Connection between Table Designer and Paragraph Designer?

[Yves Barbion]

Hi Eva

As Rick said, you cannot specify different formats for different rows, but
this does not mean that you cannot apply autonumbering to the rows of your
Step-Action tables (I guess this is an Information Mapping template?).

You can do this as follows:

   1. Use the InstructionNumber Paragraph Tag only (this is a paratag, not a
   table tag) and put this in the left cell of the first body row.
   2. In the table header row, use autonumbering for the cell which has the
   text "Step". You may want to create a dedicated paratag for this, in which
   you reset the numbering to zero. I use the tag z_steptitle for this, to make
   sure that the numbering in my Step-Action tables always restarts at 1.
   3. Open the Table Designer and click Update All. All Step-Action tables
   which you insert from now on will (or should) have correct autonumbering. To
   test this, insert another Step-Action table and add some rows.

Some other tips:

   - Use a single tag only for numbering. "NumberedFirst" and "Numbered" is
   a no-no because you are using two different tags for something which is
   basically one and the same thing: numbered steps. If you want to reset the
   numbering for some reason, you can do this with a stem sentence (and
   corresponding tag).
   - Don't use Step-Action tables. Use simple numbered lists instead. A
   Step-Action table doesn't add value to your content, on the contrary.
   Moreover, it takes some gymnastics to put a table in a table (embedded
   if-then tables) in FrameMaker. Inserting an if-then table in a numbered list
   is a lot easier.
   - Don't use Information Mapping. It's a proprietary (and thus
   restrictive) information model. Use DITA instead, open, freely available and
   supported by all major editors and content management systems. See also:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Information_Typing_Architecture


If you cannot get the autonumbering of your table right, just send me 1 FM
file and I will fix it for you (free of charge).

Good luck.

Kind regards

-- 
Yves Barbion
www.scripto.nu


On Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 3:08 PM, Rick Quatro <frameexpert at truevine.net>wrote:

> Hi Eva,
>
> You can't specify different formats for subsequent rows; only the first row
> of each type can be set.
>
> Lines are set in the Ruling tab of the Table Designer. You can create and
> edit ruling formats by choosing Table > Custom Ruling & Shading. Then click
> the Edit Ruling Style button.
>
> Rick
>
> > Hi Rick,
> >
> > Thanks for this valuable info.
> > What I still don't get is how/if I can update the format on the
> subsequent
> > rows?
> > The header row is fine. The first body row is fine (left cell has
> > InstructionNumberFirst table tag), but the second body row should have a
> > left cell of InstructionNumber as the table tag. And this I don't achieve
> > even after following your steps below... Is it perhaps so that the steps
> > below only affects the two first rows (header + first body row)? I need a
> > change on the second (and subsequent) body rows for my automatic
> numbering
> > to work...
> >
> > The table looks like this now:
> >
> > Header:   Step  Action
> > Body 1:   1.    xxxxxxxx
> > Body 2:   1.    zzzzzzzz
> >
> > The body 2 should of course be "2.".
> >
> > Also, do you happen to know where settings like line colors are set?
> >
> > Thanks very much,
> >
> > Eva
>
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