FrameMaker Book-Building Project

The following is a project to plan, design, format, and build a book on a computer hardware product.

The goal of this project is for you to get some experience developing a template with both paragraph and character tags, formatting text using those tags, creating cross-references, creating index entries, generating tables of contents and indexes, building an entire book

Here's a model of what you are creating: brief user guide. It was developed in FrameMaker then output to PDF. It lacks a glossary and index, but all other pieces of a typical user guide are in place. Your goal is to create a book in FrameMaker that looks as much like this model as possible.

Book-Building Source Files

Here is the source text for these chapters:

• Edition notice
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4

Here are the source graphics for this project:

• All graphics (zipped: but it's huge!)

• front cover logo
• title page logo

• ch1a
• ch1b
• ch1c
• ch1d
• ch1e
• ch1f

• ch2a
• ch2b
• ch2c
• ch2d
• ch2e
• ch2f
• ch2g
• ch2h
• ch2i
• ch2j

• ch3a
• ch3b
• ch3c
• ch3d
• ch3e

Note: Put these graphics in a subdirectory to the directory in which you keep the FrameMaker document files. Name this subdirectory /graphics. (This will eliminate having to send all those graphics, which your instructor already has.)

Book-Building Guidelines

Here are the guidelines for the book-building project:

Note: If you find errors, omissions, or design problems in the following specifications, correct them according to your design sense.

Book components and sequence. Plan to develop a book that has these components in this order:

1. Front cover (one-page document)
2. Title page (combine with edition notice as two-page document)
3. Edition notice (back side of title page)
4. Table of contents (two-page document)
5. Chapters 1—4 (all chapters end on even page)
6. Back cover (one-page document)

Graphics. As you format the chapters, import the graphics "by reference." In other words, when you click File > Import > File and select a graphic to import, use the default setting Import by Reference. This enables your FrameMaker files to load and save more efficiently. When you send this project to your instructor, send just the FrameMaker documents—not the graphics.

Put these graphics in a subdirectory to the directory in which you keep the FrameMaker document files. Name this subdirectory /graphics. (This will eliminate having to send all those graphics, which your instructor already has.)

Page size and master pages. Here are the requirements:

• Set the document for doubled-sided, and force the document to end on an even page.
• Use an 7.5-inch x 9.0-inch book format (width x height). (Adjust the page size not the text frames.)
• Create these three master pages for the chapters:


• Delete the header frames; this project does not use headers.
• Left: 0.725-inch top margin; 1.525 bottom margin; 2.0-inch left margin; 0.5-inch right margin.
• Right: 0.725-inch top margin; 1.525-inch bottom margin; 2.0-inch left margin; 0.5-inch right margin.
• Page1: 1.85-inch top margin; 1.525-inch bottom margin; 2.0-inch left margin; a 0.5-inch right margin.
  
  Note: Because FrameMaker provides no direct settings for right and bottom margins, you have to "do the math." Left and right pages differ only in placement of footers; see below.


• Footers: 8.35 inches from top and 0.5 inches from left edge; the footer frame has a width of 6.5 inches and a height of 0.5 inches.

Pagination and page numbering. Here are the requirements:

• Use sequential page numbering for body text: title page is 1 (but not displayed); edition notice is 2 (but not displayed); TOC is page 3 which is displayed.
• On chapter- or section-first pages, the page number is aligned right (with no footer text).
• On regular left-side pages, the page number is aligned left; on regular right-side pages, page numbers are aligned right. (See below for typography.)
• Use alternating-page layout, with the right-side page first; force all chapters to end on an even page. Note that only the footers are located differently in this page design.
• Use the chapter title in the odd page footer; the "Chapter" and chapter number in the even page footer. Leave 0.35 inches of space between the page number and the text footer.
• On even pages, start with the page number, followed by the text footer; on odd pages (except for "first" pages), start with the text footer, space 0.35 inches, followed by the page number (which is on right margin of the footer frame).
  
  Note: You are welcome to estimate the 0.35-inch space with manual spaces or tabs. However, for a FrameMaker-savvy method, use two footer frames of differing lengths adjacent to each other, as shown here:
  
  
  

Character tags. Develop the following individual character tags:

Note: As you develop these tags, watch out for settings from preceding tags copying over into your new tags. This can occur if you write over the name of a tag you just created and apply only the settings indicated below. For example, if you create a bulleted0 tag, then write over its name with paragraph0, and apply just the settings below to the paragraph0 tag, that paragraph0 tag will include bullets.

chap_num	Lithograph Light (or similar) 48pt, bolded, white (in blue-shaded graphic box)
chapter_label	Arial Black 9pt, black, 20% spread (use this tag on CHAPTER in the blue chapter-number box).
color_num	Arial Black 12pt; blue (use on numbers of numbered-step items throughout)
footer_text	Garamond 9pt (used in paragraph tag right_ and left_page_number)
if_clause	Garamond 11pt, italic (used in paragraph tag problem0)
warning_label	Arial Black 12pt; blue
important_label	Arial Black 12pt; black (used in paragraph tag important0 and important025)
note_label	Times New Roman 11pt; italic, bold, black (used in paragraph tag note0)
mac_symbol	WingDings 11pt; black (in Wingdings the letter z is the Mac symbol)
square_bullet	WingDings 12pt; black (use the letter n)
left_pointer	WingDings3 (use the letter t), or Webdings (use the numeral 4) 12pt black

