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Adobe FrameMaker Changelog

What's new in Adobe FrameMaker 2022 Build 17.0.1.305

Jan 6, 2023
  • Fixed Issues
  • Update 1 of FrameMaker (September 2022 release) has many improvements like removing system-generated prefixes from named destinations, better handling of SVGs, improved handling of conditional tags in faster PDF publishing route, and security issues.
  • For more information, see What's new in Update 1 of FrameMaker (September 2022 release).
  • Frame data is getting exported as JPEG instead of SVG in the CHM output format. 
  • (Ref – 12113)
  • Naming convention is inconsistent in the Japanese folders. 
  • (Ref – 12314)
  • Table footnotes are not exported well to the XLIFF format. 
  • (Ref – 12531)
  • When connecting to AEM Guides from Update 4 of FrameMaker Summer 2020 release (through Use Single Sign-On feature), a pop-up browser window appears that must be closed before the connection completes. 
  • (Ref – 12296)
  • On publishing any CHM output of an SVG image, the SVG image location is different in comparison to the authoring and basic HTML output.
  • (Ref – 12520)
  • SVG import uses points instead of pixels as the size calculator and ignores width or height values defined in the SVG root element.
  • (Ref – 4499)
  • FrameMaker hangs on opening, saving, or publishing a specific set of books. 
  • (Ref – 12452)
  • Unexpected characters are added (due to the use of color names) in filenames generated by the graphics process of the Publishing module. 
  • (Ref – 11487)
  • Some symbols are not displayed correctly when the PDF output is generated for a DITA file in Right-To-Left language scripts (Arabic and Hebrew).
  • (Ref – 11541)
  • The Preferences > Variables > Enable Highlight check box is getting truncated for the French version. 
  • (Ref – 11517)
  • Ignore autonumbering is not working for TOC in the unstructured FrameMaker Book 2020. 
  • (Ref – 12357)
  • While converting the DITA map into .fm book, conditional tag information applied on text gets lost and results in a different output of Show/Hide text using conditional tags.
  • (Ref – 12358)
  • When publishing the PDF output of a DITA map via flat book route or by using the FrameMaker settings (.sts) file, an extra title banner is visible at the top of topic. 
  • (Ref – 12359)
  • Link to external PDFs is not working in HTML5 output.
  • (Ref  – 12554)
  • SVG files were not getting imported with the correct defined sizes. 
  • (Ref – 11764)
  • Background color in CheckOut dialog is turned black. 
  • (Ref – 11406)
  • If text is rotated in SVG, then it does not render correctly in FrameMaker. 
  • (Ref – 10920)
  • Checkout/Checkin workflow is not working for SharePoint Online when the user who last modified the file is different from the user who checked it out. 
  • (Ref – 11851)
  • Keyword or Copyright text added in File Info appears at the bottom of the HTML5 output. 
  • (Ref – 11017)
  • On dragging the title bar to move the FrameMaker window, it horizontally centers the window on the mouse cursor. 
  • (Ref – 11041)
  • Text frames added to an image are shown as black rectangles in an SVG within the responsive HTML5 output.
  • (Ref – 11033)
  • Sometimes .lck files are not deleted, although the corresponding .fm file is closed.
  • (Ref – 9180)
  • While saving the DITA map into .fm book (using Save As), conditional tags are lost, resulting in a different output of Show/Hide conditional text using conditional tags.
  • (Ref – 12457)
  • While connecting to AEM, FrameMaker crashes if Java is not found. 
  • (Ref – 12323)
  • DITAVAL filter doesn’t implement the logic that if any single attribute evaluates to exclude, the element is excluded in the PDF output. 
  • (Ref – 12405)
  • % sign is changed to %25 during HTML5 conversion. 
  • (Ref – 12607)
  • Fixed security vulnerabilities related to fonts handling and improper input validation remote code execution. (Ref – 12344, 12432, 12441, 12442, and 12439)

New in Adobe FrameMaker 2017 14.0.2.425 (Jun 21, 2017)

