Handy FrameMaker tools

This table contains a list of third-party tools that I find useful. It is important to note than some of these parties offer more tools that I have listed here.

Source Product What it Does
Bruce Foster
(subset of Carmen)
Archive Copies a book to an archive directory and gathers all documents, referenced graphics, and text insets for that book into the archive directory. All references in the archived book are relative and point to documents, graphics, and text insets under the archive directory.
Carmen Publishing BookPageCount Calculates the total number of pages in your book and puts the number in a user variable called Book Page Count.
FindChangeSpecial FindChangeSpecial allows you to find cross-references, paragraphs, tables, and user variables in books or single documents and change them to another format. You can optionally delete the find format. Find/Change results are written to the Console window.
RunaroundNone Sets the default runaround of an imported graphic to none.
TableCleaner
  • Straddle multiple columns or rows with one command.
  • Remove custom ruling and shading from multiple tables. Designed especially for imported Word tables.
  • Resize multiple tables to the text column or text frame width of the table anchor.
  • Resize multiple tables "by example." Resize a table to your liking and apply the column widths to multiple tables in the document. Choose which columns you want to resize.
  • Convert body to heading rows in multiple tables. Designed especially for imported Word tables.
  • Apply paragraph formats to existing table cell paragraphs. Process multiple tables at once. Choose which columns you want to apply formats to.
Cudspan

(Windows only)

CudLog A logging utility that is used by many of these other plug-ins. For FDK developers, the Cudspan documentation includes instructions to use CudLog in your own plugins.
DoBatch Runs batch processing in documents and books. Save as MIF, Filtered, ViewOnly, PostScript, or document; Update a book or document; Import formats; Run another plugin on a book or document. Requires CudLog.
Hunt Overrides Hunts down local overrides and presents a page where you can click to jump to them.
PGF Whopper Lists and deletes unused paragraph formats, character formats, and conditional text tags.
RefIcons Inserts icons next to paragraphs. Just design a format/icon pair in your document, then use a single command to save the pair in the RefIcons palette. You can then use the format/icon pair in any document.
TocBreaker Remembers page breaks and line breaks in your generated lists. Very useful in the later stages of a project when you have decided on custom breaks in the generated files, but you need to regenerate from time to time.
Electronic Pubs Remove Local Formatting (5, 6) Removes local formatting document wide, or on selected text.
emDEX emDEX Real-time indexer you can view without having to update and open the index.
InTech TrackChanges Tracks document change more along the lines of Word.
Jesper Bache XtraBookUtils
(Win + Mac)
  • Runs on a book
  • Clear change bars
  • Turn on and off the automatic change bar flag
  • Set the page count property
  • Set the starting page to Next, Read from file, left or right
  • Set the page numbering option to Continue, restart at 1 or read from file
  • Set the paragraph numbering to Continue or restart
  • Hide element boundaries, show boundaries as brackets or show boundaries as tags
  • Manipulate external cross-references
  • Manipulate references to external graphics
  • Change the filepath / filename of the document from the book
TableUtils
(Win 5 + Mac 5)
Calculate the sum off selected table cells, add or multiply the cells with a number or round the cells to given number of decimals
Full Conversion Table
(Win 5 + Mac 5)
Generates a full conversion table for the active document.
XTraAppleEvents
(Mac 5)
Ehances AppleScript control over FrameMaker and FrameMaker+SGML.
Seatech Publications Caption Manager Places the name of a graphic as a caption in the bottom right corner of the anchored frame. Captions can be added automatically or through a context-sensitive menu. Also, captions within a document or book can be batch processed.
Graphfix Simplifies the process of inserting and manipulating graphics. With keyboard shortcuts, the user can quickly enlarge, shrink, center, or import-and-fit an image in an anchored frame. Users can customize the following default settings: anchored frame size and border, image orientation, scaling options, and importing options. Also, in structured documents, the plug-in can automatically insert structural elements that are ancestral to the object elements normally associated with a graphic insert.
SuperFind Multiple items to find & replace. Save a text file with find & replace options.
Word Checker A controlled-language spelling checker that offers an alternative to a full-blown controlled-language program.
Leximation BookVars Manage FrameMaker variables at the "book" level. Define multiple variable groups and easily switch between them by updating the variables in all files. Syncs up the variables definitions in all files and/or delete unused variables.
ExtraCharFormat

Sets the "OffsetVertical" and OffsetHorizontal" character style properties (which are not available through the Character Designer).

FileTools Provides additional commands to make it easier to import and export files in FrameMaker. This plugin also includes the ability to read and write MIFML files from structured or unstructured files.
MarkerTools Useful commands for working with markers in FrameMaker. Enhanced marker dialog; search for both marker type and text; marker expand/collapse; marker export/import.
MIFML-Converter Command-line utility to convert MIF files to MIFML and MIFML files to MIF. A MIFML file is an XML representation of a MIF file.
MyHelp Customize the Help menu in FrameMaker by adding menu items that open your Help files, PDFs, or other documents.
RestoreWindows Restores the window location, zoom factor, and view settings of opened documents along with the show/hide state of frequently used tool windows.
Silicon Prairie Alerts If a viariable called "Alert" is found, it displays the contents of the variable.
Paragraph Tools

List Paragraph Usage -- Creates a list of the paragraph tags used and not used in a document or book

Delete Unused Paragraph Tags -- Removes unused paragraph tags from a document or book

Create Paragraph Tag List -- Creates a list of paragraph tags to keep in a set of documents

Remove Non-list Paragraph Tags -- Removes paragraph tags from a document or book that aren't included in a list of tags to keep

Create Conversion Document -- Creates a list of paragraph tags that will be converted to other paragraph tags in a document or book

Convert Paragraphs -- Converts paragraph tags in a document or book, based on a paragraph tag conversion document.

Remove Overrides -- Removes overrides from all paragraphs in a document or book

Find Next Override -- Locates the next paragraph that contains an override in a text flow or table

Outline Tools Makes outlining in FrameMaker easy, allowing you to move blocks of text with simple keyboard shortcuts.
Stratagem Systems Pty Extab Provides (or, past tense, provided) a tool to export an Excel table into a Frame MIF. I don't have a link for this because it seems they are out of business. I keep it here to remind myself to check once in a while.
Systec-gmbh Toolbox Free module deletes unused tags, variables, etc. Further ($) modules provide far more extensive tools.
Wideman-One MIF Browser Presents the MIF of a file in an organized table form.