Adobe FrameMaker is a desktop authoring and publishing application for long technical documents such as manuals, product guides and help systems. It runs on Windows, and Adobe sells it as a paid subscription with a free trial. FrameMaker handles two kinds of writing: classic template-based documents, and structured XML content built on standards such as DITA. FrameMaker can publish both from one source to print-ready PDF and several digital formats.
Template-based documents and books
In unstructured (non-XML) mode, a FrameMaker document takes its look from a template. Paragraph and character formats control text styling, while master pages define the page layout: text frames, headers, footers and other background content. The body pages that hold the actual writing inherit everything from their assigned master page. Changing a master page therefore changes every page that uses it.
Long publications are assembled as books. A book file lists the chapter documents in order, and FrameMaker applies numbering across all of them. Tables of contents, indexes and other lists are generated files. The program collects headings or index markers from every chapter and rebuilds the list on update.
When Adobe FrameMaker imports an existing Word or FrameMaker file, it can split it into separate chapters based on markers or paragraph styles.
Structured XML and DITA authoring
For structured work, FrameMaker supports DITA, Lightweight DITA, S1000D, DocBook and custom XML standards. The document follows a set of element rules, and formatting depends on which element the text sits in. An Element Definition Document (EDD) holds element definitions. Writers can import CSS rules into an EDD or template to control appearance.
Writers can switch between a WYSIWYG view, which shows formatted content, and an XML view that exposes the markup. The Structure View lists elements and attributes as a tree.
Working with DITA maps
A DITA map collects individual topics into a publication. Adobe FrameMaker opens a map both as a document and as a tree in the resource manager. Word documents and Markdown files can be converted into DITA content.
Reuse, variables and conditional text
FrameMaker offers several ways to write content once and use it in several places. Variables hold values such as product names or page counts that change in one place and update everywhere. Conditional text tags mark passages for a specific audience or product. Showing or hiding tags lets writers produce different versions of a manual from the same files. Text insets pull content from another file, and in DITA, content references do the same at the element level.
Writers can combine variables and condition tags in a book-level template and apply them through a book-level configuration. This keeps every chapter in a book consistent.
Editing and layout tools
FrameMaker also includes tools aimed at technical layout:
- Tables: resizable cells, rows and columns, with styled header and footer rows.
- Footnotes: kept on the same page as their reference.
- Bidirectional text: Arabic, Hebrew and Farsi can be mixed with left-to-right text in the same paragraph, document or book.
Publishing to PDF, HTML5 and other formats
Adobe FrameMaker publishes one source to Responsive HTML5, EPUB, Kindle, PDF, CHM, basic HTML and content-centric mobile apps. Writers can customize settings per format, so the same chapters can become a printed manual and a searchable help site.
Presets produce PDF/A files for archiving and PDF/X files for print production. FrameMaker can create tagged PDFs that meet Section 508 accessibility requirements. FrameMaker can publish DITA maps and bookmaps as WYSIWYG PDF using its templates. It can also publish them through the DITA Open Toolkit for PDF, HTML, CHM and Java Help.
Responsive HTML5 output includes layouts with built-in search and navigation.
Translation through XLIFF
For localization, FrameMaker exports content as pre-segmented XLIFF files that a translation vendor can process in its own tools. FrameMaker then imports the translated XLIFF files back and rebuilds the documents in the target language with their formatting and structure intact.
Review and content management
Subject matter experts can review content without having FrameMaker. The program generates a review PDF and hosts it on Adobe Document Cloud, where reviewers comment in Acrobat. FrameMaker then imports their feedback into the source document. The Acrobat desktop and online services used for this require an Adobe Technical Communication Suite subscription.
Teams that store content in a repository can connect FrameMaker to Adobe Experience Manager Guides, Adobe’s component content management system. From inside the application, writers can search the repository and check files in and out. FrameMaker tracks references by unique IDs so links survive when files move.
Automation and plans
ExtendScript can automate repetitive tasks in Adobe FrameMaker. A FrameMaker API and developer kit let developers build native plug-ins or connect third-party services. Adobe also sells FrameMaker Publishing Server as a separate product that runs scheduled publishing jobs without a writer at the desktop.
FrameMaker is no longer sold as a perpetual license. Individuals buy an annual subscription, while teams, enterprises and qualifying schools license it through Adobe’s volume, enterprise and education plans. It is also part of the Adobe Technical Communication Suite.