  • While working on a document in Authoring mode, if user selects any text, the size of text increases in some cases.
  • Random crash noticed when an element is searched using the Find/Change pod.
  • When creating a custom toolbar, if toolbar’s icon image is not found, no message is displayed on the Console window and no default icon is shown in the toolbar.
  • On leaving a .fm file open for a long time in unstructured mode, the status bar displays incorrect values for the page number, paragraph style, and other information.
  • FrameMaker crashes on closing an active document while Edit System Variable pod is open.
  • While generating PDF with CYMK color settings, bold formatting is noticed for random fonts.
  • File Save dialog appears even when there are no unsaved DITA documents in the current session.
  • FrameMaker crashes if a filename containing special characters (% and ^) is published.
  • For a particular case, FrameMaker crashes when a .ditamap file is saved as PDF.
  • For a particular set of files, FrameMaker crashes on scrolling through the files.
  • For a particular case, FrameMaker crashes when a .fm file created in FrameMaker 11 is opened.
  • Opening a MIF file created in FrameMaker 11 results in a crash.
  • Changing the tab stop values while multiple cells in a table are selected results in a crash.
  • For a particular set of files converted from FrameMaker 10 to FrameMaker (2017 release) format, FrameMaker crashes when the converted files are opened in FrameMaker (2017 release).
  • If files containing spaces in their name is published as Basic HTML, then the links to those files is broken in the published output.
  • Search in responsive HTML5 output does not work when the help is published on ? RoboHelp Server.
  • When generating responsive HTML5 output, image size/resolution is reduced.
  • Using publish settings from FrameMaker (2015 release) to generate responsive HTML5 output throws an error message on opening the index.html file.
  • When an output containing dynamic HTML (drop-down or expanding text) effect is created, the icons associated with the text expansion and collapse are not aligned properly.
  • For a particular set of files containing dynamic HTML effects, the TOC does not get generated as expected.
  • In some cases, Character Designer applies incorrect formatting on selected text.
  • When custom multi-code commands are added in the menus.cfg file, only the first code in the command gets executed.
  • The StyleTag property of a graphic object is not exposed in ExtendScript.
  • API client initialization error message is not technically complete.
  • Extra spaces seen in the alert message shown on opening an invalid application definition file.
  • Alert message shown for unsaved DITA documents is technically incorrect.
  • A typo noticed in the Alerts section of the Preferences dialog.
  • The result of <xsl:message> in Xalan is not shown on the Console window.
  • Add/Edit Variable pod does not render correctly on a high-resolution display device.
  • The Edit Cross-Reference Format dialog is not re-sizable.
  • Overlapping labels noticed in element tags when a document is viewed along with document boundaries (View > Element Boundaries (As Tags)).
  • A custom zoom level cannot be specified in the zoom drop-down list.
  • Random memory leak issue noticed while working on large-sized XML files.
  • Fail to upload mobile app on PhoneGap build server.
  • When using the Browse URL dialog to open a file, an error message is displayed. Similarly, an error message is displayed on saving a file.
  • When connected to a WebDAV server using the Browse URL dialog, the file and folder structure on the server is not displayed.
  • When connected to an AEM repository using the Connection Manager, if a version label is added to a checked-in file, the label information is not stored.
  • For a particular case, updating DITA references results in deletion of link text.
  • When using the key-based content reference (Insert Conref dialog), the Conref End Element drop-down list does not get refreshed.
  • In a particular case, inserting content through DITA > Insert Conref results in loss of table attributes information.
  • Inconsistent table header and footer strings noticed in Add Rows or Column dialog.
  • A table created in DITA 1.2 document allocates more width for first column in comparison to others.

New in Adobe FrameMaker 2017 14.0.0.361 (May 2, 2017)

  • WHAT'S NEW:
  • Support for high resolution displays:
  • Now work with the full clarity of high definition displays (up to 4K - 3840 x 2160), as FrameMaker automatically scales to fit the system resolution. Enjoy the new interface with crisp icons and a richer contrast ratio.
  • Bigger and better welcome screen:
  • Get to work faster with a new-age, more user-friendly welcome screen that allows you to quickly create new documents or open recent files. Also, access structured and unstructured items from one page. Connect to a repository or file system effortlessly.
  • Search for menu commands:
  • Find menu commands faster by using the new menu search feature. Rather than looking for a command among the menu options, you can just type the name and hit enter.
  • New Project Manager:
  • Manage your work better with the new Project Manager that lets you drag and drop assets to a document and organize files with ease.
  • Next-generation Responsive HTML5 layouts:
  • Deliver personalized content experiences with new frameless Responsive HTML5 layouts that have best-in-class search and navigation. Enjoy a richer viewing experience as layout icons have been optimized for HD displays. Show or hide widgets, such as glossary and TOC.
  • Search faster with autocomplete:
  • Deliver a best-in-class search experience to end users with first-of-its-kind search autocomplete and more contextual search results. Provide users with automatic suggestions as they type, displaying the frequency of occurrence for each alongside.
  • Customizable Basic HTML5 output:
  • Generate lightweight, easily sharable Basic HTML5 code with no layouts and JavaScript, which can then be customized via CSS for a unique look and feel.
  • Effortlessly publish to Adobe Experience Manager:
  • Easily publish DITA content to Adobe Experience Manager Sites from FrameMaker by using XML Documentation Add-on for Adobe Experience Manager.
  • Text search within SVG images:
  • Give end users a more comprehensive search experience with the added ability to search text within SVG images, that also shows up in search results.
  • Content personalization for DITA content:
  • Now directly use DITA attributes for content as criteria in Dynamic Content Filters, making it even easier to create personalized content experiences for your end users.
  • Add favorites within new Responsive HTML5 layouts:
  • Provide users the option to mark topics as favorites within the new Responsive HTML5 layouts, saving them time and effort when accessing content again.
  • Greater content accessibility with 508 compliance:
  • Now accommodate your users’ special needs by generating HTML5 layouts that meet 508 compliance, making content compatible with assistive technologies.
  • New status bar with element path:
  • Use the brand-new status bar to keep track of the exact path of your current element while authoring DITA content in your structured document. Easily navigate using your cursor keys, eliminating the need to go back and forth to the structured view.
  • ENHANCED FEATURES:
  • Reorganized menu:
  • Work more intuitively with reorganized menu options that are now more logically distributed. Easily insert images, files, variables, elements, and more via the new ‘Insert’ menu. Find menu commands faster by using the new menu search feature.
  • Enhanced designer pods:
  • Create and update styles with the click of a button in the enhanced designer pods. Modify styles easily using the new labeled buttons for paragraphs and tables. Configurable options have been reorganized and relabeled.
  • Slick new “insert image” experience:
  • Add images to your document faster with the new insert menu command. Retain DPI and other properties at the time of insertion, with the ability to edit them later. Set DPI inline and apply changes with a single click via the improved object properties dialog.
  • Seamless integration between FrameMaker and Adobe Experience Manager:
  • Enjoy tighter integration of FrameMaker (2017 release) with Experience Manager. Use the repository search feature within FrameMaker to search in the Experience Manager repository. Sync, view and reply to review comments in real-time using the new Review Comments pod in FrameMaker. Use the updated preferences dialog box to set up file check-in and check-out preferences for Experience Manager.
  • Reimagined workspace:
  • Gain all the space you need to focus on your content with only relevant pods being displayed by default. Now access most pods as bubbles, some of which have been shifted from the bottom to the right, with information neatly displayed in fewer columns.
  • Keyboard shortcuts added to menu:
  • Get familiar with keyboard shortcuts, now displayed alongside all menu options, allowing you to quickly execute actions in a keystroke.
  • Enhanced font selection:
  • Find fonts easily and apply them to your documents with improved font management.
  • Optimized file saving:
  • Work fast and save files easily on exit as it is easier to handle single or multiple files.
  • Streamlined launch options:
  • Identify structured and unstructured mode easily with the simpler, streamlined launch options.
  • Optimized find and replace dialog:
  • Find and replace content effortlessly with alphabetically sorted lists in the Find/Change pod.
  • Usability enhancements in catalogs:
  • Manage character, paragraph, and element catalog pods more easily with usability improvements. Enjoy a cleaner interface with easily identifiable icons which replace long buttons, and a simplified deletion experience.
  • Mini Table of Contents:
  • Make long documents more readable and easier to navigate with mini TOCs, which now update automatically. Just select the styles to generate the mini TOC, insert, and format it. The table will auto-generate. Mini TOCs will appear in all supported output formats.

