EDD Template (Metatemplate)
A metatemplate is a template for other templates. In FrameMaker, a
metatemplate is a template for EDDs. Although most EDD developers
use the metatemplate that comes with FrameMaker, it is possible to
modify the distributed metatemplate by changing its formatting and adding
additional documentation elements. Text Structure Consulting, Inc. uses a
metatemplate that differs from the one provided with FrameMaker
in several ways, including:
- Comments are permitted throughout an element definition instead
of only at the beginning or the end
- Numbering of subrules allows for 6 levels of nesting (instead of
only 3). The FrameMaker 7.0 version numbers "if"
and "else if" clauses as well as complete format rules.
- Additional documentation elements List, Note, and CommentTable
are available
- Element type SGMLFragment is defined to facilitate use of
text insets within an EDD
- Section heads are formatted differently for outer sections and
nested sections (4 levels supported)
- Color is used to distinguish element definitions for containers
from those of graphics, tables, cross-references, etc. Instead of
assigning colors in the meta-EDD, colors called Table, Marker,
Equation etc. are now defined in the metatemplate. Users can
therefore change the color scheme just by editing definitions of
these colors.
- Page breaks within an element definition are minimized
- Running headers show the tag of the current element
definition and head of the current section
- Various context labels on the Tag element make it possible to generate
lists of element definitions for particular object types (for example, an
alphabetized list of all cross-reference elements) or for format change lists.
- Elements CommentElement and CommentFormatChangeList allow element
definitions and format change lists to be “commented out”.
Directions for using the metatemplate and a more complete description of
changes are written in comments at
the beginning of the metatemplate's EDD.
The FrameMaker 7.0
metatemplate and its EDD (Version FM7.0TSC1.4, released September
7, 2003) are available in zip file
MetaTemplate7.zip,
which contains the following files:
edd7.tpl- the metatemplate
test7.edd- a sample EDD using the metatemplate
MetaEDD7.0.edd- the EDD for the metatemplate
FrameMaker+SGML 5.5.6 and 6.0 versions are available in zip file
MetaTemplate.zip,
which contains the following files:
edd.tpl- the FM+SGML 5.5.6 metatemplate
edd6.tpl- the FM+SGML 6.0 metatemplate
test.edd- a sample EDD using the metatemplate
MetaEDD.edd- the EDD for the metatemplate