Why FrameMaker?

PatternStream takes advantage of Adobe FrameMaker and FrameMaker Server superior capabilities:
  • Long document publishing
  • Extremely stable application
  • Complex tables
  • Multiple master pages
  • Information cross-referencing and hyperlinking
  • Multiple output filters and converters (PostScript, PDF, HTML, XML, and word processing applications)
  • Multiple and user defined markers
  • Multiple input filters and converters
  • Automatic table of contents and indices
  • Hexadecimal codes for special character insertion
  • Book functions
  • Excellent application programming interface (API — Frame Developers Kit or FDK)

PatternStream continues to work with the Adobe FrameMaker product line. FML recommends using FrameMaker and FrameMaker Server for automated publishing projects.

To use PatternStream, a FrameMaker template or a series of templates are created before and/or while creating a project’s PatternStream configuration file. This file is named the pattern set template or PSET file. If the product to be published is in the form of a book, several templates may be designed to represent sections of the book as required.

The reason the FrameMaker template is needed when setting up PatternStream is because of PatternStream’s tight integration with the FrameMaker publishing engine. Instead of trying to develop a new engine, FML decided to use the best long document publishing application as the engine to drive the publishing and output process. PatternStream uses the formatting information contained in the FrameMaker template directly to control the information it collects. All of the FrameMaker template format attributes are available in  to PatternStream assign to pages, headers and footers, paragraphs, characters, tables, markers, hyperlinks, and numerous other document components.

FrameMaker use and template design expertise is required to use PatternStream. This includes the design of master pages, paragraph and character tag catalogs, table catalogs, and establishing other FrameMaker document publishing attributes.

Once the FrameMaker template development is started or complete, the PatternStream PSET file can be set up using the GUI. The FrameMaker template can be modified as the PSET file is developed in an iterative process. This provides the ability to publish a page or two and view, modify, or make necessary corrections “on-the- fly” — permitting rapid prototyping, development, and publishing of database derived products.