Writing style guide issues

Topic status automatically displays here - do not remove.

Bookmark me! Bookmark this topic Print me! Print this topic

When creating the writing style guidelines, there are several matters which must be considered. For example, the limitations of the writing tool.

Limitations of the writing tool

If FrameMaker (FM) is the chosen tool of use, designing a style template must take into consideration FM's limitations. They include such behaviours such as default settings, auto-numbering, image positioning, page layout, printing properties, and such-like.

Default settings refers to heading and paragraph naming, index and TOC file naming, auto-correcting characters like smart quotes, and hyperlink settings.

Default heading and paragraphs are named 'Heading X' and 'Body text' occupying nine of the possible 11 character limitation for paragraph naming. The paragraphs can actually contain longer names, but only less than the first dozen are visible in the paragraph selection boxes throughout FM's interface.
Default index and TOC file naming appends -IDX and -TOC to the project book file name, and FM requires that these names must be used to enable automatic file generation (one of the major benefits of using a tool to produce product documentation).
Default auto-correcting characters like smart quotes automatically interprets your keystrokes and inserts curly quotes instead of straight quotes whenever the quote keys are pressed. Curly quotes aren't necessarily the desired quote character for technical writing, so this default needs to be changed before using the tool.
Default hyperlink settings based upon paragraph styles are broken whenever the linked paragraph style is changed. Every individual link needs to be manually reset after their linked paragraph style is changed. For this reason, all paragraph style naming should be finalised before any paragraph hyperlinks are created.

Auto-numbering limitations refers to when a sequential series of numbered paragraphs using the same style rule will automatically display the next number in the series without exception. That's fine whilstsoever the series is continuous, but causes a problem whenever a new numeric series is required. It's numbering continues from the previous numeric series, no matter how much or how little intervening gap or content exists between the two series using the same style rule. The only apparent solution is to reset the first element in each series to number one. This necessitates a separate numbering style rule be applied to the first paragraph in each series, separate to the rules applied to every other numbered element in each series.

Image positioning limitations refers to text wrapping around images, dependent upon the settings of the anchored frame object holding the image. Image positioning is limited to either being inserted:

directly inline in the text (causing the current text line height to adjust to fit the height of the image);
above or below the current line (causing the next text line to continue beneath the image);
to the left, centre, or right edge of the text frame (also causing the next text line to continue beneath the image); or
outside of the text frame in the column or page edge (subject to the available space outside of the column or text frame).

Page layout limitations refers to the relationships between master pages, text frames, columns, and paragraph alignment considerations. Master pages determine the position of text frames and columns, which in turn determines the position and relationship between paragraphs.

Multiple text frames on a master page can be used to create columns, multiple columns can be created within a text frame, and tables can also be used to create columns. Side heads can provide the appearance of an additional column, but can only be used outside of text frames. The problem is that any one of these can conflict or restrict another, and needs to be carefully considered before implementation. You need to remain aware of the page layout limitations of these elements when designing the page layout.

Paragraph alignment considerations refers to the situation where separate paragraph styles are required for the same paragraph style appearance, depending upon where the paragraph is located. For example, if you wish to have the first bullet point in a list be physically closer to the preceding paragraph, and the last bullet point in a list be physically further from the following paragraph, so that the list appears to belong to the previous paragraph rather than the following one, you must consider which spacing style settings are applicable for these paragraphs to consistently achieve the desired result with the minimal amount of separate style rules.

Printing properties limitations refers to the potential conflict between default PDF preference settings on each document, and the FM book. Conflicts between these settings can cause PDF generation to fail, or misbehave.

Page element style designing

As discussed in the previous section discussing paragraph alignment considerations, it is possible to apply formatting to both above and below a paragraph to custom suit a particular situation. For instance, using the previous example of the first or last item in a numbered list. That situation is readily identifiable and predictable.

However, it is impractical to expect that the values of a particular situation can be applied across the board to cover every situation for any given paragraph. Please consider that if you applied a leading space to a commonly used paragraph style rule, and it so happened that this paragraph was the first element at the top of a page (by flowing across from the bottom of the previous page), then the paragraph would be displayed in FM with a leading space, thus causing the tops of the pages to appear unaligned on an open double page spread.

Therefore, it can be readily concluded, that due to FM's page layout limitations, a leading space cannot be applied to a paragraph tag if there is the possibility of that paragraph being displayed at the very top of a page! The text in this paragraph won't top align with the top of the text frame, because the leading space is causing it to display further down the page. This situation is completely unpredictable in a document until content is finalised.

Taken in isolation, this may not seem like much of a problem, but when space on the page is at a premium, and the number of pages is limited, multiplied across many occurrences, the principle of this small error in design could cause additional unnecessarily costs. In the worse situation, if many page elements displayed this behaviour, the lead spacing could be lost from the printable page area of a very many pages, increasing the total page count of the document, and the total expense of its production.

The result is that page element leading space should not generally be used, and only used whenever it can be determined that this particular page element will never be positioned at the very top of a page as the first element on that page.

Writing style guide issues

Limitations of the writing tool

Page element style designing

See Also