FrameMaker vs. InDesign, round CS4

[Peter Gold]

Hi, Sarah: (I also posted on your blog)

"...UNTIL NOW...," as the late movie trailer guy might say, I've been
under Adobe's non-disclosure agreement for ID CS4 pre-release testers.

"...BUT, IN A WORLD..." where disclosure can now be thrown to the
winds, I'll add a few comments.

ID's been sneaking up on FM's long technical-document authoring tool
set for a few releases. ID CS3 added system- and user-defined
variables, running headers, table styles (named table formats), cell
styles, named object styles, and nested styles - the ability to
specify a pattern that applies named character styles to matching
content within paragraphs - and it improved numbered lists a HUGE
amount.

ID CS4 is closing in with new additions that matter to technical
authors: cross-references, conditional text, smart text reflow
(real-time adding new pages as needed, and deleting them when empty),
along with boosting the already-powerful nested paragraph feature to
include, selecting by a GREP pattern as you noted, and also by line
number within the paragraph, so the nth line will get the character
style you specify, no matter how it wraps or flows, and the ability to
repeat (or loop) applying the sequence of styles (sort of a macro
ability.)

FrameMaker users who don't use CS3-level Adobe Illustrator or
Photoshop will need time to adjust to Adobe's corporate user
interface, and learning new ways to perform familiar tasks.

Plus, just because something's on the package label, trust - but
verify. Don't assume.

Here are a few FrameMaker features that you may miss:

 * Run-in paragraphs
 * Side headings and side-heading area
 * Paragraphs that flow with text and also straddle multiple columns,
and multiple columns AND side heads
 * Table sorting
 * No Track Changes
 * No logical conditional text expressions - AND and NOT were added in FM 8
 * No "size matters" inter-paragraph spacing - FM uses the larger of
space below and space above for paragraph spacing. ID, like most other
applications, adds the space below and space above, which makes it
more complicated to set up paragraph formats that will space as you
need, regardless of who-follows-what.
 * Frame above /below paragraphs can contain graphics, text, or a mix.
ID's rules above/below paragraph are great, but they aren't
containers.

Here are a few FrameMaker features in ID CS4 that are a little more
complicated to do:
 * To jump to a cross-reference source from within FrameMaker, instead
of Ctrl+Alt+Click, you click in the Cross-Reference panel
 * Index markers support multiple-level entries, but can't create
multiple entries in one marker like FM's ":" technique
 * Without run-in paragraphs, you need to strategize to create TOC
entries from a partial heading

There's a very good third-party conversion tool that converts MIF
files to InDesign (dtptools.com). However, migrating FrameMaker
content to InDesign depends on what FrameMaker are in them for which
InDesign has no direct counterpart, whether you use a commercial tool
or do it manually. It's something like converting Microsoft Word files
to FrameMaker. There's work to be done.

The conversion tool's nearly-clonelike reproduction of FM pages in ID
comes from its minute adjustments of paragraph formats, meaning many
formats are overridden uniquely. Most of the tweaks are paragraph
settings - space between, run-in, side heading, straddle headings,
frame above/below, table-cell properties.

One of the greatest ID features from early on is the INFINITE UNDO
UNDO UNDO! It doesn't clear its history when you perform certain
actions. You can experiment nearly forever, and roll back to "square
one." ID saves every action you perform - an instant autosave; after a
crash, it can restore almost every last one.

If you're considering ID as a replacement for FM, test-drive ID in
parallel with an FM project or two, to see if your wishes are rewarded
or exceeded, and if your needs are served. During my testing, I
compared the long-document features so much that I decided to write a
book on the core issues for FrameMaker users moving to Indesign.

FM Mac diehards - don't forget that ID works on Mac OS X, both Intel
and PowerPC G4/G5 chips. FM's stuck at 7.0 on Classic or OS 9 on Mac.

Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices