🚀 go-pugleaf

Jang,

* The advantage of the side-head approach that's been suggested is that graphics would appear not just on the page to the left of the associated text, but adjacent to that text. If that degree of placement is not necessary, you can try using paragraphs that are set to start at the top of left or right pages and using them to manually control the page breaks. Still requires manual intervention, but you won't need to add pages and connect text frames manually. For example, you can have a paragraph format with the tag LeftPage that starts at the top of the next left page. Set its line spacing and space below to 0pt so it won't take up space. After inserting a LeftPage paragraph, add the paragraphs with the graphics for that page. Then insert a RightPage paragraph which is similar to LeftPage but starts on a right page. Then insert your paragraphs with text.
* Although a well-written EDD can make it a lot easier for the user to obtain the formatting, the formatting capability of structured and unstructured documents is the same. Thus, you can't achieve anything with an EDD that you can't in an unstructured document. Before designing an EDD, therefore, I suggest you decide how you will use FrameMaker's formatting capability to obtain the desired appearance. The EDD can then help apply that format automatically as you create or edit your documents.
* If your chosen approach requires updating of things like pseudo-page numbers that increment twice on each FrameMaker page or the associated cross-references, you might need to use the FDK or FrameScript to automate them. In this particular case, if you decide to use the side-head approach, you might be able to avoid doing so with an "invisible" list. For example, instead of numbering pages in background text frames defined on the master pages, you might use empty list items defined on the body pages. Such an approach still requires you to control the page breaks manually. If doing so is not natural with the type of material you are publishing, you can use the FDK or FrameScript to control page breaking.

--Lynne