Inline anchored frames

To position an anchored frame in line with paragraph text—for example, to hold a small graphic such as a picture of a keycap—choose the At Insertion Point anchoring position in the Anchored Frame dialog box. When you put a space on either side of the anchored frame, the frame moves along from one line to another as you edit the document, as if it were a word (rather than being attached to the preceding or following word).

You can adjust the frame’s position up or down relative to the baseline of text by dragging the frame or by specifying a value for the Distance above Baseline option in the Anchored Frame dialog box. A value of zero aligns the bottom of the frame with the baseline of the text. A positive number moves the frame up; a negative number moves it down.

Zero distance and negative distance

If the frame obscures text in the line above or below, turn off fixed line spacing to allow the line height to change with the contents of the line.

Fixed line spacing on and off

tip: To shrink an anchored frame to the dimensions of its contents and place it in the line at the anchor symbol, select the frame or an object in the frame and press Esc m p. To enlarge a frame and place it below the line that contains the anchor symbol, select the frame or an object in it and press Esc m e.

Anchored frames in a column of text

To position an anchored frame in a column of text, choose the Below Current Line, At Top of Column, or At Bottom of Column anchoring position in the Anchored Frame dialog box.

Below current line and at top of column

An anchored frame positioned at the top or bottom of the column moves only when its anchor symbol moves to another column.

important: To place an anchored frame below a line that contains a run-in head, place the anchor symbol in the body paragraph, not in the run-in head. Otherwise, the anchored frame obscures the text below the run-in head.

When you choose the Below Current Line, At Top of Column, or At Bottom of Column anchoring position, you can set the following properties.

Horizontal alignment

Choose the frame’s horizontal alignment from the Alignment pop-up menu. You can align the frame at the left, center, or right. In a double-sided document, you can also align the anchored frame closer to or farther from the binding edge.

Farther from binding

Cropping

To prevent a wide frame from extending beyond the edge of the column, use the Cropped option.

Cropped off and on

Floating

Use the Floating option to let the frame float to the next column that can hold it if the frame and its anchor symbol won’t fit in the same column.

Floating off and on

When Floating is off, both the frame and anchor symbol move to the first column that can hold them. White space remains at the bottom of the column. When Floating is on, the anchor symbol doesn’t move, but the frame floats to the next column that can hold it. Text from the next column fills the space between the anchor symbol and the frame.

Anchored frames in multicolumn layouts

An anchored frame in a multicolumn text frame can straddle columns, and its position may be affected by straddle paragraphs.

In a straddle paragraph

When a frame is anchored in a straddle paragraph, the frame straddles columns just as the paragraph does.

Wider than a column

An uncropped anchored frame that extends into a second column of the body area straddles columns in the body area. A frame that extends into the side-head area straddles the side-head area as well.

Straddling side-head area and all columns, and straddling only columns

A cropped anchored frame straddles columns only when it’s anchored in a straddle paragraph.

At top or bottom of column

When the anchor symbol for a top-of-column anchored frame appears below a straddle paragraph, the frame appears in the column just below the straddle paragraph rather than at the top of the column.

Anchored at top of column and at bottom

A bottom-of-column anchored frame is positioned similarly when the anchor symbol appears above a straddle paragraph.

You can force the anchored frame to appear at the top or bottom of the column (above or below a straddle paragraph) by making the frame straddle the columns. To do so, turn off Cropped in the Anchored Frame dialog box and resize the anchored frame until it extends into another column.

Anchored frames outside a column of text

To position an anchored frame outside a column of text, choose the Outside Column anchoring position in the Anchored Frame dialog box. For information on positioning an anchored frame so it always appears in the page margin, even in a multicolumn document.

When you choose the Outside Column anchoring position, you can set the following properties.

Side of column

You can position the anchored frame at the left or right side of the column, or along the side that’s closer to or farther from the edge of the page.

Anchored at left and at right

For a double-sided document, you can also position the frame closer to or farther from the binding edge.

Farther from binding

Distance above baseline

You can adjust the frame’s position up and down relative to the baseline of text by dragging the frame or by specifying a value for the Distance above Baseline option in the Anchored Frame dialog box. A value of zero aligns the bottom of the frame with the baseline of the text. A positive number moves the frame up; a negative number moves it down.

Zero distance and negative distance above baseline

You can’t position the anchored frame above the top or below the bottom of the text frame. If the setting would place the anchored frame above or below the text frame, FrameMaker puts it as high or as low as possible. If you later edit the text so that the anchor symbol moves away from the top or bottom of the text frame, FrameMaker adjusts the anchored frame’s position.