New in Adobe FrameMaker 2015 13.0.4.532 (Jul 28, 2016)

  • ADOBE EXPERIENCE MANAGER CONNECTOR ENHANCEMENTS:
  • New Review Comments pod to track and manage review comments:
  • You can now sync, view, and reply to review comments received on a topic using the new Review Comments pod in FrameMaker. An author initiates a review task for a single topic or multiple topics from the Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) interface. Multiple reviewers can review the topics and provide review comments. They can also view comments given by other reviewers in real-time and post replies. The Review Comments pod in FrameMaker gives a consolidated list of all review comments to the author to fix.
  • Support for HTTPS:
  • HTTPS uses Secured Socket Layer (SSL) to exchange information between a client and a server. You can now use HTTPS to establish a connection between FrameMaker and AEM.
  • Integrated search with XML Documentation Add-on for AEM:
  • FrameMaker’s repository search is now seamlessly integrated with AEM. If you use the repository search feature in FrameMaker, the search is performed in the DITA content within the AEM repository. For this feature to work, your AEM server must have the XML Documentation Add-on installed. The results are displayed in the Repository Search pod in FrameMaker. Using the Repository Search pod, you can perform regular file functions on the search results, such as open or explore a topic.
  • The repository search functionality also comes with an added attribute search feature. You can search the DITA content by text, and also by an element’s attribute in FrameMaker. Perform attribute search using appropriate values in Attribute name = Value format.
  • New Adobe Experience Manager options in the Preferences dialog:
  • The Preferences dialog box is updated to include configurable options for Adobe Experience Manager connector. You can use these options to set up file check-in and check-out preferences for AEM. Go to Edit > Preferences > CMS > Adobe Experience Manager to see the updated preferences.
  • Connection Manager dialog enhancements:
  • Alphabetically organized list of connectors
  • Option to browse and update the location for Local Folder
  • Option to save and remember connection password
  • Repository Manager window enhancements:
  • New Review Comments pod launch icon
  • Repository Manager context menu enhancements
  • USER INTERFACE ENHANCEMENTS:
  • Organized list of items in the Format menu:
  • Earlier when you clicked Format > Fonts (Characters or Paragraphs), a list of fonts installed on your system was displayed in a multi-column layout. If you had a long list of fonts on your system, the list would cover up the entire FrameMaker user interface. Now, when you click Format > Fonts (Characters or Paragraphs), the list of items is neatly organized in a single column. If the list is long, you can use the up and down scroll icons to easily traverse the list of items
  • ISSUES RESOLVED:
  • When connected to the AEM server, if the file has unresolved cross-references or text insets, it fails to check-in.
  • When setting up a Fm-AEM connection over VPN, the connection fails.
  • While creating or updating a stand-alone TOC for an unstructured document in structured mode, the information for generating the TOC file is lost. As a result, an empty file is generated. This is also applicable for generating a list of figures, tables, and paragraphs.
  • When you try to import or export an EDD file for an Arabic document, the settings are not replicated correctly.
  • In FrameMaker, if you check out, edit, and save the file and then try to check in the same file, you are prompted to save the file again.

New in Adobe FrameMaker 2015 13.0.3.494 (Apr 12, 2016)

