About Auto-Numbers

Auto-numbering can be used for both online and print-based output, but it is especially useful in print-based output.

Following are just a few reasons for using auto-numbering. For samples of formats that you might use for these purposes, see Auto-Number Format Examples.

• Chapter, Section, and Volume Numbers If you are producing output that is organized into multiple chapters, sections, and/or volumes, you can apply auto-numbers to those different elements. Not only does this let you produce numbers automatically for chapter, section, and volume headings, but you can also incorporate this numbering into other content (e.g., page numbers, figure captions, table headings)

  Note: To generate chapter numbers, you need to create an auto-number format that includes the {chapnum} command. Then specify chapter breaks in the outline TOC. See Specifying Chapter Breaks and Page Layouts.

  Note: To generate section numbers, you need to create an auto-number format that includes the {secnum} command. Then specify section breaks in the outline TOC. See Specifying Chapter Breaks and Page Layouts.

  Note: To generate volume numbers, you need to create an auto-number format that includes the {volnum} command. Second, you need to specify chapter breaks in the outline TOC (see Specifying Chapter Breaks and Page Layouts). Third, you need to specify the auto-number flow for each volume, resetting the volume number to a specific number (see Specifying Auto-Numbering Flow for Output). 

  Note: You can also insert Chapter, Section, or Volume Number variables into page layout headers. By doing this, you can automatically display the correct chapter, section, or volume number at the top or bottom of pages in the output. See Inserting Chapter, Section, and Volume Number Variables into Frames.

  Note: In order to create chapter and volume auto-numbers in FrameMaker output, you must split the output into multiple FrameMaker documents. If you are creating one of the other print-based outputs (PDF, XPS, XHTML, Word), you do not necessarily need to create multiple documents, but you do need to create chapter breaks for the output. For more information, see Specifying Chapter Breaks and Page Layouts.

• Paragraphs You can apply auto-numbering to different levels of paragraphs in your project.

  example

  You might specify that the first-level paragraphs contain number formats such as 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and so on. Maybe your second level paragraphs would be formatted as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, and so on. And finally, the third level paragraphs might be formatted as 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, and so on.

• Figure captions Perhaps you have inserted multiple pictures into your project, with a caption under each image. If you want the captions for each chapter to be numbered (e.g., "Figure 1-1," "Figure 1-2," "Figure 1-3," "Figure 2-1," "Figure 2-2"), you can apply auto-number formats to that content. If you insert a new figure caption with that format between existing captions, Flare will renumber them automatically.
• Table headings Another way to make use of auto-numbering is to apply them to headings for tables in your project (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3).
• Page numbering You can easily include page numbers in content for print-based output without creating auto-number formats. However, if you want to incorporate volume, chapter, or section numbers into your pages numbers, you can so by using auto-number formats.
• Lists As an alternative to using Flare's quick list drop-down options, you can use auto-numbering to create numbered lists for purposes such as step-by-step procedures or outlines.
• And more… If you can apply a paragraph style to it, you can include auto-numbering in it.

Whatever you are trying to accomplish when it comes to auto-numbers, there are three basic tasks that you may complete.

1. Create auto-number formats. First, you need to specify what a particular auto-number will include and what it will look like.

   example

   If you are creating a format to use with figure captions, you might specify the format to display the word "Figure" followed by the chapter number, a dash, and an incremented number. You also might want this format to appear in bold font. Finally, you might use a float option so that the auto-number is positioned to the left of the page layout frame where the relevant paragraph occurs.

   You can create auto-number formats for styles (which you can easily reuse) or directly for a specific paragraph. For more information, see Creating Auto-Number Formats for Styles and Creating Auto-Number Formats for Paragraphs.

2. Apply styles with auto-number formats to content. After the auto-number format is created using the style method, you need to indicate where it should be displayed in your content.

   example

   If you plan to use an auto-number format for figure captions, you apply the style using that particular format to the appropriate locations in your topics.

   For more information, see Applying Styles to Topic Content.

   If you used the paragraph format method, the auto-number format was already applied to the paragraph at the same time that you created the format.

3. Specify auto-numbering flow for output. If you are including volume, chapter, and/or section auto-numbers in print-based output, you need to indicate where each volume, chapter, or section should begin and end. You also need to provide other specifications, such as whether the numbering should restart at a specific number, whether it should continue from the previous list, and the type of numbering format (e.g., Roman, alpha) to be used.

   This procedure is especially useful if you have created chapter auto-numbers and need to ensure that they begin with the correct number at the correct location, after any front matter (e.g., title page, copyright page, generated table of contents).

