FrameMaker plug-ins

Properties of FM plug-ins
Essential FrameMaker plug-ins
Further links

Properties of FM plug-ins

FrameMaker plug-ins speed up your work. In contrast to plug-ins in other applications, FrameMaker plug-ins need not be present at a target installation opening a FrameMaker document handled with plug-ins.

Two types of plug-ins are distinguished in the context of FrameMaker:

• Explicitly developed programs using the FM Application Programming Interface (API). These programs normally are developed in C++. The smaller number of these are free, most authors request a moderate fee. Only few are expensive, but very powerful.
• Scripts for the general-purpose plug-in FrameScript, which belongs to the first category. Scripts are text files and many of them are freely available.

When installed, plug-ins become visible as additional functions to standard menus (such as Graphics > Clear Runarounds) or they set up an new main menu (such as FrameScript).

A special kind of plug-ins react on specific events. They become active, for example, just before a file is saved or when a graphic is imparted. The operation of these plug-ins may completely be hidden or become visible by a modified or new dialogue.

Essential FrameMaker plug-ins

A 'complete list of FrameMaker plug-ins' does not exist. This is my personal list of 'must have' plug-ins. For special needs, some authors provide services to develop custom plug-ins to solve special problems in a distinct environment.

AutoText
Systec Toolbox
Endnotes
Enhance
FrameMaker Express Customisation
Index tools
MIF-browser
More plug-ins

AutoText

Purpose	Allows you to define a set of text or graphic items and easily insert them into any FrameMaker document. The items may be tables and other objects.
Author	Silicon Prairie Software
Type	Shareware, USD 10.-
Platforms	SUN Solaris, Mac, Windows
User interface	Top menu AutoText with defined items as menu entries. Submenues may be defined. All items are defined in autotext.fm .
Documentation	PDF with the product.

Systec Toolbox

Purpose	Sets of tools divided into 4 levels: Basic: Handling formats (free) 1: Statistics, format lists, special characters, definition editor (e.g. edit all x-ref formats at once) 2: Book transfer, FM <-> MIF, named destinations 3: Replace format names, handle and adapt imported graphics, left/right alignment (e.g. or formats in side heads), masterpages (assign according to ¶ format on a page), update chapter TOC 4: Server analysis
Author	Systec GmbH, Germany
Type	Commercial, USD xxx.- (Basic set is free)
Platforms	Windows, Mac
User interface	Top menu Toolbox with various submenues. User dialogues and FM definition documents.
Documentation

Endnotes

Purpose	Collect notes similar to footnotes at end of file or book (in this case a generated file ("loe" — List of Endnotes).
Author	frametools.com
Type	Commercial. Currently Endnotes is part of a package (xxx); Package USD xxx.-
Platforms	Windows, Mac ???
User interface	???
Documentation	???

Enhance

Purpose	Provide structured view of the document (comparable to MS Word structure view). Format hierarchy can be defined (e.g. headings). Collapse and expand structure, move structural elements.
Author	SandyBrook Software
Type	Commercial, USD xxx.-
Platforms	Windows
User interface	Top menu Enhance. Enhance uses an own window for its functions and operations on the FM document.
Documentation	FrameMaker documents with the product.

FrameMaker Express Customisation

Purpose	Enhance Button bar and Formatting Bar for larger screens. Provide useful keyboard-shortcuts. Add access to useful documents to Equation palette.
Author	Shlomo Perets, mycrotype.com
Type	Freeware
Platforms	Windows
User interface	Enlarged button bar and Formatting bar, new KB-shortcuts, additional table in Equation palette, more Help topics.
Documentation	PDF within downloaded file.

Index tools

Purpose	Provide in-text entry of index information and switch to standard FM index markers. This makes index maintenance (find, replace etc.) very easy.
Author	Silicon Prairie Software
Type	free ???
Platforms	Windows
User interface	Main menu Index Tools with few entries
Documentation	PDF ???

MIF-Browser

Purpose	Display the structure of a MIF file similar to a directory structure. Display the contents of the structural elements.
Author	Graham Wideman
Type	Freeware
Platforms	Windows
User interface	Program dialogue with two panes for structural view and contents view
Documentation	HTML within downloaded file or on site.

More plug-ins

Name	Description	FMx	Price	Source
Clean import	Deletes all paragraph and character tag names, table definitions, cross-reference formats, conditional text tags, master pages, reference pages, and variable definitions from the current document, then allows you to import selected formats from a template (another document).	≥ 6		Electropubs
EZVars	EZVars is a modeless dialog box very similar to the Character catalog. It lists all variables in the document and allows you to insert the content of a variable into the document simply by double-clicking on a variable name. Creating variables and modifying variable definitions continues to be done using the standard Variables window.	≥ 6		Electropubs
Archive		≥ 6

 

Further links

Find more plug-ins and FrameScripts listed on various places:

German Frame User site www.frame-users.de