Import formatting properties

Introduction

You can import a wide variety of formatting information—including page layouts, paragraph and table formats, variable and color definitions, object properties as a style, and conditional tags settings. If your source document has any conditional expressions created, they, along with their Show As Per Expression status are also imported into the target documents. Similarly, in structured documents, any Filter By Attribute settings that you defined are also imported.

1. Open the template with the formats. The template must be named and saved.

2. Open the document or book that you want to update. If a book window is active, select the documents you want to update.

3. In the document or book you’re updating, choose File > Import > Formats.

4. Choose the template from the Import from Document drop-down list. The menu lists all open, named documents.

   You can also choose the current document to reapply the formats the document already has. This is useful mainly for removing formatting changes, as described in step 6.

5. Select the Import and Update settings you want to apply to the current document.

   • If you’re updating cross-reference formats, math definitions, or variable definitions, and if any of these items uses character styles, also select Character Styles so that any new styles are added to the document.

   • If the HTML mappings have been modified, select Reference Pages.

6. If you want to remove formatting changes that are not saved in catalog styles, do the following:

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

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

   Important: In most cases, do not select Other Format/Layout Overrides in a structured document because the element definitions sometimes use format overrides.

7. Click Import.

Format settings

When you import styles, FrameMaker merges the new formatting information into the document.

For example, if you import table styles, the styles are added to the Table Catalog. If a style already in the catalog has the same name as an imported style, the imported style replaces the original one. Any styles that are not overwritten remain in the catalog.

Paragraph styles

The template’s Paragraph Catalog is merged into the document, and all styles in the catalog are reapplied in the document.

Character styles

The template’s Character Catalog is merged into the document, and all styles in the catalog are reapplied in the document.

Page layouts

The template’s master pages are merged into the document, and body pages are updated with the master page changes. If the template and the document both have a master page with the same name, the master page of the template replaces that of the document. FrameMaker copies the change bar properties, all the settings in the Page Size and Pagination dialog boxes, and most settings in the View Options dialog box.

Table formats

The template’s Table Catalog and ruling styles are merged into the document, and all formats in the catalog are reapplied in the document.

Color definitions

The template’s color definitions and views are merged into the document.

Document properties

The template’s custom marker types and footnote properties; the volume, chapter, page, paragraph, footnote, and table footnote numbering styles in the Numbering Properties dialog box; the characters in the Allow Line Breaks After setting in the Text Options dialog box; and the Feather settings in the Line Layout dialog box are merged into the document. The PDF Setup settings (other than the bookmark settings) are also merged into the document. On Japanese-language systems, the rubi properties and kumihan rules (Japanese-language typesetting rules) are also merged into the document.

Reference pages

The template’s reference pages (except for FrameMath™ reference pages) are merged into the document. If the template and the document both have a reference page with the same name, the reference page of the template replaces that of the document. To import the FrameMath reference pages, select Math Definitions.

Variable definitions

The template’s variable definitions are merged into the document.

Cross-reference formats

The template’s cross-reference formats are merged into the document, and internal cross-references are updated.

Conditional tags settings

The template’s condition tags and Show/Hide settings are merged into the document.

Math definitions

The template’s equation size and font settings, custom math element definitions, and FrameMath reference pages are copied into the document. If any custom math elements in the document are deleted when the reference pages are merged, FrameMaker replaces the math elements in equations with the name of the math element enclosed in question marks.

Note: In FrameMaker equations, the term “math element” refers to part of an expression. A math element is not a structural element.

Combined fonts

On Asian-language systems, the specifications of combined fonts are merged into the document.

Object styles

The properties of objects such as images, anchored frames, graphics, equations, and others available in the template are merged into the document.

Import properties from a template

You can import element definitions and other properties into your document from any FrameMaker document. Typically, this other document is a template that you did not use for creating the document.

If you created your document from the appropriate template, you don’t need to import properties; the document already has the properties it needs.

If your document’s template has been revised, import from the template again to update your document.

You can also import properties into all the files in a book at once.