Major Steps in Developing a Document in FrameMaker

There are three major steps in developing a document in Adobe FrameMaker. First, you need to define the specification for the document. Next you create a new document and format its template. And finally, you enter your content into the document, edit the material and prepare it for publication.

This lesson will answer those questions.

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Define specification

You need to define what type of document you are producing, what the page layout looks like and what are your paragraph, table and text characteristics. For example, you would define:

• One-sided report or double-sided book?
• Page size, margins and number of columns
• Font type and size for body and heading text

Books

Books typically consist of several types of documents:

• Front section, including title page and copyright page
• Table of contents
• Chapters
• Index

Each has its own specifications.

Specification important

Specification definition is very important to avoid having to make changes in formatting down the road.

Format new document

After the document specification has been defined, you create a new document and apply the specification values to the document template. You can either format a new blank document or use an existing document as a template.

In some situations, the FrameMaker default settings are sufficient.

Enter content and publish

Having defined the document specification and properly formatted your document, you can then concentrate on the writing aspects of the document. You enter your content, edit the content to make necessary corrections or changes, and prepare the documents for publication.

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Plan to do your best

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Resources and references

Websites

FrameMaker Resources