This is your main working page for your course entitled Adobe FrameMaker for Content Creation. From this page you can go to study materials, read about project requirements, find out what to name your files, see when projects are due, go to the online textbook and other resources for this course.

We've done our best to squeeze this course down to 8 weeks, 9 weeks if you do the optional final project—without sacrificing essential FrameMaker skills. If you use a 30-day FrameMaker trial, work ahead, and let your instructor know that's what you're doing!

Be aware that while Adobe offers a $32.46 US monthly subscription deal, you have to pay penalties for canceling before the 12-month subscription requirement. Adobe offers an annual FrameMaker subscription for just under $400 US per year.

Currently, the tutorials in this course are based on Adobe FrameMaker 2020 (version 16). Free trial available at Adobe FrameMaker 2020.

FrameMaker is a Windows only product. However, you can use a virtual machine (VM) to run FrameMaker on your MAC device. Here is a community thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/framemaker-discussions/using-a-monthly-subscription-to-framemaker-on-a-virtual-machine/m-p/11929393

Note: Most of the links on this page have been removed.

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

Read about FrameMaker history and important characteristics in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_FrameMaker. 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. technicalcommunicationcenter.com

Due date: unit1_date

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

Due date: unit2_date

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.

Due date: unit3_date

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.

Due date: unit4_date

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. 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.

Due date: unit5_date

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.

Due date: unit6_date

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.

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

Due date: unit7_date

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.

Due date: unit8_date

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.

Due date: unit9_date