Structured Framemaker, FDK and XML Blog

Leximation offers an array of Framemaker plugins to automate or streamline a wide array of tasks techwriters often wind up performing:

• BookVars - Manage FrameMaker variables at the “book” level. Define multiple variable groups and easily switch between them by updating the variables in all files. Allows you to sync up the variable definitions in all files and/or delete unused variables. 
• BookXRefs - Manage FrameMaker cross-references at the “book” level. Define multiple xref groups and easily switch between them by updating the xrefs in all files. Allows you to sync up the xref definitions in all files and/or delete unused xrefs. 
• CheckFileStatus - Notifies you when opening a read-only file. 
• ComboBook Generate a new book file that contains all of the non-generated files from all open book files. Also build a new book from a list of files. 
• ExtraCharFormat - Allows you to set the “OffsetVertical” and OffsetHorizontal” character style properties (which are not available through the Character Designer). 
• FileTools - Provides additional commands to make it easier to import, export, convert, and process files in FrameMaker. This plugin also includes the ability to read and write MIFML files from structured or unstructured files. 
• ListShortcuts -  Generates a list of the command shortcuts currently available in your FrameMaker installation. 
• MarkerTools - Useful commands for working with markers (index or others) in FrameMaker. Enhanced marker dialog; search for both marker type and text; marker expand/collapse; marker export/import; marker variables and building blocks. 
• MIFML-Converter - Command line utility to convert MIF files to MIFML and MIFML files to MIF. A MIFML file is an XML representation of a MIF file. 
• MyHelp - Customize the Help menu in FrameMaker by adding menu items that open your Help files, PDFs, or other documents. Also enables context sensitive linking from elements and styles in your document.
• RestoreWindows - Restores the window location, zoom factor, and view settings of opened documents along with the show/hide state of frequently used tool windows.
  

Many of these tools are commercially licensed, but some are free, and look like bargains at twice the price… (Sorry, couldn’t resist the quip. Even the free ones do look pretty cool.) As a matter of development philosophy/pain points, many of these don’t look like my holy grail– tools that you can invoke from Perl or some other standard language, so you can incorporate Framemaker into larger scripts– but they will probably save many writers from unpleasant drudgework.