Topic ID variable for static text pages (PDF/print)

Nothing is perfect! This is where you can post your ideas and wishes for functions you'd like to see in Help & Manual. Current version only please (H&M7).

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Tamara Pickrell
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2003 12:18 am
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Topic ID variable for static text pages (PDF/print)

Unread post by Tamara Pickrell »

I'm wishing for a way to customize the Title Pages and Foreword for a series of similar-but-not-exactly-the-same printed documents. Being able to insert text from a topic in my project would solve the problem perfectly.

I would love to be able to create a topic called "Foreword_1," for example, and then go to the Foreword section in Print Manual Designer and create a text box and select the variable, something like <%TOPICID%>. Then there would be a place where I would just type the ID I want ("Foreword_1")

In my dream world, the inserted topic should support all the content options currently available for any other topic, including formatting, conditional output, etc.

Thanks for considering!
Tamara Pickrell
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Tim Green
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Re: Topic ID variable for static text pages (PDF/print)

Unread post by Tim Green »

Tamara,

This is already possible. It is the Insert Text Snippet option in the the Insert menu in Manual Designer. The only restriction is that the topic must fit on a single page, because snippets cannot flow to a second page in the PDF template. If you want to have more than one page you must repeat the procedure with multiple pages and multiple snippets, one for each page.
  1. Create a topic file in Project Files > Topic Files (i.e. without a TOC entry) containing the formatted text you want to use. Set its include options so that it is only included in PDF. Make a note of its topic ID (look in the Topic Options tab below the editor for this).
  2. In Manual Designer Select the section before the Table of Contents section (usually "Title 3") and then select Insert Page in the Pages menu to insert a new page.
  3. Select Insert Text Snippet in the Insert menu to insert a box for the snippet.
  4. Select "Load Topic" as the snippet type and insert the topic ID of your topic file from step 1 as the source of the snippet.
  5. Set the anchors to Left, Right, Top, Bottom and "Anchor to margins" and click on OK to insert.
  6. With the mouse adjust the borders of the snippet box to the margins of the page.
You will not see the contents of the snippet until you publish the PDF with your project. The contents of the selected topic file will be inserted in the snippet box on publishing.

Hot Tip: If you create topics for this with exactly the same ID in all the projects you want to publish with this template, you can have different content for the snippets for each project. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
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Tamara Pickrell
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2003 12:18 am
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Re: Topic ID variable for static text pages (PDF/print)

Unread post by Tamara Pickrell »

Whaaaaat???!! This is exactly what I was dreaming of!! OMG, H&M reads my mind once again.

I am irrationally excited about this discovery -- not even for what it means for my current project, but just because of the sheer awesomeness of this program. :D :D :D :D :D
Tamara Pickrell
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Tim Green
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Re: Topic ID variable for static text pages (PDF/print)

Unread post by Tim Green »

You're very welcome! 8) 8) 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
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