System Variables in Framemaker

Framemaker provides System variables that can be used to generate information dynamically. Each document in Framemaker comes with a set of system variables.

Each System variable has two parts, a name and a definition. A system variable definition can contain the following items:

• Building blocks for system information such as the current page, page count, month, day, year, and filename
• Text characters such as the comma and the spaces that appear in the date May 1, 1997
• Building blocks for character format changes

System variables can be accessed in a document using Special > Variable menu.

Below is the list of System Variables and their usage:

System variable | Default definition | Example of display

Current Page # | <$curpagenum> | 3

Page Count | <$lastpagenum> | 20

Current Date (Long)| <$monthname> <$daynum>, <$year> | October 11, 1997

Current Date (Short) |<$monthnum>/<$daynum>/<$shortyear> | 10/11/97

Modification Date (Long) | <$monthname> <$daynum>, <$year>, <$hour>:<$minute00> <$ampm> | September 24, 1997, 10:48 am

Modification Date (Short) | <$monthnum>/<$daynum>/<$shortyear> |9/24/97

Creation Date (Long) | <$monthname> <$daynum>, <$year> | July 1, 1997

Creation Date (Short) | <$monthnum>/<$daynum>/<$shortyear> | 7/1/97

Filename (Long) | <$fullfilename> | (Windows) c:\Memos\Staffing.fm (Mac OS) Disk:Memos:Staffing.fm (UNIX) /usr/tom/Memos/Staffing.fm

Filename (Short) | <$filename> | Staffing.fm

Table Continuation | (Continued) | (Continued)

Table Sheet | (Sheet <$tblsheetnum> of <$tblsheetcount>) | (Sheet 1 of 2)

Volume Number | <$volnum> | 1

Chapter Number | <$chapnum> | 5

Running H/F 1 | <$paratext[Title]> | Installing Framemaker

Running H/F 2 | <$paratext[Heading1]> | Prerequisites

Running H/F 3 | <$marker1> | Platforms

Running H/F 4 | <$marker2> | System files

Running H/F 5-12 | <$paratext[paratag]> | Commands

Important FrameMaker Shortcuts

Typing Special Characters:

1. A bullet: Press Control+q Shift+%
2. An em dash: Press Control+q Shift+q
3. An em space: Press Esc Space m
4. An en dash: Press Control+q Shift+p
5. An en space: Press Esc Space n
6. A trademark symbol: Press Control+q *
7. A copyright symbol: Press Control+q )
8. A registered symbol: Press Control+q (
9. A paragraph symbol: Press Control+q &

Toggle the document from View Only to Document mode and vice versa:

• Press Esc and then Shift+f l (lowercase L) k

Framemaker, a best tool for technical documentation...

Adobe Framemaker, a tool that is acquired by Adobe is one of the best tools used for technical documentation. The ones who want to know the history can go through Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_FrameMaker.

This tool is very much simple to learn and has all the facilities and options that are required do the documentation. Also this tools is so much portable that one can easily use this tool to document engineering products, software applications, medical projects, financial projects, and so on.

The main book and document concept in Framemaker is very good to keep the book, as a container, separate from the document, which contains the actual contents. The master page is another feature that can be used to create hundreds of different templates for a single book. I really love to create various templates in Framemaker.

This tool also has inbuilt output generation facility. One can generate output in the form of rtf, pdf, html, chm, and so on. However, for some of the output, like html, chm, this tool needs to be integrated with third-party application, such as Webworks.

I will be writing all the basic and advance features, tips, tricks about Framemaker in my blog. So keep visiting my blog.

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Hyundai - i20, my first favorite and the newly launched Car.

I have amazing experience of driving i20. The 1.2L engine is quite good for me, though may not be suited for high speed fans.

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