  • FEATURE ENHANCEMENTS:
  • Host Responsive HTML5 content on Adobe RoboHelp Server 10:
  • You can publish Responsive HTML5 output from FrameMaker (2015 release) update 3 and host it directly on RoboHelp Server 10. Your content is rendered seamlessly on multitude of devices, including mobile devices. With the support for dynamic content filters in HTML5, your end users can easily access personalized content.
  • Enhanced Responsive HTML5 publishing process:
  • There are two new enhancements in the publishing process of Responsive HTML5 output. Firstly, all images used in your book are now saved in a single assets folder in the published output. Secondly, you have an option to merge styles across documents in your book into a single CSS file. This reduces the overall size and maintenance overhead of your project.
  • User interface enhancements:
  • The following enhancements have been made in the latest user interface
  • Field and button string changes:
  • Minor string changes have been done to improve user experience. The affected dialogs where string changes have been made can be found at the following locations in the main menu
  • Special > Table of Content > Create Standalone TOC
  • Special > Table of Content > Create Mini TOC
  • Special > List Of > all dialogs
  • Special > Standard Index
  • Special > Index Of > all dialogs
  • If the current focus is on the Book window, then the above-mentioned dialogs can be accessed from the Add menu (in place of the Special menu)
  • Removed paragraph symbol in structured mode:
  • If you open an unstructured document in structured mode, you would not see the paragraph symbol
  • ISSUES RESOLVED:
  • On relaunching the Help window, the dimensions set earlier are not retained. Ref# 4107829
  • Working with Conditional Tags pod under various scenarios causes FrameMaker to crash. Ref# 4092122
  • When publishing output for documents that use left-to-right layout, the layout-rtl.css file is also generated in the output folder. Ref# 4113157
  • A few extra .fpj files are getting generated in the Preview folder of the published output. Ref# 4114869
  • In the published Responsive HTML5 output, images imported from reference page are saved under the topic folder instead of the assets folder. Ref# 4123826
  • FrameMaker crashes while publishing a document if it is split based on styles, in such a way, that same name TOC pages are generated. Ref# 4113191
  • For some fonts, FrameMaker does not display standard ligatures correctly. Ref# 4093102
  • In FrameMaker ExtendScript and FDK, the value for constant Constants.FF_FIND_USE_REGEX is not mapped correctly. Ref# 4102169
  • XMP metadata contains incorrect version number of FrameMaker. Ref# 4102879
  • Frame crashes on pasting text frame into a graphic inset. Ref# 4111649
  • If there is a deeply nested book structure, synchronization between the Book Window and Structure View is lost. Ref# 4059503
  • From a Ditamap, opening a file that contains large number of cross-references causes FrameMaker to slow down or throw out of memory error. Ref# 4103726
  • Random FrameMaker crash issues noticed if conditions are applied on a mini TOC. Ref# 4106196 (FM only)
  • While updating a book, random character tags are applied in the building block causing incorrectly formatted cross-references. Ref# 3946069

New in Adobe FrameMaker 2015 13.0.2.433 (Nov 26, 2015)

  • FEATURE ENHANCEMENTS:
  • Upload articles to Adobe DPS:
  • Now generate Adobe DPS output for your FrameMaker documentation and upload the generated articles to Adobe DPS. Use your Adobe account to sign into the Adobe Digital Publishing Solution (https://publish.adobe.com/signin/index.html) and create your DPS projects. Ensure that you are using FrameMaker on the same Adobe account. In the Publish Settings dialog, select your Adobe account and the DPS project. When your run the publish procedure, the articles are generated in your output folder and uploaded to the selected project in your DPS account.
  • Support for XML sitemap in the Responsive HTML5 output:
  • A sitemap helps search engines to index your web pages and make your website SEO-friendly. FrameMaker now gives you an option to create the XML sitemap file for your Responsive HTML5 outputs. In the absence of this feature, you would either use a third-party tool to create a sitemap or manually create one.
  • The sitemap generation process is seamless as you simply select an option in the Responsive HTML5 output settings to generate the sitemap for your book or ditamap. The sitemap contains the references of your web pages, the base URL of your website where you would host the published output, and the frequency at which you intend to update your pages. As it is an XML file based on the standardized XML sitemap protocol, you can easily change the sitemap file as and when needed.
  • ISSUES RESOLVED:
  • Working with Conditional Tags pod under various scenarios causes FrameMaker to crash.
  • Under various scenarios, FrameMaker search does not work as expected in a conditionalized table.
  • If a table contains conditional rows and column, user opens the Find/Change pod, searches for the conditionalized text, and clicks the Change All button with nothing specified in the Change field, FrameMaker freezes.
  • Arabic ligatures break and the base line shifts before FATHATAN and ALEF in the PDF output.
  • If Arabic text with pronunciation or phonetic symbols is published to PDF, then the text is not correctly aligned to the baseline.
  • Random FrameMaker freeze issue noticed while generating Microsoft HTML Help output of a Farsi document.
  • Typing Japanese characters at the end of a line where the text flows to the next line causes FrameMaker to crash.
  • Checking out a single file without dependent files and then editing the checked-out file results in the checkout of all dependent files.
  • Transformation messages are displayed in the console window even for successful XSLT transformations.
  • FrameMaker crashes while importing some JPEG files.
  • FrameMaker fails to insert MathML equation in unstructured mode.
  • Markers pod is not available in the Review workspace.
  • In Japanese and German versions of FrameMaker, user sees an error message on checking in a file into the AEM server.
  • FrameMaker crashes while replacing any UTF2 character.
  • For a FrameMaker .book, the paginated topics do not appear in the TOC even if the "Add Paginated Topics to TOC" option is ON and the "Merge Topics with no Content" option is OFF.
  • In a Responsive HTML5 output, if the metadata contains special characters, the special characters are lost in the final output.
  • WebHelp output does not render correctly on MS Edge browser. For example, if a user performs a search in the output and then returns to the TOC, the TOC disappears.
  • Fix for XSS in Responsive HTML5 output.
  • In the Style mapping > Table tab, user cannot provide percentage values for table height and width. If a user provides a percentage value, an error message indicates "Valid values include measurements in px, pt, pc, cm, em, mm, in."
  • WebHelp/Responsive output will show title, created using macros, in browser window.

