing.

>* Select individual PDFs to generate. Example, in a set of 60 guides we
>should be able to tell the program to generate PDFs for a specific 10
>guides without having generate PDFs for all 60 guides.

You specify books and Frame docs to open and close
as you wish, interspersed with commands to PDF them.

>Output Requirements:
>Output must remain consistent with manual output. Manually generated PDF
>must match Automated PDF exactly.

Yes.

>Other Requirements:
>We would strongly prefer that the software found be able to handle the
>changing of FrameMaker Variables on a Book level. However, if this
>functionality is not found within a piece of software, we would still
>consider its use.

As in importing a Frame template with the right vars?
We can add that too.

HTH!

-- Jeremy H. Griffith, at Omni Systems Inc.
  <jeremy at omsys.com>  http://www.omsys.com/