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Enhanced Tool Bar (ETB) for FrameMaker 14 and higher

Note: The official (marketing-) product name for FM version 14 is FM Edition 2017, that for version 15 is FM Edition 2019 and version 16 is called FM Summer 2020 Edition… However, program-internal 14… are used.

See also: Deutsche version; English version for FM-7.2/8, FM-9…11, FM-12, FM-13

What is ETB all about?

With FM-14 Adobe fell back into to the November look with grey icons. For FM-15 it was hard work to convince Adobe to provide coloured tool bar icons. Therefore ETB provides a full set of coloured tool bars for both versions, including addidional functions.

This is a screen shot from a Swedish user from ETB-16:
ETB on the screen of Mats Broberg, Sweden

Read the full documentation to see all features in detail.

What's about FM updates?
Download and installation
Uninstallation

[To top/bottom of page]What's about FM updates?

ETB v9 was developed for FM-15 and retro fitted for FM-14. An update of FM may require an updated version of ETB. Look at Download and installation for an update of ETB.

  1. Uninstall ETB before you update FM (use button Remove ETB of the installation program) – FM updating processes may not work with installed ETB.
  2. When updating or re-installing FM, keep the preferences.
  3. Update FM.
  4. Install ETB again.

[To top/bottom of page] Download and installation

Attention: Windows Defender may react to this installation with a virus warning. This is a false positive. You may check this with an upload to Virustotal
Please consult the documentation for instructions how to avoid intervention by Windows Defender. This most useful feature has the quirk to quarantaine most compiled AHK scripts.

Note: All software from D+DD is Donationware - if you find it helpful for your work, think about supporting also my work.

  1. Close FrameMaker. if necessary.
  2. If you have ETB installed already and want to update with a newer version:
    • Run the installation program from the shortcut in the Start Menu
    • Use Remove ETB to de-install it from FrameMaker
    • Remove any probably existing stand-alone scripts in %APPDATA%\Adobe\FrameMaker\vv\StartUp\ (ETBFmIdent.jsx, ETBinsertSymbol_en.jsx, ETBtest.jsx or ETBToggleViews.jsx)
  3. Download the appropriate ETB installation file
    4. FM version        
    14 Date Version Installation file Latest changes
      2017-06-26 7.1 Inst-FM14-ETB-en.zip
    • First issue of ETB for FM-14.
      2020-03-26 9.0
    • Ancillary scripts combined into ETBextras.jsx
    • ETB menu re-arranged an placed in FM-ident menu to the left of the file menu
      2020-04-11 9.1
    • Single buttons for Case Change replaced by one button with drop-down menu
    • Single buttons for Cell Alignment replaced by one button with drop-down menu.
    • Bottons added for Delete table row(s) and Delete table col(s)

    Note: Due to an error in the Workspace handling these flyout buttons become active only after switching WS to Authoring and then back to ETB.
      2021-05-27 10
    • Replaced: Button for Jump next (which worked only in view mode) by Regain display. This function is very desirable if a script has left the display 'hidden'
      2021-10-26 10.1
    • Correction: AuthoHotkey-script ETBextras compiled.
    • Documentation updated.
      2022-02-08 10.2
    • Vertical toolbar missed graphics for character formatting
    • Documentation amended concerning Windows Defender
    • Installation now logs version into maker.ini:
    15 Date Version Installation file Latest changes
      2018-08-27 7.5 Inst-FM15-ETB-en.zip
    • First issue of ETB for FM-15.
      2020-03-26 9.0
    • Ancillary scripts combined into ETBextras.jsx
    • ETB menu re-arranged an placed in FM-ident menu to the left of the file menu
      2020-04-11 9.1
    • Single buttons for Case Change replaced by one button with drop-down menu
    • Single buttons for Cell Alignment replaced by one button with drop-down menu.
    • Bottons added for Delete table row(s) and Delete table col(s)

    Note: Due to an error in the Workspace handling these flyout buttons become active only after switching WS to Authoring and then back to ETB.
      2021-05-27 10
    • Replaced: Button for Jump next (which worked only in view mode) by Regain display. This function is very desirable if a script has left the display 'hidden'
      2021-10-26 10.1
    • Correction: AuthoHotkey-script ETBextras compiled.
    • Documentation updated.
      2022-02-08 10.2
    • Vertical toolbar missed graphics for character formatting
    • Documentation amended concerning Windows Defender
    • Installation now logs version into maker.ini:
    16 Date Version Installation file Latest changes
      2020-04-11 9.0 Inst-FM16-ETB-en.zip
    • First issue of ETB for FM-16.- not published.
        9.1
    • Single buttons for Case Change replaced by one button with drop-down menu
    • Single buttons for Cell Alignment replaced by one button with drop-down menu.
    • Bottons added for Delete table row(s) and Delete table col(s)

    Note: The problem mentioned for FM-14 and FM-15 for the flyout-buttons does not exist any more.
      2021-05-27 10
    • Replaced: Button for Jump next (which worked only in view mode) by Regain display. This function is very desirable if a script has left the display 'hidden'§
      2021-10-26 10.1
    • Correction: AuthoHotkey-script ETBextras compiled.
    • Documentation updated.
      2022-02-08 10.2
    • Vertical toolbar missed graphics for character formatting
    • Documentation amended concerning Windows Defender
    • Local Help file (PDF) is now for FM-16.0.4
    • Installation now logs version into maker.ini:

    Note: FM-help (PDF, chm) and additional documentation may not be available from Adobe for the first issue - hence document content may be for the previous FM version. ETB will be updated as soon as the documents are available.

  4. Unpack the ZIP to the Desktop. You should get only 2 items: file PrepInstall-etb-en.exe and directory InstallETB
  5. Execute PrepInstall-etb-en.exe . The Picture shows the installation programs for ETB-15
    Pre-installaion dialgue for ETB
  6. Use Continue. This opens the installation program:
    Installation program
  7. Use Install ETB to install the ETB functionality (see herafter, what is installed).
  8. After a short time a message box indicates successfull installation (see first note below).

Note: There are cases – especially in companies where only an admin may install programs – where files can not be copied to the user area. In this case only manual installation according t o the method mentioned in the documentation will help: see heading Possible installation problems..

What is installed on your computer ?

%APPDATA% is the symbolic name for the User area. The real path name depends on the OS.
$HOME is the installation directory of FrameMaker.

[To top/bottom of page] Uninstallation

If you want to get rid of the enhancement and go back to the original FM installation:

  1. Start the installation with the shortcut in the Start Menu and click Remove ETB .
  2. All files of this installation will be removed (tool bars, work spaces, icons, config files etc.).
  3. Since this is not a Windows un-installation, you must delete the installation directory and the short cut manually to get rid of all items. On the other hand theier existance allows to install ETB again later.
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 URL:  Created: 2017-06-15  Updated:
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