Paragraph tags. Develop the following individual paragraph tags:

chapter_title	Garamond, 36pt bold with 70% stretch; 18pt space below pgf; 43pt line spacing; black
chapter_numeral	Lithograph Light (or similar) 48pt, bolded, white (this will appear in the blue-shaded graphic box). Include <$chapnum> in the Autonumbering blank under the Numbering tab.
head1	Arial Black 12 pt, blue; 10pt space above pgf and 7pt space below pgf
head2	Arial Black 10 pt, blue; 12pt space above pgf and 9pt space below pgf
paragraph0	Garamond, 11pt; 5pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation
paragraph025	Garamond, 11pt; 0.25in left-indent; 12pt space above pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation
bullet0	Garamond, 11pt; 0.25-inch left-indent, 0.25-in tab, 0-inch first-line indent; 2pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use character style square_bullet for bullet symbol.
problem1	Arial Black, 9pt; 9pt space above pgf and 3pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. (Used for problem statements in troublshooting chapter.)
number0	Garamond, 11pt; 0.25-inch left-indent, 0.25-in tab, 0-inch first-line indent; 6pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use character style color_number for the list number.
number_first	Garamond, 11pt; 0.25-inch left-indent, 0.25-in tab, 0-inch first-line indent; 6pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Set n=1 to force list number to equal 1. Use character style color_number for the list number.
anchored_frame0	0-inch left and first margins; 12pt space below pgf. Use for images only
anchored_frame025	0.25-inch left and first margins; 12pt space below pgf. Use for images only
note0	Garamond, 11pt; 5pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use "Note:" in the Autonumber box and apply character style note_label.
important0	Garamond, 11pt; 0-inch left margin; 12pt space above pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use "Important" in the Autonumber box and apply character style important_label.
important025	Garamond, 11pt; 0.25-inch first and left margins; 12pt space above pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use "Important" in the Autonumber box and apply character style important_label.
warning0	Garamond, 11pt; 0-inch first and left margin; 11pt space above pgf and 5pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use "Warning" in the Autonumber box and apply character style warning_label.
warning025	Garamond, 11pt; 0.25-inch first and left margin; 11pt space above pgf and 5pt space below pgf; 11pt line spacing; no hyphenation. Use "Warning" in the Autonumber box and apply character style warning_label.
left_page_number	Arial Black 9pt black; left-aligned before text footer (chapter number). Use character style footer_text on text.
right_page_number	Arial Black 9pt black; right-aligned after text footer (chapter number). Use character style footer_text on text.
table_cell0	Garamond, 11pt black; no hyphenation.
table_title	Arial Black, 9pt white (on blue-shaded cell background); 9pt margin space below pgf; no hyphenation.
cover_title	Garamond 48pt black centered; 42pt line spacing; no hyphenation.
copyright_line	Garamond 11pt black bold.
edition_notice_title	Garamond 11pt black, 9pt line spacing, 24pt space below pgf; no hyphenation.
edition_notice_text	Garamond 9pt black, 9pt line spacing, 4pt space below pgf; no hyphenation.
chapter_titleTOC	Times New Roman bold 10pt black; first- and left-indent 0.25 inch. (Remember chapter_titleTOC is the tag that FrameMaker generates.)
TOCFirstLevelEntry	Arial 12pt bolded blue; (Remember TOCFirstLevelEntry is the tag that FrameMaker generates.)
head1TOC	Times New Roman 10pt black; first- and left-indent 0.25 inch. (Remember head1TOC is the tag that FrameMaker generates.)

General requirements. Here they are:

• Once you have developed all the tags, start a new file and import everything from your template file to your new file. After that, import the text for the chapter into the file.
  
  Warning: Copying the text off web pages or other applications is a bad idea. Use FrameMaker's import function instead.
• When you import files, remember to select Copy into Document in the Import dialog. If you see the Unknown File Type dialog, select Text. When you see the Import Text File by Copy dialog, select Merge lines into paragraphs. For Encoding, select ASCII.
• Delete all other unused and FrameMaker-supplied tags.
• On some pages you will have to "copyfit" to make all the text and graphic elements fit.
• Build the complete book from all of the chapters, generate the table of contents.
• Automate all available numbering streams, including chapter numbers, page numbers, table and figure numbers, and so on, as applicable. Ensure that cross-references, TOC page numbers, page numbers, and chapter numbers are automated, not hand-entered.
• To send this project to your instructor, compress ("zip") the FrameMaker files into a single file, and send that compressed file to your instructor. (Don't send the graphics.)

Send This Project to Your Instructor

• Remember to send both the .book file as well as all the .fm files. Please delete all .backup and .lck files!

• Send "zipped" archives of this project. Do not send the graphic files. Normally, you'd send a separate zip file containing the graphics for this project. But your instructor has the graphics in a subdirectory called /graphics.

• Name the compressed file according to your first and last name, the assignment number, the draft level, and an extension. Name the compressed file using your first name, an underscore, your last name, 05a for the assignment number and draft, ending with .zip as the file extension. For example, if your name is Lucy Brown, name the first draft of this project lucy_brown_bookformat1.zip; the first revision, lucy_brown0_bookformat2.zip, and so on. If you've not used compression software to "zip" file, see compressing files. To work effectively as a technical writer, you must be comfortable with this technique.

• Send this compressed file as an e-mail attachment to your instructor. Expect to receive e-mail confirmation that your instructor has received your files. If not, contact your instructor.
  
  Note: To be safe, keep a safe copy of this and all other assignments. Expect to receive confirmation from your instructor that your e-mail attachments have been received. If you don't receive e-mail confirmation in 3 or 4 days, get in touch with your instructor.

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