New in Adobe FrameMaker 2015 (Jun 18, 2015)

  • Leverage support for Arabic and Hebrew:
  • Bidirectional language support:
  • Enjoy support for RTL languages, Arabic and Hebrew. Also work with RTL and left-to-right (LTR) content in the same document or book. Control the direction of objects such as paras and tables using the new direction property. Benefit from language-specific features such as ligature and diacritic support.
  • Bidirectional content flipping:
  • Easily work with documents translated into Arabic or Hebrew. Reduce DTP work with the new direction property. Set up the document and flip it—all inherited objects will also change direction. Optionally, flip individual objects, such as paras, tables, images, lists, and neutral characters such as parenthesis.
  • Bidirectional language publishing:
  • Publish documents with bidirectional content, including XML/DITA content, from within FrameMaker (2015 release) in multiple formats: PDF, HTML5, WebHelp, CHM, EPUB, KF8, MOBI, and mobile apps. Optionally flip the HTML5 layout or use the new RTL WebHelp skin so that the navigation pane appears on the right for RTL content.
  • Publish to mobile devices in multiple formats:
  • Out-of-the-box multichannel, multidevice publishing:
  • Deliver your content to multiple channels, mobile devices and formats, including mobile apps, from within FrameMaker. Publish to popular output formats, like HTML5, WebHelp, EPUB, KF8, MOBI, PDF, and CHM with a single click. Define settings once and share them organization-wide.
  • Mobile app output:
  • Ensure wider distribution and consumption of content with a simplified mobile app generation workflow and native integration with Adobe PhoneGap Build*. Easily publish your content as mobile apps for iOS and Android with just one click.
  • Generating apps with PhoneGap Build requires purchasing a PhoneGap Build license.
  • Personalized dynamic content:
  • Empower users to find relevant content faster in the document, TOC and search. Leverage existing conditional tags and expressions to enable end users to dynamically filter content in the final HTML5 output, thereby delivering personalized help experiences.
  • New HTML5 layout:
  • Deliver a personalized content consumption experience. Configure search to appear on the content or topic panes, and show context and breadcrumbs in the results. Easily show or hide widgets, such as glossary and TOC. Convert the layout to right-to-left languages just by changing one property.
  • Custom fonts in EPUB files:
  • Embed custom fonts in your EPUB files and ensure that your users see text exactly as you intended, whether or not they have the font installed on their device.
  • Note: You must have distribution rights for the embedded font.
  • Attractive customizable WebHelp skins:
  • Give your WebHelp content a new look by changing its skin. Choose from a wide variety of skins from the WebHelp gallery. Customize your WebHelp skins by changing button labels, fonts, background color, search boxes, and more.
  • Reference page image publishing:
  • Publish reference pages content such as images, headers and footers, and logos, in all output formats supported by FrameMaker (2015 release).
  • SVG support in HTML5 output:
  • Effortlessly ensure that your images always look good regardless of the screen size of the device on which they are being viewed, because FrameMaker (2015 release) embeds the entire SVG code in the final HTML5 output.
  • Reuse of Adobe RoboHelp style mappings:
  • Work more efficiently by reusing style mappings that you have already configured in RoboHelp or Adobe Technical Communication Suite in the native publishing workflow of Adobe FrameMaker (2015 release).
  • Reusable publishing elements:
  • Reuse elements easily with the enhanced multidevice publishing settings file. Create elements, such as HTML5 layouts, WebHelp skins, CSS, and HTML page templates, just once, and import or export them for use across different settings files.
  • HTML page template support:
  • Configure mini-TOCs, breadcrumbs, and headers and footers just once and apply your settings easily to all outputs using the new HTML page template support.
  • Experience best-in-class XML authoring:
  • DITA 1.3 support:
  • Now get out-of-the-box support for DITA 1.3 topic types, including topic, task, concept, reference, glossentry, glossgroup and the new troubleshooting, learningObjectMap and learningGroupMap.
  • Enhanced Structure view:
  • Work more easily with your XML structure. Enjoy a larger work area by collapsing elements and attributes for entire sub-trees. Get a visual indication of the element in focus and validity of a drop.
  • Simplified XML authoring:
  • Now subject matter experts and casual authors can create valid XML without worrying about XML complexities. Work faster with a simplified user interface, a form-like easy-to-fill authoring experience, and the ability to insert objects easily using Quick Element toolbar or by importing from other sources such as Word and HTML pages.
  • Customized environments for simplified XML authoring:
  • Set up simplified XML authoring environments to make XML authoring even easier for subject matter experts and casual authors. Set up easy-to-fill form-like templates, assemble your own Quick Element toolbar and configure FrameMaker to work only in this environment.
  • Improved support for inline MathML equations:
  • Easily create inline MathML equations within FrameMaker (2015 release) thanks to native integration with MathFlow Structure and Style editors from Design Science. Equations inherit paragraph properties, such as fonts and background color, and are now exported as high-quality vector graphics in the published output.
  • Enhanced Quick Element toolbar:
  • Insert content even more easily with the enhanced, always-enabled Quick Element toolbar. The toolbar automatically identifies the next valid location if the inserted object is invalid at the current location.
  • Faster EDD customization process:
  • Reduce EDD customization time from hours to minutes by using the script included with FrameMaker (2015 release), which automatically changes the element definition in all the relevant places in the DITA 1.2 EDD hierarchy.
  • DITAVAL support in DITA-OT publishing:
  • Leverage out-of-the-box support for DITA OT to seamlessly publish content in various formats, including PDF, HTML, Microsoft HTML Help (.CHM) and Java Help. Use the free OASIS DITA-OT plug-in to carry out DITAVAL-based filtering while publishing.
  • Comprehensive DITA 1.2 support:
  • Create customized information models by automatically generating DITA 1.2 elements, such as titles, TOC, indexes, page rounding, and numbering. Easily publish DITA maps. Work with graphic objects more easily with the support for scale and align attributes.
  • DITA maps preview, including nested maps:
  • Now easily preview content in DITA maps, including nested DITA maps, by opening topics individually or all at once. Edit the topic by double-clicking the expanded topic content.
  • Multiviews: native XML code, WYSIWYG, and Author view:
