RE: Single Sourcing in Framemaker

["Sean Brierley" <sbrierley -at- Accu-Time -dot- com>]

Well, I appreciate your concerns.

This is the help I offered: "I build spacing into my styles and use
styles consistently." If you need more information, please reply on-list
and if I have something else to offer, I'll offer it. If that help is
not good enough or not what you were looking for, I can appreciate that
and am certainly not offended. Truth be told, I don't know your
qualifications, your audience, your employer, or what you are working
with, so I'm not in the best spot to provide the perfect answer.

This thread belongs on-list because there's a ton of really good
technical writers there who can add their input to help you, as well,
AND because others can learn from the discussion.

Cheers and happy Friday,

Sean


-----Original Message-----
From: Ronquillo, Michael [mailto:mronquillo -at- equitrac -dot- com] 
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:57 AM
To: Sean Brierley
Subject: RE: Single Sourcing in Framemaker


So in other words you won't help me? Perhaps a solution would have saved
time rather than redirect me? Thanks for sharing.

Michael Ronquillo
Technical Writer - Equitrac
1-800-472-9532 x2334
mronquillo -at- equitrac -dot- com

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Brierley [mailto:sbrierley -at- Accu-Time -dot- com] 
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:54 AM
To: Ronquillo, Michael
Subject: RE: Single Sourcing in Framemaker

Hi,

Reply on list, others will help you. I consider only
structured-FrameMaker users as advanced, and I don't use structured. I
build spacing into my styles and use styles consistently.

Cheers,

Sean

___________
Sean Brierley
Technical Writer
www.accu-time.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Ronquillo, Michael [mailto:mronquillo -at- equitrac -dot- com] 
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:50 AM
To: Sean Brierley
Subject: RE: Single Sourcing in Framemaker


You sound like a very advanced FM user. I'd consider myself
intermediate.

You say don't use hard returns, so how can I fix the spacing?

Michael Ronquillo
Technical Writer - Equitrac
1-800-472-9532 x2334
mronquillo -at- equitrac -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+mronquillo=equitrac -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+mronquillo=equitrac -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Sean Brierley
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:46 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Single Sourcing in Framemaker

Yes, I have for multiple products and different audiences.

Once you set the book up you can just show/hide, regenerate, then BAM!
Of course, when applying conditions you must consider spacing ... but
you should figure out how pretty quickly.

Don't use hard returns. Don't. It makes more work even if you don't use
conditions or even if you don't use FrameMaker.

What happened to the previous tech writers? Too efficient and left for
greener pastures? LOL! <j/k>

Cheers,

Sean


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sbrierley=accu-time -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sbrierley=accu-time -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Ronquillo, Michael
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:39 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Single Sourcing in Framemaker


The previous Tech Writers at my company single sourced a book for three
brands. I'm finding it a huge chore with conditional text, mainly with
respects to spacing and hard returns. As the books get larger it's even
more of a chore because I have to find every single instance. I wish it
was just show/hide conditional text, and bam your book does not have to
be inspected.


Having said that, has anyone ever successfully single sourced books in
Framemaker? Is it even worth your time, or should I just create separate
books for each brand to save the headaches and time?
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