RANT: FrameMaker's "help" function

[Deirdre Reagan]

Look at that!  Yes indeed.

If only someone would invent a function that allows a link between
text in one file and text in another file.  Ah, a girl can dream.

LOL

Thanks,

Deirdre

On 10/3/08, Peter Gold <peter at knowhowpro.com> wrote:
> Hi, Deirdre:
>
> In FM Help, it's common that information is present, but it is
> described in terms that aren't exactly the ones you expect or search
> for, or it is buried in the mass of found topics.
>
> Your search did find what you needed, about 12 lines down, in the
> topic, "Breaking tables at a specific place."
>
> Searches in Help file that's included in your FrameMaker installation
> (the one that comes up with the F1 key, or from Help > Help Topics) is
> and in the online Help you get by choosing Help > Complete FrameMaker
> Help, which takes you to a page at Adobe.com sometimes rank responses
> differently. Under User Guides, Using Adobe FrameMaker 8, clicking
> LiveDocs takes you to a searchable online version of the User Guide.
> Searching for table break returns the topic "Breaking tables at a
> specific place" as the third entry.
>
> This is all un- or under-documented. LiveDocs for some Adobe
> applications work like wikis - you can post comments and correction
> requests directly to them.
>
> You can contribute greatly to the FrameMaker community if you'd post a
> formal request at
> http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform to make
> the FM LiveDocs interactive, and also to correct the LiveDocs, PDF,
> and distributed versions of the FM Help topics "Controlling page
> breaks in tables," and "Controlling where tables begin" to include
> linked references to  the topic "Breaking tables at a specific place."
>
> Future generations of FM users will thank you.
>
> HTH
>
> Regards,
>
> Peter Gold
> KnowHow ProServices
>
> On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 2:56 PM, Deirdre Reagan <deirdre.reagan at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Is anyone else as annoyed by FrameMaker's useless help function as I am?
> >
> > I want to put a page break in my table.  Here's what I get when I type
> > "table break" into the Help search function:
> >
> > ***
> > Controlling page breaks in tables
> >
> > If all the rows of a table don't fit in a text column, some of the
> > rows move to the next page or column. You can control how the table
> > breaks between pages or columns. For example, you can set the minimum
> > number of rows that can appear on a page or column, or specify that
> > two rows always appear together on the same page or column. You can
> > also force a break at any row in a table.
> >
> > When you insert a table, the minimum number of rows in a column or on
> > a page is determined by the table format. You can change this number
> > in the Table Designer.
> >
> > On the other hand, keeping two rows together and forcing a page break
> > are not part of the format; they are custom settings, which you make
> > on a case-by-case basis. If you apply a different format to the table,
> > these settings are not overwritten.
> >
> > For information on controlling where a table starts on a page or in a
> > column, see Controlling where tables begin.
> > ***
> >
> > Ok.  So, I can control how the table breaks.  Great!  I can force a
> > break at any row in a table.  Fantastic!
> >
> > Anyone notice anything missing?
> >
> > I especially like this nugget of useful information: "forcing a page
> > break [is] not part of the format; they are custom settings, which you
> > make on a case-by-case basis."
> >
> > Um, where?  How?
> >
> > In case anyone here doesn't know, it's Table> Row Format > Start Row:.
> >
> > Deirdre
> > _______________________________________________
> >
>