Template conversion, framemaker native formats

[Combs, Richard]

Andersen, Verner wrote:
 
> I am converting an old template to a new one. Everything is to be
> converted including master pages and reference pages.
> 
> 
> Procedure:
> 1. I copy all contents into a blank document
> 2. Import all formats from template to document
> 3, Convert format using paragraph tool, character tool and table tool
> from Silicon Prairie.
> 4. Remove overrides
> 5. Save untitled document with old file name.
> 
> Framemaker paragraphs like Bulleted, Numbered and Body suddenly were
in
> my document.
> I guess I should have deleted them from my untitled document before
> importing the formats.
> 
> Do you have an easer way of converting a fm template or is this the
> standard procedure?

When you create a "blank document" (File > New > Use Blank Paper) it's
not really an empty, formatless document -- it has a pgf catalog, char
catalog, master pages, ref pages, xref formats, etc. 

IIRC, these default formats/settings come from the shellnew.fm file in
your FM installation's fminit directory, and you can modify that file so
future "blank" documents have the characteristics you want. 

But I'm not sure what the point of step 1 in your procedure is. If you
have a template file, as you suggest in step 2, save a copy of it under
a new name and paste the contents into that instead of into a "blank"
document. 

Or just perform steps 2-4 and then use the Silicon Prarie tools to
quickly delete the old, now-unused formats. 

Or, as Art suggested, get a tool like CleanImport or Rick Quatro's
FrameScript conversion solution. 

Step 1 doesn't really gain you anything. Unlike Word, FM doesn't have
dedicated, special-purpose template files that you "hook" into your
regular docs. An FM "template" is just a plain FM file. So once you have
one set up as you want, just copy and use it.

Richard


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
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