Headers, footers, and other background text

Introduction

You set up headers and footers by displaying master pages and typing text in background text frames. The contents of background text frames appear on body pages, but you can only edit them on master pages. The headers and footers might include the page number, date, chapter number and title, section number and title, author, revision number, and draft release (such as preliminary and final).

Figure 1. Header and footer text frames on master page

You create and edit header and footer text as you do any other paragraph text. You can apply paragraph and character styles, add and move tab stops, and add graphics such as a line above or below the text. In addition, you can add system variables for information such as the page number or the current date, and you can change the size and placement of the header and footer text frames. When you modify these text frames on a master page, FrameMaker automatically updates any body pages that use that master page.

You can also add other background text on master pages.

Creating and modifying background text frames

When you create a new, blank document, FrameMaker creates background text frames for headers and footers on the left and right master pages. To make it easy to add centered and right-aligned information in headers and footers, FrameMaker automatically adds center and right tab stops at the center of the text frame and at the right margin. You can draw background text frames for additional header and footer information or for other background text.

To add a background text frame on a master page do the following:

1. Draw the text frame by using the Text Frame tool.

2. In the Add New Text Frame dialog box, click Background Text and click Add. The new text frame, like all text frames for background text on master pages, is untagged.

3. Double-click in the text frame to place the insertion point, and then insert the header, footer, or other background text.

To resize or move a background text frame to the following:

1. Select the text frame by ctrl-clicking the text frame.

2. Do any of the following:

   • To resize the text frame, drag a handle.

   • To move the text frame, drag its border (not a handle).

Entering header or footer information

You can create simple headers and footers by typing text in the header and footer text frames on the master pages. In addition, you can specify items such as the current chapter and page numbers, the document’s total page count, and the current date. FrameMaker displays a system variable in the header or footer on the master page and replaces it with the correct value on each body page that uses that master page.

You can also create running headers and footers in which the text changes from page to page. In the following figure, the running header contains the current section heading. The footer contains the page number and some text typed directly into the background text frame.

Figure 2. Running headers and footers

To create running headers and footers, you insert running header/footer variables in background text frames on master pages.

You can insert the following variables in a header and footer on the master page:

Numbering for book components

Volume Number, Chapter Number, Section Number, or Sub Section Number

Page numbers

Current Page number or Page Count

Date information

Current Date (Long), Current Date (Short), Modification Date (Long), Modification Date (Short), Creation Date (Long), or Creation Date (Short)

Other variables

Chapter Title Name, Filename (Long), Filename (Short), Table Continuation, or Table Sheet

To insert a variable in a header and footer on a master page, do the following:

1. On a master page, click in the header or footer where you want to add information.

2. • To insert static text, type the text.

   • To insert system variables, access the Variables panel and double-click the variable name in the Variables scroll list. You can insert any system variable, such as:

   • To insert user variables, access the Variables panel and double-click the variable name (if already defined) in the Variables scroll list.

   Tip: To add centered information in headers and footers, press Tab to move the insertion point to the centered tab stop. To add right-aligned information, press Tab again to move the insertion point to the right-aligned tab stop.