SII

Introduction

This manual provides instructions for using, maintaining, and installing Softline International, Inc. (SII)'s FrameMaker Table API, a tool for importing ASCII text files into FrameMaker tables. This FrameMaker API was developed to improve the process of importing tables produced by software such as Cadence, Lotus, and other process control equipment, into FrameMaker tables.

Product Overview

Major Features

This FrameMaker API has three distinct advantages over the standard FrameMaker table functions:

The normal FrameMaker provided method of converting text to a table does not always produce the desired results, has severe limitations, and requires several steps. Additional formatting is generally necessary after importing the file, even if the data is imported successfully. When the data changes in the text file, the only way to reflect those changes in the document is to manually type them in.

With the addition of the Table API, imported tables may have much more sophisticated table format than tables imported directly through the normal FrameMaker method, as well as more sophisticated paragraph formatting. For example, customized ruling and shading, headings, footings, and titles, and cell straddling may all be stored in the table format. This is accomplished by using the reference pages to store table formats, which the API uses as templates. Character formatting is accomplished by inserting markup symbols into the text file.

The Refresh Tables feature of this API allows you to update all the tables in a document or a book file at once. This reduces the chance of data entry error and saves an enormous amount of time.

Processing Overview

When user selects a table to insert, the Table API gathers information from three sources: the ASCII text file containing table data, the current FrameMaker document, and the initialization file, which it uses to create a finished table in the document.

The Table API first uses the filename extension of the ASCII text file and uses it to find the table format in the initialization file. (See Chapter 3.) It then searches the reference pages of the current document for a table using the same format.

If the appropriate format is found, it is copied to the body page and used as a template into which the imported data is copied. If a table with the appropriate format is not found on the reference pages, a new table is created using the Frame table format name from the table catalog.

The API then reads the ASCII text and inserts it into the table, formatting the text according to the rules in the initialization file and markup symbols in the text. The finished table appears in the document.

When the user selects the Refresh Tables option, the API searches for imported tables, deletes them, and reinserts the tables using any updated information in the ASCII text files. This can be applied to a single document or an entire book file.

Figure 1-1. Processing Overview

How to use this guide

General Users
Users who are concerned primarily with adding and updating tables within FrameMaker documents should only read Chapter 2. "Invoking the Table API". Appendix A. "Error messages and codes" provides additional reference material. General familiarity with FrameMaker4 is assumed.

Table Designers
Users who are responsible for preparing data for tables should read Chapter 3. "Preparing Information for Table API". Familiarity with FrameMaker4 and product being used to prepare data is assumed.

System Administrators
Users responsible for installing software should read Chapter 4. "Installing Table Conversion API". You should know how to install FrameMaker4 and have general Unix system administration skills to install the program.

Reference material

Additional reference material may be found in the following documentation:

Table Inserter API: Contents Invoking the API Preparing Information Installation Error Messages Sample Initialization File How API uses Markers
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