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I am assuming that since you are developing paper-based military
documentation, you are using a SGML editor. There is the $64,000 method
which you can create scripts to place the tables on right-hand pages and
wrap the content to the next right-hand page, or you can use a placeholder
for the left-hand page in a nested graphic tag:
This method will require a page break to be placed at the end of the
preceding table, and paragraph formatting (space above/below) to center the
title on the intentionally left blank page. This can be built into a new
paragraph tag applied to the intentionally left blank placeholder. In order
to accommodate future updates, you may want to leave space for entries at
the bottom of the right-hand table pages, for adding rows. Using this
method, the structure view can be used to locate all of the intentionally
left blank placeholders; they can easily be deleted, or moved to other
locations without disrupting the page layout (only the page numbering). I've
seen this method used to create 1:1 text and graphics so that the supporting
graphic appears alongside the applicable text. Your EDD may have to be
modified to allow the table-graphic-table sequence. It works, and it's
cheap. This can be done in plain vanilla FrameMaker - disregard the
structure editor and tag info ... <divine intervention> get back to being
productive if you want to keep your job</divine intervention>
I hope this helps,
Gary Roy
Crane Aerospace
3000 Winona Avenue
Burbank, California
USA 91510
I've noticed the subject of disconnected pages in Frame can cause
otherwise stalwart writers to behave like abused doggies who see a
rolled-up newspaper coming. It's not that I blame them; I've had my
share of spankings trying to "reconnect pages" as well. But I think I
have a situation that calls for disconnected pages, and I just want to
make sure there isn't a better way before I try to sell it to my doc
team. Here's the situation:
An anchored-frame figure appears on a left-hand page, followed by a
multi-page table which is supposed to appear only on right-hand pages.
The idea is that the technician can turn to any page of the table and
refer back and forth between the figure and the table by holding up any
intervening pages, or bending them down, or whatever. Get it? The blank
left-hand pages that back the table must have printed on them, in
time-honored military tradition, "THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK."
What's a Framer to do? The practice around here has been to break up the
table into individual tables, but that strikes me as inelegant and a
time-waster, because every time you edit the content of the table, you
have to monkey with the rows to get it to paginate correctly. Is this
not a situation that calls for inserting disconnected right-hand pages
with the "INTENTIONALLY BLANK" master as one of the last steps before
building the book, or am I asking for trouble? Is there a better way to
do this that has escaped me?
Tim Trese
Documentation Specialist
SAIC-SEALS
321-779-7914
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