2.4 Importing formats from a conversion template
For conversion purposes, Mif2Go can use FrameMaker Import Formats to temporarily apply a different FrameMaker template to your document. Applying formats from a template that more closely approximates what you want to see in a given type of output is the best and easiest first step to achieve successful single-sourcing from FrameMaker. Import is automatic, and affects only the MIF conversion files, not your original document files. If you have chapter files open when Mif2Go imports formats, those files remain open, and they are not affected by the formats Mif2Go imports. You get true single-sourcing, and you have to specify changes only once, in FrameMaker.
To create a conversion template, prepare a new FrameMaker template that uses the same features and names as the original template for your document, but provides different definitions for the following:
• paragraph, character, table, and cross-reference formats
You can start just by saving a copy of your main FrameMaker template file under a different name, then change the definitions of only those formats that should look different in the output.
Note: If you are converting a FrameMaker book, and some chapter files in the book use a different template, you must create a separate configuration file for each of those chapter files, and an alternate conversion template; then you can direct Mif2Go to apply the alternate conversion template to those files. See §33.1 Using a different configuration for selected files.
If you plan to convert FrameMaker-generated files, such as contents, index, list of tables, and list of figures, do either of the following:
• import, into your main conversion template, all paragraph and character formats from all generated files you plan to convert; or,
• provide a separate configuration file and conversion template for each of those generated files.
Some of the changes you might want to make with a conversion template are as follows:
• Provide cross-reference formats that are underlined and in a different color, and that eliminate page numbers, for Help systems or for HTML output.
• Define TOC paragraph formats that do not include page numbers, for Help systems or for HTML output.
• Change the Show/Hide settings for conditional text, to substitute simpler versions of complex objects that have no counterpart in the output type, or to provide alternate text, or different illustrations. Mif2Go excludes from the output any hidden conditional text.
• Redefine paragraph formats to eliminate sideheads and tabs.
• Redefine heading formats to omit, add, or alter Frame Above or Frame Below.
• Reduce the size range of headings; for example, sizes larger than 18 pt or smaller than 10 pt often look bad in Help systems.
• Substitute redesigned master pages, to alter or eliminate headers, footers, or other background objects.
Mif2Go applies the conversion template as part of the conversion process, without altering your FrameMaker document. However, if you are using Mif2Go to produce an HTML output type and you specify CSS, your CSS settings override display properties both from the original FrameMaker file and from any imported template.
§3.4.1 Importing formats from a FrameMaker template
§34.1.4 Importing formats and conditional text settings
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