Application of multiple character tags in generated documents

[McCarthy, Brian P]

Richard's advice is good, though another view on the same point might help make it theologically neutral, heh-heh...

Think of it in terms of the PURPOSE of the char-tags you are applying---like Richard said, is it a product name, or a foreign word, or a menu command? Either way, your two-format tag could reflect that purpose in its name ("Emphasis" or "Definition"). 

By following this model (tags defined by purpose/content), you can then begin getting away from tags defined by format ("Bold" or "Italic" or "Red") and so the proliferation you feared begins to wash out. For every tag you create that's semantically smart but "roughly" one-off, you begin to see how you can eliminate a tag that's semantically blind and dumb, and which also has problems when used in combination with other such format-based but content-dumb tags.

This type of change will also help in case you ever go to a structured environment.

Which of course you long to do. Right?

- B.Mc.


-----Original Message-----
From: Combs, Richard [mailto:richard.combs at Polycom.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 10:17 AM
To: VLM TechSubs; Framers
Subject: RE: Application of multiple character tags in generated documents

VLM TechSubs wrote:
 
> I apply 2 character tags to a word in a heading. Both tags are
> correctly reflected in the appearance of that word. But when I produce
> a ToC, only the last tag applied is reflected in the format of the
> corresponding word.
> 
> Obviously, I could make a "special" tag to take care of this ... and
> I'm not all that fond of tag proliferation and the use of roughly one-
> off tags. Is there another solution?

FM only "remembers" one char tag for a given text string. When you apply two char tags, you're creating an override. It's as if you'd applied the first char tag's settings as ad hoc formatting. Since I never apply multiple char tags, I wasn't aware that doing so would affect a TOC entry. 

I suggest you create a single char tag that correctly formats the text -- bold and red, italic and small caps, or whatever. For one thing, you'll avoid those overrides and thus have a purer soul. For another, it will make things much easier when, some day in the future, you have to change all instances of that word (a product name, maybe?) to, say, small caps and cerulean blue. :-)

Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
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