🚀 go-pugleaf

I was hoping that somebody who had tried the MIFDoclet would see your posting and reply. Here's a recent thread that mentions how one person is using it: Robert Lauriston "set "Generate Tagged PDF" off with DZBatcher" 7/26/04 12:47pm </cgi-bin/webx?13@@.3bb4f18b/29>

To automate your process there are some free / open source solutions as well as some commercial possibilities. In addition to the MIFDoclet you might check out one of the batch tools such as DoBatch <http://www.telecable.es/personales/cud/> or DZBatcher from Datazone <http://www.miramo.com>

Another route might be using FrameScript, <http://www.framescript.com>

The commercial possibilities are generally classed as database publishing products, and there is quite a range of capability and price.
On the Adobe website there's a white-paper on database publishing with FM, here: <http://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/pdfs/database_fm7.pdf>

The product I know, Miramo, does exactly what you describe, automates production of FM, PDF, etc., using FM templates, XML and/or database content, external source files (e.g. word processing, csv, graphics, etc). As an example, <http://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/pdfs/californiachoice.pdf>

Also, you'll find some product listings in the FrameUser website, <http://www.frameuser.com>

The choice of tool or product really comes down to how much reinventing the wheel do you want to do, what your development timeframe allows, what level of capability and reliability you need, whether you need to develop an interface for users or blend into an existing solution, and whether this is a one-shot project or you need the flexibility of a programmable "toolkit" kind of product for development of multiple future projects.

FrameMaker is an extremely reliable and robust engine for document automation, and there are lots of ways to approach automation.

Sheila
[disclaimer: AxialInfo <http://www.axialinfo.com> is a Miramo reseller]