Change and import formats

Introduction

You can make format/element definition changes in one file and then update all the files in a book by importing the formats/element definitions from the updated file. To change the formats/element definitions of a subset of files in a book, you can select the files in the book window and then import the formats/element definitions to the selected files.

FrameMaker merges the new formatting information into the document rather than replacing the existing information.

If a file isn’t open, it’s updated on the disk. If a file is open, it’s updated only in your computer’s memory and not on the disk. You must save the file to keep the changes.

Import formats into book files

1. Open or create the file that contains the formats you want to use. The file must be named and saved.

2. In the book window, select the file or files you want to change, and then choose File > Import > Formats.

3. From the Import From Document pop-up menu, select the file or template with the formats you want to import.

4. Select the settings you want to import and update. If you’re updating cross-reference formats, math definitions, or variable definitions that use character formats, also select Character Formats.

5. If you want to remove formatting changes you made but didn’t save in a catalog, do the following:

   • To remove page breaks that are not part of a paragraph format, select Manual Page Breaks.

   • To remove paragraph, character, page layout, and table formatting overrides, select Other Format/Layout Overrides.

   In most cases, you should not select Other Format/Layout Overrides in a structured book because the element definitions may use format overrides. However, you can select Other Format/Layout Overrides in an unstructured book without any repercussions.

6. Click Import.

Import element definitions into structured books

The definitions are stored in the Elements catalog for the book and the other files. You may need to import element definitions in the following cases:

• To add structure to an unstructured book. After importing the definitions, you can insert elements in the book file.

• To update the element definitions in a book or its files. You need to update definitions whenever the application developer revises the definitions in your template.

• To give a book and all its files the same element definitions. You may want to update a book if its files were created from different templates.

When you import element definitions into a book, FrameMaker replaces the definitions in the book and all its files with the new definitions and reapplies format rules from the definitions. It also validates the book file.

1. Open the book you want to update and the template, document, or book with the definitions to import.

2. In the book window, select the files into which you want to import element definitions, and choose File > Import > Element Definitions.

3. Choose the template or document from the Import From Document pop-up menu. The menu lists all open, saved documents and books.

4. To remove format rule overrides in the files, select While Updating, Remove Format Rule Overrides. Use this setting if you have made text or paragraph formatting changes to elements and now want to return to the formatting described in the element definitions.

5. Click Import. FrameMaker updates the element definitions in the book file and in the files listed in the Update scroll list.