XML Authoring Projects using Hierarchical Books

Authors can use the Hierarchical Books in Adobe FrameMaker 9 as XML Authoring Projects. They can keep structapps, EDD, Template, Read Write rules etc inside the book component hierarchy.

Fig 1. Snapshot of a Book which contains XML files and all other structured application files in a logical Folder.

If the author is working on a book which is composed of XMLs the author can add the files necessary for authoring structured applications for XML documents. Standard book operations can be performed over such a book while keeping the Structured Application files in Excluded state. These files would then not be included during book operations like TOC, Lists and Index generation.

Fig 2. A book which has an excluded Folder that contains all the files necessary to open the XML document in FrameMaker.

Keeping the structured application files in such a manner would ease the accessibility to these files. Locating and editing these files would be more efficient as different projects can maintain the associated EDD’s, templates and RW rules as projects using books in FrameMaker.

Moreover, the XML’s lying in a book can be associated with a particular application further easing the author in remembering the application to open different XML files with.

To set application to use for an XML file inside a book:

• Select File > Right Click-Select Properties.
• Select Application in the Use Structured Application dialog.
• Select continue to associate the XML file with an Application.

Also, an author can maintain an image repository which might be used frequently. These can be added as unsupported files in an excluded Folder inside a hierarchical book improving accessibility and efficiency.

Fig 3. A book that contains all the images used in the book in an excluded Folder. The images can even lie on web servers.

Similar repositories can be created for other such commonly used files in an authoring project.

Please let me know your comments and suggestions.

Nakshatra Bhardwaj, FrameMaker Engineering