  • Author XML content in any of the three views provided. Work in the easy to use WYSIWYG view. Use Author View to focus on writing without bothering about formatting. Use run time validation, auto suggest and tree view to work with raw XML source in the XML code view.
  • Smart Paste:
  • Author structured content faster. Convert content to a structured format with Smart Paste. Easily bring in a variety of content, including paragraphs, tables, and lists, from a variety of sources, such as Microsoft Word and Excel and HTML web pages.
  • Note: This feature is included for DITA, but you can also build it for other XML schemas.
  • Improved white space handling as per XML standards:
  • Easily work with XML files because white spaces inserted in the XML code view in FrameMaker or any other XML editor are handled as per XML standards. White spaces and spaces for pretty printing are ignored or preserved as appropriate or specified.
  • Comprehensive DTD support:
  • Author and validate XML content using standard DTDs, such as DITA and DocBook, as well as custom DTDs. Easily import a DTD and create an EDD with a single click. Alternatively, point to the DTD in the XML source and validate that against the DTD.
  • XPath 2.0 support:
  • Eliminate the need to browse through long XML code. Use the XPath pod to find elements and automatically apply functions to them. Customize your query builder, get suggestions, define the scope of queries, use the history drop-down menu, and save search results for greater productivity.
  • XSLT 2.0 support:
  • Create a variety of transformation scenarios by applying predefined or customized XSLT to XML files, and execute them using a range of JAXP-compliant processors. Define the scope of the transformation—a file, all files in a folder, DITA map, or all children of a book.
  • Publishing DITA maps to books:
  • Easily publish DITA content to professional-looking output. Generate nested books and books with flat components. Create attractive book content from DITA maps by automatically generating titles and TOCs, applying number properties, and page rounding.
  • Work smarter, accomplish more:
  • Smoother import of Microsoft Word files:
  • Map styles while importing Word documents into FrameMaker, or create new ones automatically from the imported styles. Bring in Word formatting and inline Word styles. Configure settings just once and reuse them across your Word documents.
  • Miniature Table of Contents (mini TOC):
  • Make long documents more readable and easier to navigate with mini TOCs. Just select the styles to generate the mini TOC, insert and format it as you wish, and update with a single click. Mini TOCs will appear in all supported output formats.
  • Conditional table columns:
  • Now make columns conditional and show or hide columns based on conditions, just as you do with rows.
  • Enhanced visual conditional indicators:
  • Easily identify which conditions have been applied to various types of content, such as images, tables, graphics, and anchored frames, with consistent formatting. Use conditional tag formatting rules to easily identify conditional content in your document.
  • Conditional text at the book level
  • Eliminate the tedium of applying conditions or expressions to individual chapters in books by applying them to the entire book directly while updating the book in the same operation.
  • Integration with CMSs:
  • Leverage built-in connectors to industry leading CMSs, Adobe Experience Manager, EMC Documentum and Microsoft SharePoint. Use the Repository view to check-out files, manage dependencies, manage versions and perform searches even with custom metadata. Get a set of APIs to connect your enterprise authoring environment with virtually any CMS.
  • Integration with DITA Exchange CMS:
  • Leverage the new built-in connector to the DITA Exchange CMS to manage your DITA content easily. Use the Repository view to check-out files, manage dependencies, version management and perform search. Use the advanced metadata-based filter to quickly browse and find relevant topics, DITA maps or graphics in a large volume of content.
  • Packager:
  • Share projects easily with colleagues, subject matter experts, and translators. Create a self-contained package of your documents, books or DITA maps. The packager includes all dependent files, such as referenced files and images and configuration files.
  • Improved usability in tables:
  • Work more efficiently in tables. Navigate the table cells using the arrow keys. Add a row by pressing TAB in the bottom right cell. Drag and drop rows and columns.
  • Automatic insertion of table continuation variables:
  • Handle large, multipage tables more easily with table continuation and table sheet variables that you can insert when adding a table. You can also apply these variables to existing tables and to several tables at one time.
  • Enhanced pod support:
  • Work more efficiently with pods. Colored boundaries allow you to quickly identify pods. Eliminate searching for pods because they open in the same location that you closed them. Specify colors using integer RGB values instead of percentages in the color definition pod.
  • Smart filters in pods:
  • Eliminate endless scrolling through long lists in pods with smart filtering. Easily find the relevant item in the paragraph, character and table designers by typing in the text box. The list dynamically filters content to display relevant options.
  • Enhanced UI:
  • Work more efficiently with a number of UI enhancements. Resize commonly used pods, such as cross references, conditional text, insert tables, and TOC. Easily drag and drop files to open, even while dragging onto pods.
  • Improved FrameMaker and Adobe Experience Manager connector:
  • Enjoy significant improvement in performance while carrying out frequently used operations, such as checkin and checkout, thanks to an enhanced connector between FrameMaker (2015 release) and Adobe Experience Manager CMS.
  • More out-of-the-box table styles:
  • Enhance your tables and make them more readable with a wide range of out-of-the-box table styles. Apply shading to table cells and fill them with solid colors.
  • Simultaneous PDF-based reviews and authoring:
  • Work more productively by authoring and reviewing in parallel. Review comments are imported correctly in the modified document while the commented content is unchanged in the source document.
  • Single-click session restore for quick start:
  • Get your previous session back with just one click. All files, pods, panels, and view from your previous session are restored.
  • Out-of-the-box Dropbox integration:
  • Share content easily with subject matter experts and other reviewers, and keep documents automatically updated with review comments. Choose whether to upload dependent files.
  • QR codes to connect print and online worlds:
  • Add QR codes to FrameMaker documents. Edit embedded QR codes and preview them in real time. Use them on popular iOS or Android QR reader apps. Generate QR codes in different sizes.
  • Smart catalogs:
  • Change the way you insert catalog elements such as element, paragraph, and character catalogs. Bring up the new dialog box with a keyboard shortcut. Search for an element directly, or view a dynamic list of elements based on filters or context.

