BookVars

BookVars is a FrameMaker plugin developed for FrameMaker 5.5 and above, and can be used with both structured and unstructured files. The BookVars commands let you define a set of variable definitions that are associated with a book file, then update all files in the book with those definitions. You can also define multiple variable definition groups and easily switch between those groups (handy for creating different versions of the same documents, or for use with multiple languages). The BookVars file is just a simple INI file that is created in the same folder as the book file. This file is named <bookname>-BookVars.INI and can be edited with any text editor. You can also use the BookVars file to delete specific variable definitions from documents. For information about the format of a BookVars file and how to create one, see the BookVars File topic.

Important: Because these commands can make global and irreversible changes to your files, be sure to have backups of all files being processed. For the current list of known limitations (or bugs), see Known Limitations.

Contact <tools AT leximation DOT com> with comments and questions.

Book Menu Commands

The following commands are only available when a FrameMaker book file has the focus.

Generate BookVars File: Creates a new BookVars file based on the variable definitions in the selected file(s).; More info...
Update BookVars File: Updates an existing BookVars file based on the variables defined in the selected file(s). Lets you update an existing variable group or add a new group.; More info...
Edit BookVars File: Allows you to edit the BookVars file to manually modify the variable definitions.; More info...
Import Variables: Opens each file in the book and imports the variable definitions in the BookVars file. This can be used to update existing variable definitions, add new variable definitions, or delete and rename specific variable definitions.; More info...
Delete All User Variables: Deletes all of the user variables in all of the files in the book. Note that any variables in use in the files will be converted to text.
Delete Unused User Variables: Deletes all of the unreferenced user variables in all of the files in the book.
Open Last Log File: Opens the log file generated by the last Import or Delete command. Each time you run one of these commands the previous log file is overwritten.

Document Menu Commands

All BookVars document menu commands switch to the current document's parent book (if that book is open) before continuing.

The Pubs-Tools Menu

Each tool you install adds a submenu to the Pubs-Tools menu which is available on the FrameMaker menu bar. In addition to the tool’s commands, the submenu provides access to the tool’s online Help and “About” information.

To activate a tool, choose Pubs-Tools > BookVars > Enter Authorization Code. You can get a 30-day trial authorization code from leximation.com or when you purchase a tool, you will receive a permanent authorization code which is good for all minor updates to the version you purchased.

Use the Pubs-Tools > Check for Updates command to check for updates to all FrameMaker Pubs-Tools that you have installed.

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