FrameMaker 11: Effective reviews with Line Numbers, Track Text Edits, and Change Bars

FrameMaker makes the reviewing process for your Document, Book, or DitaMap very simple and effective, allowing users to share inputs, review, modify and track all changes made to the original content.

Line Numbers

With FrameMaker 11, you have the option of Line numbers which gives each text line a unique identifier. Line Numbers are maintained consistently for multi-flow and multi-column formats. They are consistent throughout the document and can be turned on or off. FrameMaker smartly recalculates line numbers, in case a text line is inserted between two paragraphs. You can see the Line Numbers settings from Format > Document > Line Numbers.

Line number properties
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Line number properties

You can specify various Line Number properties, and can also select to restart the line number at each page.

Track Text Edits

You can enable the Track Text Edits (TTE) to track review comments and other corrections made to your content.

Enable track text edits
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Enable track text edits

Review process can be carried out in a collaborative environment and multiple authors can review the same document. You can filter the comments/changes based on the author names (an author name is taken from the Username under which FrameMaker was running during the review).

You can also decide the scope for the TTE to be specific to a Document, Book, or DITA-Map.

Text modification highlighted
https://blogsimages.adobe.com/techcomm/files/2012/11/Text_modification_and_Change_bar.png

Text modification highlighted

Any text added to the original content with TTE enabled appears in the default Green color, and the deleted text in Red with strikethrough. You can change the default color configuration for corrected/revised text from Special > Track Text Edits > Configure Color.

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Track text edits Color settings

Change Bars

You can keep a track of revised text with respect to the last version with Change Bars. The Change Bars can be enabled from Format > Document > Change Bars. You can enable it to automatically track the changes automatically. It appears before every modified line in a paragraph. You can customize the thickness and color properties of the change bars.

Change Bars properties
https://blogsimages.adobe.com/techcomm/files/2012/11/Change_Bars_properties.png

Change Bars properties

By using a combination of these three features, you can manage your document reviews effectively in FrameMaker 11.

Things to remember:

Line numbers appear in PDF output as well.
Line numbers are set at the Document (FM or MIF) level.
You can jump to a specific Line Number by specific the corresponding number in the Line Number space in the FrameMaker workspace.
TTE scope can be set to be applicable for a Book or DITAMAP, only when they are opened.
You can preview a Final Copy or Original Copy of your reviewed document from Special > Track Text Edit > Final/Original Copy. You can turn off the preview later.
Change Bars do not detect changes for graphics imported by references, unless their filenames have been modified at source.
Change bars are automatically updated for any modified cross-references.

Submitted by: Anjaneai Srivastava, Tech Support Consultant