How do I update the entire TOC for a book? 1

[susolov]

How do I update the entire TOC for a book? I'm just started a job where I need to update existing manuals. My background in Framemaker is limited: I've taken a semester class in FrameMaker but never used it much since then. I've tried looking in online help, and searching the Internet for information. So, I thought it's time to go to the experts on Tek Tips. :-D

When I open the Book file and click the update icon, I get the following message: file name..."Couldn't update this book, because it contains nongenerated files." I don't know what "nongenerated files" means.

The book set contains:
5 Chapter files
5 TOC files, one for each chapter
1 Front Matter File
1 TOC file

Any help or tips you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

(I'm looking forward to actually using FrameMaker at last. I've used PageMaker, InDesign, and MS Word (yuk!) on most projects.

 

[thegrover]

What version of FrameMaker do you have. I know you have a TOC but with book selected why don't you try "Add" "Table of Contents" instead of "edit" "update book"....Why do you have a TOC for each chapter? Why not just a book TOC? Have you Tagged you headers correctly and selected the ones you what for the TOC? Once you have the TOC you will have to format it in both the Master and Reference views.

Let me know your progress.

Once you get going with FrameMaKer you will love it.

Steve

 

[susolov]

Hi Thegrover,

Thank you for your response. You gave me a nudge in the right direction when you wrote to "Add" a TOC and have only one TOC for the whole book. Then I examed the project more closely and realized I needed to remove the book TOC, since it was not intended to be in the book at all. But I needed to update and keep the chapter TOCs to maintain the manual style.

To add to my confusion, I was getting error messages about "unavailable fonts." (The original document used Helvetica Fonts, which I do not have, nor do I want to get them.) I used online Help learn to go to FM Preferences>General and deselect "Remember missing font names" in all the book files, and in the chapter TOC files.

I created a PDF of the book, which came out pretty good. (I have a few graphic issues to fix.) There is the cover, front matter, then the chapter TOCs before each chapter. It may be a little "different" but that's what the customer wants. (I'm using Ariel font and t-p-t-b are okay with it.) It's a simple book without Figure lists, Index, or even any references within the text.

Thank you for your help. It's nice to have someone respond to a question about a somewhat simple, straightforward task (yet confounding for me) and know the right questions to ask to get me thinking in the right direction. :-}

Yes! I'm liking FrameMaker! I'm using version 7.0 at work.