What’s new in Update 4 of Adobe FrameMaker

Learn what is new in Update 4 release of Adobe FrameMaker.

Update 4 of FrameMaker Summer 2020 release has many improvements like support to author content using the UUID-based file referencing system, adding labels during the check-in process, and providing FDK as a downloadable ZIP file.

Note: For more details on the issues fixed in this release, see the Fixed issues article.

Let’s take a look at the new and enhanced features in Update 4 of FrameMaker:

UUID-based files support for XML Documentation for Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service

In the latest release of FrameMaker, the AEM Connector has been enhanced to support authoring and publishing content that uses UUID-based file referencing system. This feature is available for XML Documentation for Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (starting January 2022 release). UUID files are downloaded as flat files without any hierarchical folder structure.

Each file has a unique UUID, which helps identify it in the file system. Once you have downloaded the files from AEM onto your system, you can edit and publish them in FrameMaker. The flat file hierarchy saves all referenced topics and media files in a single folder. As all the references in XML Documentation solution are UUID-based, the flat hierarchy helps maintain the references. These references do not change even when you move the files from one location to another.

The following screenshots display UUID-based files opened in FrameMaker for editing. The Book window displays the UUIDs of files that are a part of the DITA map. When you open a file, the UUID is displayed as the title of the document window.

Figure 1. UUID flat hierarchy

Figure 2. References in a UUID-based file

Authoring UUID files is an enhanced feature in FrameMaker, and supports various file operations such as Checkout, Check-in, Refresh, and so on. For more details on file operations, refer to Working with files.

For more information about enabling UUID-based file referencing from FrameMaker, refer to Enable UUID-based files support.

Add labels while checking files in AEM

With the latest release, FrameMaker provides a feature to use the labels (metadata) defined in XML Documentation solution while checking in your files.

The labels defined in XML Documentation solution appear as a dropdown list, and your users can select from multiple labels from the list. This helps in creating a consistent set of labels. For example, your subject matter experts can define the labels like 'Technical review', 'Editorial review', and 'Quality review' in XML Documentation solution, and the users can use these labels in FrameMaker to define the versions while checking in their files. Once you check in your files, the check-in labels are displayed in the version history of the document in the XML Documentation solution user interface.

The following screenshot displays the dropdown list of labels that have been defined in XML Documentation solution and appears as you check in your files in FrameMaker.

If your labels are not defined in the XML Documentation solution, you can add new labels in FrameMaker separated by commas.

For more details refer to, Add labels while checking files in AEM.

Tested and certified on the latest Windows 11 operating system

Starting with Update 4, Adobe FrameMaker 2020 is tested and certified on the latest Windows 11 operating system. All functionalities of FrameMaker Update 4 will work seamlessly with Windows 11 and Windows 10 as well. Update 3 and earlier releases of FrameMaker 2020 release will continue to work on Windows 10.

FDK shared as a ZIP file

The Adobe FrameMaker Developer Kit (FDK) enables you to create plug-ins to meet your content production needs. Now with Update 4 of FrameMaker 2020, FDK will be shared as a ZIP file. You can download and unzip the file to get started. This new process solves the issue of the existing version of FDK folder getting overwritten when a new version of the FDK is installed.

Download the FDK ZIP file from Adobe.io.