Publishing Fundamentals: FrameMaker 8

We have written a separate book for the unstructured and structured interfaces of FrameMaker 8.

	We have postponed publication of this title.
Publishing Fundamentals: Unstructured FrameMaker 8	Publishing Fundamentals: Structured FrameMaker 8

Do I need both the unstructured and structured FrameMaker books?

FrameMaker 8 is really two applications in one:

• Unstructured FrameMaker provides you with traditional desktop publishing tools—paragraph tags, character tags, and so on—to create long, complex technical documents.

• Structured FrameMaker goes beyond what the unstructured version provides to add support for XML authoring. A thorough understanding of unstructured concepts is required to work with and set up structured documents.

If you're unsure about buying one or both of our books on FrameMaker 8, read the following frequently asked questions:

Why did you split the content into two books?
The content exceeded what our printer could bind into one volume. We didn't want the binding to limit the information we provide you, so we decided to write two books.

How do I figure out if I'm using the unstructured or structured interface of FrameMaker?
Look at your FrameMaker 8 interface. If the title bar shows “Adobe FrameMaker (Structured)” and the  Element, Structure Tools, and DITA menus are available, you are in the structured interface. If those menus aren't listed and the title bar shows just “Adobe FrameMaker,” you are using the unstructured interface.

If you're new to FrameMaker, the following list of concepts may help you figure out which interface to use:

If you're still not sure, the answer is most likely "unstructured."

Which book should I purchase? Do I need both?
If you're using just the unstructured interface, you need just Publishing Fundamentals: Unstructured FrameMaker 8.

If you're using the structured interface, you will likely need both books. Setting up the components in a FrameMaker-based structured authoring environment requires you to complete tasks covered in Publishing Fundamentals: Unstructured FrameMaker 8. The book for structured FrameMaker assumes you understand all the concepts covered in the unstructured book.

Errata

If you find erorrs or have any comments, we'd like to hear from you. Email us at fm8@scriptorium.com