New in Adobe FrameMaker 12.0.2 (May 10, 2014)

  • Feature enhancements:
  • Generating a list or an index of references (imported graphics) results in a blank file.
  • The preview map feature is also available for child maps. The preview feature is not available for Bookmaps embedded inside other Ditamaps. To preview child Ditamaps, you can also use the following menu: From the DITA menu choose Resolve Topicref(s) > Show Content.
  • To open file (.fm, .xml, .mif) in FrameMaker, you can now drag-and-drop files from Windows Explorer to any of the following parts of the FrameMaker user interface: Document window, Pods, Modal-less dialogs. To revert the drag-and-drop functionality, go the Edit > Preferences dialog > Interface tab and uncheck Open Documents Drag Drop.
  • In the Structure View, you can now drag-and-drop elements into an element that does not contain any child elements.
  • In Structure View, Shift-click the attribute of an element to collapse or expand its sibling elements’ attributes. Also, Alt-click the attribute of an element to collapse or expand its child elements’ attributes.
  • Package a FrameMaker documents (.fm or .mif, or .xml), books, or Ditamaps with all related files into a zip file for distribution or backup.
  • Files that contain unicode characters in the file or path names are not being uploaded/uploaded via Dropbox.
  • Compressed WebHelp Skins (.zkn) can be imported into the Publish settings.
  • FrameMaker includes a HelpViewer that allows you to view context-sensitive FrameMaker Help documentation from within the product. The HelpView can also be used to view the documentation in an offline mode.
  • HTML Page templates can be used to create mini-TOCs, breadcrumbs, and headers and footers in the Multi-channel publish outputs.
  • WebHelp Gallery is included in the Multi-channel publish settings to allow users to select from a gallery of skins.
  • A RoboHelp Import Settings (.isf) can be imported into the publishing settings (.sts) file.
  • The HHActiveX.dll required to be redistributed to Microsoft HTML Help publish output format includes the 32 bit and 64 bit versions.
  • Issues resolved:
  • The Smart Catalog launch time the first time it is invoked after FrameMaker is launched needs to be improved.
  • In FrameMaker XML Author, if an xdocbook application is used to generate a book from an XML file, the book generation fails since the book component (fm file) is not generated (supported in FrameMaker XML Author). Now, in FrameMaker XML Author, the file opens as a normal XML file.
  • The keyboard shortcuts for Math symbols such as the letter alpha, the infinity symbol, right arrow does not work in the Equation editor.
  • Typing anything in Ditamap resource view deletes the selected file.
  • FrameMaker crashes if a user attempts to update the properties of a HotSpot from the HotSpot pod.
  • Frame crashes on deleting markers from marker pod when some stale entries are present in the pod.
  • The keyboard shortcut Esc+e Shift+s to display Suppress Automatic Reference Updating dialog box is not working.
  • FrameMaker crashes if you take a MathML equation out of an anchored from, edit the equation, and then undo the operation.
  • If a MIF file containing a UserString tag is published using the multi-channel publishing solution FrameMaker crashes.
  • Adding the font and background color properties to an EDD and saving a file with this EDD as MIF corrupts the EDD.
  • When using regular expression Find and Change, if the text is replaced via a regular expression group, the anchors contained in the text are deleted. Also, the anchors were deleted for any replace string (simple string or capture groups).
  • Menus corresponding to certain commands defined either in customui.cfg or in clients might not be visible in FrameMaker.
  • Clicking the close (X) button in the task bar causes multiple Save dialog boxes to display.
  • Character tagged subscripts and superscripts are honored by the building block in a cross-reference. However, when the file is part of a Book and the book is updated (including cross-refs), then the formatting is removed from the cross-reference.
  • If a book or Ditamap is in focus, the Clear Search button in the Conditional Tags pod does not clear the text in the Search Text box.
  • The TOC does not include topics of level 3 and below when publishing to HTML5 or WebHelp output formats from DITA.
  • Consider a scenario where two documents are part of a FrameMaker book and one document contains a cross-reference to the other document. If the destination document is renamed, the Update book procedure indicates that the cross-references will be resolved however they are broken.
  • Table properties can't be changed from Table Designer if table anchor is selected.
  • When collapsing the last element in the Structure view, the contents is not automatically scrolled.
  • Dragging and dropping elements in Structure View is possible over very short distances in the structure. When dragging an element over the edge of the Structure View panel, causes the view to scroll very fast. After this is it difficult to drop the element back where the original location.
  • The Uncheck all button that is used to uncheck all condition tags (change the tag state from IN to NOT IN) is not available in the Conditional Tags pod. To uncheck all condition tags, select the content in the document and click Uncheck All in the Conditional Tags pod.
  • The default value for the image "align" attribute defined in the EDD of a structured document was not honored by FrameMaker. This has been corrected. Now, if the value for the align attribute is not defined in the document or not set through Attribute editor, then FrameMaker checks for default value defined in the EDD. If a default value is not defined in the EDD, the image is "center" aligned in the document.
  • In the CSS Rule definition dialog (launched from the Publish Settings dialog), if the Same for allcheck box is checked or unchecked the Right, Bottom, or Left text fields remain disabled.
  • Now, if the Same for all check box is unchecked the Right, Bottom, or Left text fields are editable.
  • FDK / ExtendScript issues resolved:
  • The object FO_GraphicsFmt needs to be added to ExtendScript
  • FP_FMConsoleString property is missing from FrameMaker 12 Object Model
  • UserString property is not working in ExtendScript for objects other than CombinedFontsDef and Element
  • Unable to delete menus and commands through Delete() function.
  • Changes made to a script are not reflected on running again if the script is registered once in the session.
  • The backslash (\) character cannot be inserted in the Find/Change dialog via FCodes in ExtendScript/FDK.
  • The Delete() function does not work for objects
  • Deleting a graphic format through Delete() and DeleteUnusedGraphicsFmt() does not remove it from the catalog list

