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