🚀 go-pugleaf

FrameMaker indeed stores the cross-reference source file for external cross-references. (In FrameScript, you can query the XRefFile property.) So if you have two cross-references that point to different files, but to the same attribute value, FrameMaker doesn't have any problem resolving the cross-references correctly. I don't know how this would work in the XML world, but if the book gets saved to a single XML file, the duplicate values may cause problems.

One solution is to use FrameScript (or the FDK) to generate unique IDs for all UniqueID attributes in the book ahead of time. You can have a master "IDs.xml" file stored in the same folder as the script, so that the IDs are always unique, even across books. Whenever the script generates a new unique ID, it would check the master "IDs.xml" file to make sure it is unique. The new IDs are added to the "IDs.xml" file as they are generated so they are never reused.

Rick Quatro
rick at frameexpert dot com

Van,

The guide is wrong, at least as far as working within structured Frame. A unique ID must be unique within a file, but not within a book. I think that statement has more to do with exporting a book as XML. Also, your observations are correct... Frame has two fundamental components involved with an xref link: 1) the target ID and 2) the target file. Therefore, an xref will always point to a specific file, regardless of how you shuffle files around in books, because it knows nothing about looking through a book. It only knows to look in the assigned file.

I have a shareware plugin that might be of some help to you, the XRef Wizard. It's main purpose is to resolve xrefs by looking throughout a book for the ID target, rather than the single file that was originally targeted. Furthermore, it can do things like traverse a book and make all IDs unique, among other things. It's not my most complete work and hasn't really gotten a lot of use but I believe that it functions generally well. You can get a copy at www.weststreetconsulting.com. There aren't any sample files or a tutorial, so feel free to ask if something doesn't make sense.

Russ

Rick and Russ,

Thanks for your thoughts. I DO have an XSL stylesheet that creates a parts catalog from an input XML file. The XSL creates tables and figures with cross-references to them by simply writing the same value in the appropriate attributes (xref = uniqueID). Thus, the links are not established by Frame software but by the XSL. And it works just fine; however, all the links are within a given chapter, not across a book.

So, I thought I could do the same thing within Frame, and I think I could, except for the fact that Frame requires me to use the cross-reference dialog box to enter the xref attribute, which process records the source file, which gives the results I do not want, as both of you concur. Right now I am handling the situation with conditional text.

Russ, I will look at your product but doubt that I will get it because I like to keep things as simple as possible for other writers, who are sometimes brought in from the outside, as I am.

Thanks again,
Van