   For more information, see Specifying Auto-Numbering Flow for Output.

When you incorporate auto-numbering into content, you do so by creating an auto-numbering format, which consists of one or more commands. Some examples of commands are: CH:, {n+}, {chapnum}, {b}, and {/b}. In addition, you can add text next to commands.

example

Let's say you want to apply auto-numbering to figure captions. Furthermore, let's say you want the beginning of each caption to contain the word "Figure" followed by the chapter number, a dash, and the next incremented number (e.g., Figure 1-5, Figure 1-6, Figure 1-7). To accomplish this, you might create an auto-numbering format that looks like this: CH:Figure {chapnum}-{n+}.

The different kinds of commands available include: auto-number commands, file commands, format commands, page commands, and text commands.

Auto-number commands

These include commands such as chapter, section, and volume numbers; counters; and series labels.

• Chapter, section, and volume number commands ({chapnum}, {secnum}, {volnum}) let you organize your project into different areas and apply number sequences to them (e.g., Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3).
• Counters are commands (such as {n}, {n=1}, {n+}, {r}, {A}, and {Gn}) that provide information about what types of numbers should be used and how they should be incremented.

• Series labels are prefixes to a format (comprised of one or two letters and a colon) that provide a way to limit numbering sequences for different purposes.

  example

  If you are creating auto-numbers for procedures and figure captions in the same content flow, you do not want them to use the same numbering sequence. Otherwise, you might have something like:

  Step 1.

  Step 2.

  Step 3.

  Figure 4.

  Figure 5.

  Figure 6.

  When what you really want is:

  Step 1.

  Step 2.

  Step 3.

  Figure 1.

  Figure 2.

  Figure 3.

  To keep something like this from happening, you can add series labels to the format (e.g., start the step format with S: and start the figure format with F:).

  Although Flare includes H: in the list of available commands, that is simply one example of a series label. The letter that you use as a series label is arbitrary. You can replace H and choose any letter of the alphabet, followed by a colon. The exception to this is a two-letter series label, in which the first letter represents a series that encompasses more than just one topic. For example, CH is an example of a series label that applies across an entire chapter. The H can be replaced with another letter, but you must keep the C in order to use this command.

  Finally, it's important to note that a series label must always be the first element in an auto-number format.

File commands

These include commands that let you incorporate different parts of a file (such as the file name, file path, and file extension) in an auto-number format.

Format commands

These include commands such as {b}, {i}, {color red}, and {size 12pt}, which let you determine how an auto-number format will look. Many of these commands require a beginning command (e.g., {b}) and an ending command (e.g., {/b}). However, if you plan to generate FrameMaker output from your project, you should not use these format commands, since they are not supported in FrameMaker. Instead, create and apply a span class to the auto-number format to change its look. To create a span class, open the Stylesheet Editor, select the span tag on the left side of the editor, and follow the steps for creating a style (e.g., span.BoldGreen).

Page commands

These are commands that let you include the page number and page count into an auto-number format.

Text commands

This includes a command that lets you incorporate the title of a document into the auto-number format.

More information

For more information, see Auto-Number Format Examples.

When you import FrameMaker files, the auto-numbers in those documents are retained in Flare. You can then edit future content for your project (including auto-numbers) either in Flare or in FrameMaker.

If you are an experienced FrameMaker user, you will notice many similarities and differences between Flare and FrameMaker when it comes to auto-numbers. These include the following.

Similarities

• Many of the commands (i.e., building blocks) for auto-numbers are much alike.
• You can uses series labels in both Flare and FrameMaker.
• The basic steps are similar. In both Flare and FrameMaker, you need to (a) create auto-number formats, (b) apply styles with auto-number formats to content, and (c) specify how auto-number formats work in volumes and chapters.

Differences

• There are some commands in Flare that are not seen in FrameMaker.

• Although some of the basic steps might be similar, the way to accomplish them is sometimes different.

  example

  In FrameMaker, you specify an auto-number format for a paragraph format in the Paragraph Designer. In Flare, however, you can do this in cascading style sheets, which let you provide numerous other settings for a style, as well as share the CSS file with others. You can also create auto-number formats for individual paragraphs only.

• In Flare there is no need to update numbering manually, as there is in FrameMaker. All numbering in Flare is automatically updated when you generate the output.
• In FrameMaker, you need to import paragraph formats from one document to another in order to use them. In Flare, the topics just need to be associated with the same style sheet; they can then use the same paragraph style containing the necessary auto-number format.