New in Adobe FrameMaker 12.0 (May 10, 2014)

  • Out-of-the-box multichannel, multidevice publishing:
  • Now deliver your content to multiple channels, formats, and screens, from within FrameMaker 12, without having to purchase any other product. Publish to popular output formats like EPUB 3, KF8, MOBI, WebHelp, CHM, and HTML5 with a single click. Define settings once and share them organization-wide. Simultaneously batch-process multiple outputs.
  • Out-of-the-box support for MathML equations:
  • Create or edit MathML equations within FrameMaker 12 thanks to native integration with MathFlow Structure and Style editors from Design Science. Import a MathML equation into FrameMaker, as an image, auto-size it, and save its source in the XML file. Render all documents including XML, with embedded MathML equations.
  • Out-of-the-box integration with Adobe Experience Manager:
  • Manage content effectively using new native integration with Adobe Experience Manager, formerly known as Adobe CQ. Check out, check in, upload, copy, move, and create files. Get digital asset management metadata support, see version history, show dependents, and more. Customize Adobe Experience Manager by changing preferences.
  • Customizable user interface for easier navigation and better viewing:
  • Customize the user interface to match the way you work. Configure it with icons of your choice-large or regular sized, colored or greyscale. Use floating toolbars and control bars, dock your most frequently used dialog boxes for quick access, and create workspaces customized to your workflow.
  • Simultaneous PDF-based reviews and authoring:
  • Work more productively by conducting authoring and reviewing in parallel. Edit the source content without waiting for all review comments to come in. Review comments are imported correctly in the modified document as long as the commented content has not changed in the source document.
  • Content review on the go using mobile devices:
  • Leverage the powerful PDF-based review workflow even on mobile devices using the mobile Adobe Reader app. Allow your subject matter experts to review content anytime, anywhere on smartphones and tablets. They will be able to make comments in the PDF and these can then be seamlessly imported into the FrameMaker source file.
  • Smart Catalogs:
  • Change the way you insert elements of various catalogs such as element, paragraph, and character catalogs. Bring up the new dialog box with a keyboard shortcut. See content even for large catalogs with 10 elements displayed at a time. Search for an element directly, or view a dynamic list of elements based on the filter criteria or context.
  • Out-of-the-box Dropbox integration:
  • Work anytime, anywhere, on any machine, and with collaborators across networks. Choose whether to upload dependent files or not. Share documentation easily with subject matter experts and other reviewers, and keep documents automatically updated with review comments.
  • User-friendly Conditional Text Pod:
  • Effortlessly use conditional tags for single-sourcing content with an improved, user-friendly Conditional Text Pod. Easily apply or remove multiple conditions. Utilize visual checkmarks to apply conditions or see which conditions have been applied.
  • Quick Element toolbar for easy insertion of content:
  • Simply click on icons in the native Quick Element toolbar to insert or wrap content into elements without requiring knowledge of tag names. The toolbar guides you to select valid elements in the XML structure. Build your own toolbar for custom DTDs by mapping different elements to icons in the toolbar.
  • Expandable DITA map topics for quick viewing of content:
  • Expand DITA map by resolving each topicref to easily preview the topic content. Open topics individually or all together at one go. Preview nested topics without opening each topic individually. Edit a topic by simply clicking on it, and refresh to see the changes.
  • Improved white space handling as per XML standards:
  • Easily work with XML files as white spaces inserted in the XML code view in FrameMaker or any other XML editor are handled as per XML standards. White spaces and spaces for pretty printing are ignored or preserved as appropriate or specified. Specify white spaces to be preserved using the XML:space attribute.
  • Single click session restore for quick start:
  • Get back your previous session with just one click. Automatically restore files that were open in the last session, pods and panels in use as well as their location, and the selected authoring view.
  • Currently Open Files pod for easier file management:
  • Be more productive when working with multiple files. With the new "Currently Open Files" pod, you can easily see all open files across all views along with the complete file path.. Easily identify and navigate between saved, unsaved, and active files. Save or close multiple files at one go.
  • QR codes to connect the print and online worlds:
  • Easily add QR codes to FrameMaker 12 documents and bridge the gap between the print and online worlds. Edit embedded QR codes and preview them in real time. Use them on popular iOS or Android QR Reader apps. Generate QR codes in different sizes.
  • Conditional tag expressions with nested parentheses support:
  • Filter content within your document using conditional tag expressions created with an intuitive user interface. Easily build complex expressions with nested parentheses and Boolean operators. The expression is automatically validated as you type. Name your conditional expressions and save them for future use.
  • Regular expression support:
  • Leverage regular expressions to carry out complex searches, or ‘find and replace’ on content in WYSIWYG and Author views. Use any of the three regular expression search engines-Perl, Grep, Egrep, and easily search body text, footnotes, markers, variables, and more. Regular expression search uses the Boost library, with Perl as the default search engine.
  • Out-of-the-box support for publishing content with DITA OTK:
  • Do away with the hassle of having to install or integrate DITA OTK to publish DITA content to multiple output formats. Leverage out-of-the-box support for DITA OTK to seamlessly publish content in various formats, including HTML, Microsoft HTML Help (.CHM) and Java Help.
  • Improved performance:
  • Launch FrameMaker 12 substantially faster than FrameMaker 11. Open XML documents of different types quicker than ever. Work more productively-benefit from a number of performance enhancements that save you a substantial amount of time when performing routine tasks.