How to Use XML in Adobe Frame Maker

This article is the one stop shopping place where you will find all the answers you need regarding Adobe FrameMaker and XML. Including detailed tips on how to use FrameMaker XML in your business!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Adobe FrameMaker Software
• Computer
• Entrepreneurial Attitude

1. First off:
   
   Always figure out where to find resouces for your software that you purchase. Typically help can be found at the company website.
2. To create a document from blank paper:
   
   1. Choose File > New > Document. In UNIX, you can also click New in the main FrameMaker window.
3. 2. Do one of the following:
   
   To create a standard one-column document, click Portrait or Landscape.
   
   To create a document with exactly the page size, margins, and number of columns you want, click Custom.
4. 3. If you clicked Custom, do the following and then click Create:
   
   Choose a preset page size or enter the width and height for the pages.
   
   Enter the number of columns and a gap. The gap is the space between columns.
   
   Enter values for the margins, as measured from the edge of the page.
   
   Select a pagination option. If you select Double-Sided, choose Right 1st Page or Left 1st Page from the pop-up menu to determine the side on which the document starts.
   
   Choose the display units for the document. Display units are the units that FrameMaker uses when it measures distances in your document. These display units appear in dialog boxes and in the document window's status bar.
5. Opening and saving XML files
   
   When you open an XML file, FrameMaker retains the file's .xml extension. Also, if you use the File > Save command, FrameMaker saves the XML file in XML format using the .xml extension.
6. You can open XML files that use XML Schema;
   
   Note: You can open XML files containing Unicode content. FrameMaker opens these files by converting them into UTF-8 encoding.
7. To open an XML file:
   
   1. In Structured FrameMaker, choose File > Open. (In UNIX, you can click Open in the main FrameMaker window.)
8. 2. Select the file you want to open, and click Open. And you're done!
9. 3. If the Use Structured Application dialog box appears, choose an application name from the Use Structured Application pop-up menu, and click Set.
10. Then do one of the following:
    
    To associate an application with the file, choose the name of an application.
11. To use default mapping and no read or write rules, choose No Application. (You may want to use this option to browse a file you don't intend to save.)
    
    The WebDAV feature is extended to allow authoring and editing of XML files located on the WebDAV server.
12. To save an XML file:
    
    Do one of the following:
    
    1. Select File Save As XML. In the Save Document dialog box, click Save.
    2. Select File Save As. In the Save Document dialog box, select XML in the Save as type list, and click Save.
    3. Select File Workgroup Save As. In the Save To Server dialog box, select XML in the Format list, and click Save.
    
    FrameMaker saves the file in XML format and preserves the .xml extension.
13. Save a FrameMaker file as XML, method 1
    
    1. In structured FrameMaker, select File Save As XML.
    2. Select the folder in which to save the file.
    3. Specify a filename with an .xml extension.
    4. Choose XML (*.xml) from the Save As Type pop-up menu.
    5. Click Save.
    
    Save a FrameMaker file as XML, method 2
    1. In structured FrameMaker, select File Workgroup Save As.
    2. In the Save To Server dialog box, select XML in the Format list.
    3. Click Save.
    
    Save a FrameMaker file as XML, method 3
    1. In structured FrameMaker, select File Workgroup Save As.
    2. In the Save To Server dialog box, select XML in the Format list.
    3. Click Save.
    
    And you're done!
14. For a complete list of all of the above tips and additional steps involved in using your Frame Maker software with XML, Click on the Resource link in this article near the bottom of the page, for more how to steps.