Import FrameMaker documents into a project

You can quickly import a FrameMaker document into RoboHelp as one or multiple topics. While importing, you can configure several settings that RoboHelp provides to import and customize topics based on your needs. Also, you can link FrameMaker documents into your RoboHelp project. 

You can import FrameMaker books (.book) and documents (.fm, .mif) into your Robohelp project. On importing a FrameMaker document in the Contents panel, RoboHelp places the topics at the chosen location (at the root level or inside a folder). However, all assets referenced in the imported document are placed in the respective subfolder in the assets folder. For example, style sheets are placed in the css subfolder and images in the images subfolder.

To import a FrameMaker document:

FrameMaker import settings

When you choose File > Import > FrameMaker Document, the FrameMaker Import Settings dialog box appears. Configure the settings in the following tabs in this dialog box:

General

The General tab is selected by default in the FrameMaker Import Settings dialog box. In this tab, specify the following settings:

• FrameMaker Document Click  to select the FrameMaker document (.fm, .mif, or .book) you want to import.
  
  Note: When you select a FrameMaker document, an instance of FrameMaker is launched, if it is not running already.
  
  RoboHelp reads the selected document and populates the applicable tabs in the FrameMaker Import Settings dialog box.
• CSS file for style mapping Click  to select an external style sheet (.css file), which is different from your project style sheet, to map FrameMaker styles with RoboHelp styles. By default, RoboHelp picks the default style sheet of the project.
• Start new topic from style Use the following settings to create topics from the content in the selected FrameMaker document:
  • FrameMaker Style Select a paragraph style from the FrameMaker document that RoboHelp can use to create topics. For example, to create a topic for every first-level heading, select Heading1. 
    
    Note: This field displays all paragraph styles from the document selected in the FrameMaker Document field. If you did not select a document in the FrameMaker Document field, this field remains blank. 
  • Topic Name Pattern Specify the naming pattern for the new topics. You can choose from the following options:
    • <$filename_no_ext>-<n> Creates filenames without extension and includes a number in sequential order. For example, if ABC.fm is the imported FrameMaker document, the filenames of new topics become ABC1, ABC2.
    • <$filename_no_ext>-<$paratext> Creates filenames without extension and includes the initial text of the first paragraph.
    • <$paratext> Creates filenames with the initial text of the element on which the selected style is applied. This option is set by default.
  • Use only ASCII characters in the generated file names Select this field to convert non-ASCII characters in new topic filenames to ASCII characters. The conversion follows the Punycode standard.
• Save Settings Click to save the settings of the FrameMaker Import Settings dialog box as a preset (.fsf) file. If you modify and save the settings as a new preset file, you can select the file from the Load Settings field the next time you open the dialog box.
• Load Settings Click  to select a different preset (.fsf) file in which you want to save the settings of the FrameMaker Import Settings dialog box. This field shows the default preset file default.fsf. You can also click  to select a recently saved preset file.

Character

Select the Character tab to specify character styles for your imported content. In this tab, you can view the following columns:

• FrameMaker Style The style in the FrameMaker document selected in the FrameMaker Document field in General tab.
• In RoboHelp Styles populated from the CSS file specified in the CSS file for style mapping field in General tab. 

For each FrameMaker style, click  in In RoboHelp to select a different style and map it to the corresponding FrameMaker style. If there is no style to match with the corresponding FrameMaker style, RoboHelp provides two style options:

• Import style (default) imports styles from the selected FrameMaker document to RoboHelp. 
• Discard content Discards all content on which the selected style is applied.  

You can preview the selected FrameMaker style and mapped style in FrameMaker Preview and RoboHelp Preview sections, respectively.

Paragraph

Select the Paragraph tab to specify paragraph styles for your imported content. In this tab, you can view the following columns:

• FrameMaker Style The style in the FrameMaker document selected in the FrameMaker Document field in General tab.
• In RoboHelp Styles populated from the CSS file specified in the CSS file for style mapping field in General tab. 

For each FrameMaker style, click  in In RoboHelp to select a different style and map it to the corresponding FrameMaker style. If there is no style to match with the corresponding FrameMaker style, RoboHelp provides two style options:

• Import style (default) imports styles from the selected FrameMaker document to RoboHelp. 
• Discard content Discards all content on which the selected style is applied. 

You can preview the selected FrameMaker style and mapped style in FrameMaker Preview and RoboHelp Preview sections, respectively.

