Learn how to compare documents in Adobe FrameMaker. Understand the composite and the summary document.
In Adobe FrameMaker, you can get specific information on the differences between two documents or different versions of a document by comparing the two documents or versions. When you compare two documents, FrameMaker creates a composite document and a summary document.
The composite document is a document that combines the newer and older version. It shows the differences with track changes. You can specify the conditio tags to apply to changed, inserted, and deleted text. You can also specify whether FrameMaker marks changes with change bars.
In the composite document, FrameMaker considers differences to be insertions or deletions. For example, if the contents of a graphic frame have changed, both versions appear in the composite. The older version is marked as deleted; the newer version is marked as inserted. Variables in the composite document use the newer definitions, but they aren’t marked as changed. Only inserted and deleted variables are considered changes.
The summary document contains a general summary and a revision list for each type of item being compared. You can create the summary as a hypertext document, with links to the actual pages where the changes occurred. By creating a hypertext summary document, you can quickly display changed pages for reading or editing.
In the summary document (named Summary.fm), differences are considered insertions, deletions, or changes. If an item has moved, it’s marked as deleted and inserted. FrameMaker displays the number of the page on which the change occurs in the newer version, the older version, and the composite document. For insertions, the page number given for the older version is the page where the item would be inserted to match the newer version. For deletions, the page number for the newer version is the page where the item would have appeared if it hadn’t been deleted