Table Title Numbering is Broken - Adobe Framemaker

When you changed the name, how did you do it?

I would have created a new tag from the Designer window, then deleted the old tag from the catalog, and then clean up with a "Convert all tags from x to y" or a find-and-replace...

If you're 100% sure you've removed all the old tags, I'd try saving the file as a MIF to clean things up, and reopening the file. Then make a minor change to the table title tag, like adjusting a margin by a fractino of a point, and globally updating all tags of that name.

Art

One more thing to check... in the book file that includes these chapters, highlight the chapters and check the Number properties for paragraphs. It sounds as if it should be set to reset, but may not be.

Art

Art, thanks for your reply.

I had renamed the original tag using the Paragraph Designer. I added a space and clicked Update All. I then deleted the old tag from the catalog.

After reading your post, I saved a new file based on an earlier version of the problem document--a version that still has the old tag intact. So far, I have created a brand new tag, deleted the old tag from the catalog, and am now ready to replace old instances with the new tag.

I don't completely understand your advice, though. Here are my questions:

(1) What do you mean by "Convert X to Y"? What feature are you referring to?

(2) How exactly do I use Find & Replace to replace tags? I have used Word to find and replace styles, but I can't see a way to do that in Frame. The Find/Change dialog enables me to select "Paragraph Tag" from the Find list, but the Change list doesn't offer "Paragraph Tag" as an option. It only offers To Text, To Character Format, By Pasting, and a couple of options for structured docs.

(3) If I save to MIF, what exactly should I look for? I have never used that approach.

Eddie

Eddie,
1. On the Para Designer, on the Commands drop down, there's an option for Global Option Updates that lets you replace all instances of Tag X with Tag Y.
2. First, put your cursor in one of your new tags. Then Copy Special > Paragraph Format. Then Search for the old para tag in Find/Change and replace by Pasting (the new para format is on the Clipboard).
3. Saving to MIF is the FM equivelent of taking two asprin -- doesn't hurt anything and can help a lot. When you save your original as a Maker Interchange Document and then open and save the MIF over the original file, the MIF export and import procedure purges any corrupted characters from the file and resolves anything that doesn't belong in the file. So it's a clean up step when you suspect some file corruption, but aren't sure what's happening.

Art

Crystal clear, Art. Thank you.

I do know Frame gurus who frequently use MIF to troubleshoot. I need to study up on that method a bit more. I do have backup copies of my file, so I can afford to experiment.

Thanks again!
Eddie

Did you check your paragraph numbering, like Art said in his second post? That was my first thought on reading the symptoms, and it's very quick to check.

Cheers, Rebecca

This file is not part of a book. It's a standalone template file. It is used for book chapters, but the file we're working with is not stored in a book.

When I looked at the numbering under Format > Document > Numbering, it was set to "Restart Paragraph Numbering." I tested both of the other options, and the numbering still remained static.

The best solution seems to be to use a completely new tag called Table Caption and redefine the table formats using that tag. Personally, when I set up templates up from scratch, I never include titles in table definitions. I use a separate tag for all types of captions. This just reaffirms that I'll keep my own practice. I inherited these templates, so I had no choice.

One other item of interest: I did save the file as a MIF and took a look at the contents in a text editor. That was enlightening. I was comfortable with the MIF file, because I frequently write scripts. I was able to identify most of what I was reading. I found the unwanted tag in EVERY table definition. I tried finding and replacing it with the desired tag, then saving the file over the original file, but whenever I opened the original, Frame crashed.

Regardless, this has been a good learning experience.

Eddie

Art, I'm getting to my wit's end with this. I completely recreated the table formats from scratch and added a brand new tag, Table Caption. The numbering still numbers 1.1, 1.1, 2.1, 2.1, etc.

Do you know of anything else? The MIF technique only seems to crash FrameMaker.

Eddie

If saving a file as MIF crashes framemaker, there's something seriously wrong, either with the file or with your FM installation. I don't know what ... but maybe someone else does.

In one of the files, can you try converting the offending tables to text, then saving as MIF, then converting them back to tables?

Cheers, Rebecca