Table

Select the Table tab to specify table styles for your imported content. In this tab, you can view the following columns:

• FrameMaker Style The style in the FrameMaker document selected in the FrameMaker Document field in General tab.
• In RoboHelp Styles populated from the CSS file specified in the CSS file for style mapping field in General tab. 

For each FrameMaker style, click  in In RoboHelp to select a different style and map it to the corresponding FrameMaker style. If there is no style to match with the corresponding FrameMaker style, RoboHelp provides two style options:

• Import style (default) imports styles from the selected FrameMaker document to RoboHelp. 
• Discard content Discards all content on which the selected style is applied.

You can preview the selected FrameMaker style and mapped style in FrameMaker Preview and RoboHelp Preview sections, respectively.

Cross Reference

Select the Cross Reference tab to specify cross-reference styles for your imported content. In this tab, you can view the following columns:

• FrameMaker Style Displays names of the cross-reference styles applied in the FrameMaker document selected in the FrameMaker Document field in General tab.
• In RoboHelp Displays the current definitions of the styles. By default, this column is populated from the definitions in the imported FrameMaker document. You can modify the definitions by using combinations of constants and variables. To specify a variable, type < and select a variable from the drop-down list or type the variable name. 

You can preview the selected FrameMaker style and its definition in FrameMaker Preview and RoboHelp  Preview sections, respectively.

Images

Select the Images tab to specify image styles for your imported content. In this tab, use the following fields:

• Do Not Regenerate Images Select this field if you are reimporting FrameMaker documents and do not need to update the images in the imported content.
• Import Reference Page Images Select this field to import images from the Reference Page in the imported FrameMaker document.
• Preserve 3D Images Preserves 3D images in the selected FrameMaker document, that is, 3D images are not flattened to 2D images. When the output is published, 3D information in images is visible in the browser. This field is selected by default.
• Preferred Dimensions
  • Width and Height Specify the preferred width and height of the imported images. By default, the width and height fields are linked to accept same values. Toggle  to set different width and height values.
  • Scale Specify a scaling factor to scale the imported images.
    
    Note: Specifying a scale may change the width or height values.
    
    
  • Maintain Aspect Ratio Select this field to maintain the aspect ratio according to the images in the imported FrameMaker document. 
    
    Note: Specifying a scale may change the width or height values.

• Maximum Dimensions 
  As the Preferred Dimensions can be overridden by Scale and Maintain Aspect Ratio settings, use this section to set a maximum limit for the image size in the imported document.
  • Width and Height Specify the width and height of the imported images. By default, the width and height fields are linked to accept same values. Toggle  to set different width and height values.
• Margin Specify a value for all four margins around images. Toggle  if you want to specify a different value for each of the top, bottom, left, and right margins.
• Borders Control the properties of the standard HTML borders that are applied to the imported images using this section.
  • Border Style Select a border style from the drop-down list. Default is None.
  • Color Click  to select a border color. Default is black. Or, click  to pick a color from the screen.   
  • Width Specify the border width.
  • Select the borders you want to apply from the following options:
    •  All (default)
    •  Top
    •  Right
    •  Bottom
    •  Left
• Advanced
  • Default Format Select the default image format to which you want to convert all imported images. 
  • Color Bit Depth Values in this field change according to the selected default image format. You can choose a depth from the supported options.
  • JPG Quality Specify a value to set the quality of all imported JPG images. This field controls the JPG compression in terms of size and quality, for example, the default value 100 means the best quality and minimum compression. 
  • Grayscale Select to convert all imported images to grayscale.

Advanced

Select the Advanced tab to specify advanced settings for your imported content. In this tab, use the following fields:

• Context sensitive help marker If you want to import context-sensitive help markers from the FrameMaker document, select this field and specify the type of context-sensitive help maker to be imported.  
• Split into topics using marker If you want to create topics based on a specific marker type from the FrameMaker document, select this field and specify the marker type. 
• Keep all topics in one folder If a FrameMaker book is being imported, select this field to keep all topics in the book in the same folder.
• Add all topics to Table of Contents Select this field to add all topics created from the selected FrameMaker document to the Table Of Contents file being created. 
• Cleanup inline HTML styles If the imported FrameMaker document has inline styles, select this field to discard such styles.
• Import Glossary files Imports all glossary information from the selected FrameMaker document into a new glossary file. This option is selected by default. 
• Import TOC files Imports all Table Of Contents files referred from the FrameMaker book being imported into a new Table Of Contents file. This option is selected by default.

Link a FrameMaker document

You can link a FrameMaker document from your Robohelp project folder.

Apart from the basic functions available for topics and folders, you can create HTML topics from the linked FrameMaker document.