Distance from column

You can adjust the frame’s position left and right relative to the edge of the column by dragging the frame or by specifying a value for the Distance from Column option in the Anchored Frame dialog box. A value of zero aligns the edge of the frame with the edge of the column. A positive number moves the frame away from the column; a negative number moves it into the column.

Zero distance and positive distance from column

The distance is always relative to the edge of the column, so the frame may appear between columns on a multicolumn page. You can change the page margins and column layout to widen the gap between columns to make room for the frame. Or, if you’re working in a structured document, see your developer to widen the gap between columns to make room for the frame.

Anchored frames in the page margins

To position an anchored frame so it always appears in the margin (even in a multicolumn layout), choose the Outside Text Frame anchoring position in the Anchored Frame dialog box. You can then specify the options described in the previous section. However, the distances you specify are from the edge of the text frame, which may differ from the edge of the text column on multicolumn pages.

Closer to page edge and farther from page edge

In a single-column layout, the Outside Text Frame option has the same effect as the Outside Column option.

Anchored frames run into paragraph text

To position an anchored frame in the top corner of a paragraph (with the paragraph text in that column running around the frame), choose the Run into Paragraph anchoring position in the Anchored Frame dialog box. For example, you can set a small graphic or a drop cap at the beginning of a paragraph.

When the anchored frame is taller than the paragraph, the text from subsequent paragraphs runs around the frame unless the paragraph that contains the anchor symbol is a straddle paragraph.

Frame spanning paragraphs and in a straddle paragraph

When you choose the Run into Paragraph anchoring position, you can set the following properties:

Alignment

You can align the anchored frame on the left or right side of the paragraph. For a double-sided document, you can also choose Side Closer to Binding or Side Farther from Binding.

Closer to binding

The frame is aligned with the paragraph’s left indent when it appears at the left side of the paragraph, and with the right indent when it appears at the right side. When the paragraph has a first-line indent, the anchored frame does not change the position of the indent.

Graphic extending beyond first-line indent

Larger first-line indent

When you want to preserve a first-line indent, make the first-line indent setting for the paragraph larger than the width of the anchored frame. Or, if you’re working with a structured document, see your developer about making the first-line indent setting for the paragraph larger than the width of the frame.

Gap

You can specify the gap between the anchored frame and the paragraph text that runs around it.

Insert anchored frames in structured documents

In a structured document, a graphic element provides an anchored frame for holding graphic objects. The frame is anchored to a specific location in text. As you edit the text, the frame and its contents move in the document along with the text.

When inserting a graphic element, you specify where you want to anchor the element’s frame. For example, you might anchor the frame in a Para element (and the graphic will be a child element to the Para), or you might anchor it in a Section element (as a sibling to Para and other elements in the Section). It depends on how the elements are defined for your document. The formatting properties you set are independent of the element’s format rules, not overrides to them.

In the document window, an anchor symbol appears at the anchor location in text when View > Text Symbols is turned on. The frame can appear in various positions on the page—including in-line with text, next to or below a paragraph, or in a page margin. You specify an anchoring position relative to the anchor symbol.

Several positions for anchored frames

A graphic element appears in the document’s structure where it is anchored to text, regardless of the frame’s position on the page. In the Structure View, the element is represented by a square-cornered bubble with the snippet <GRAPHIC>.

Graphic element

Insert an anchored frame element

1)Click where you want to anchor the frame.

2)Select an anchored frame element in the Element Catalog and click Insert.

You can also use Special > Anchored Frame to insert an element. If more than one frame element is available, choose the one you want from the Element Tag pop-up menu in the Anchored Frame pod.

3)Choose the frame’s anchoring position and specify its size and formatting properties. The properties that appear in the dialog box depend on the anchoring position you choose. See Inline anchored frames for details.

4)Click New Frame. The anchored frame appears in the document window, with an anchor symbol at the insertion point when View > Text Symbols is turned on. A bubble with the text snippet <GRAPHIC> appears in the Structure View.

If no anchored frame element is available at the location you want, you might use an invalid element. After inserting the element, talk to your developer about making the element valid at this location.

Use an invalid anchored frame element

1)Do one of the following:

•To use an element that is valid in another part of the document, either insert the element in a valid location and then move it, or use the All Elements setting to make the element available everywhere, and then insert the element where you want it.

•To insert an invalid anchored frame element with a default tag, choose Special > Anchored Frame, and choose GRAPHIC from the Element Tag pop-up menu. (This option appears in the menu if no defined frame elements are available.)