When you complete a unit, click the complete Unit button for that unit.

Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can easily return.

Links have been removed from this page. To take this fully linked course, contact admin@mcmassociates.io.

Use the course overview to see what this course contains and how it works.

Read about FrameMaker history and important characteristics. Note that this course does not cover HTML conversion, EDD (Element Definition Document), MIF, or XML or DITA support. Those topics would be a separate course!

Read about Desktop publishing software to get an idea of what this category of software is capable of.

Use FrameMaker basics to see how to create a file, save it, format it, save it.

Use the FrameMaker memo guide to work through FrameMaker basics and create your first FrameMaker document—a memo! Send your memo to your instructor.

Importing Microsoft Word documents into FrameMaker is not covered in this course, but give it a try (optionally):

1. Find a simple Word document on your computer.
2. Start a new FrameMaker document: click File > Import > File.
3. Navigate to that document, select it, and—all importantly!—click Copy into Document.
4. Just take the defaults for the rest of the process.
5. Check to see that you can edit the imported document.

If you didn't use standard Word-supplied styles in your Word document, the result will be a mess. Revise your Word document using standard Word paragraph and character styles, and try the import again. For details, see:

• MS Word Character and Paragraph Styles.
• How to Import a Word File into an Adobe FrameMaker Document.
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If you've ever used Microsoft Word, this will be familiar territory. Initially, they were called "tags," but Adobe changed the name to "styles," possibly to parallel Microsoft Word's use of the word. Tags (okay, styles) are your best frriend: they contain settings for fonts, margins, color, alignment, tabs and more. Instead of changing every instance of a color, you change it once in a style and it ripples through all the instances.

Use the styles study guide to learn about FrameMaker styles, which Adobe changed to "styles" around 2008. Use supplied styles to create a FrameMaker document.

Learn how to insert graphics into anchored frames and position those frames on pages. See how to create tables and format them in a variety of ways.

Use the graphics study guide to learn how to add graphics to your FrameMaker documents, and create a FrameMaker document in which you include graphics and tables.

Use the anchored frames study guide to learn how use anchored frames.

Use the tables study guide to learn how to add tables to your FrameMaker documents, and create a FrameMaker document in which you include tables.

Use the master pages study guide to learn about and practice creating FrameMaker master pages.

Use the reference page study guide to learn about and practice creating FrameMaker reference pages.

Use the templates study guide to learn about FrameMaker templates.

In this unit unit, you have a choice of formatting existing text with graphics according to directions, or you can write your own brief procedure. Or you can do both! Either way, your project will contain master page, reference page, and character and paragraph styles. Because any FrameMaker file can act as a template, no need to set up a template.

Use the formatting project study guide to do this project.

or

Use the brief-procedure study guide to create your own FrameMaker brief-procedure project.

Now comes the heavy lifting! In this unit, you build a complete FrameMaker book using unformatted text and images your instructor supplies. Your FrameMaker book will be fully automated: chapter and page numbers will auto-increment; chapters will begin on odd page number; TOC will build automatically; product names will be set as variables; indexing page numbers will build automatically. All standard components of traditional hardcopy books will be present.

Use the book building study guide to guide you through the whole process of building a FrameMaker book. Zip your files and send the zip to your instructor.

In this unit, you take the very big step of generating a FrameMaker index from a a set of FrameMaker files. You also see how to set up cross-reference within and between files. And finally you see howc to create the common types of index entries and then build a totally automated index.

Use the TOC study guide to learn about and practice creating FrameMaker tables of contents.

Use the cross-reference study guide to learn about and practice creating FrameMaker cross-references.

Use the indexing study guide to learn about and practice creating FrameMaker indexes.

(Optional) Use the indexing project study guide to practice creating a FrameMaker index for three files.

Autonumbers are a powerful tool in FrameMaker: use them to control the different numbering streams for numbered lists, chapter numbering, table and figure numbering. Variables are another powerful tool: use them to stand in place of text that is likely to change such as product names, version/release numbers, company names, snd so on.

Use the autonumbering study guide to create a FrameMaker file with multiple automnumbering streams in it.

Use the variables and conditional text study guide to create a FrameMaker file with one more variables in it and conditions for displaying different information.

If you successfully completed the previous unit on FrameMaker book building, you have earned your FrameMaker badge! However, an original FrameMaker project that you create with your own content would be an excellent addition to your portfolio.

Use the final project study guide to plan and develop your FrameMaker original project. Zip your files and send the zip to your instructor.