How to Improve bookmark hierarchy and visibility of FrameMaker-generated bookmarks, and how to easily add useful bookmarks through hypertext markers (with FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers) -- pointing to other PDFs or web pages, instantly providing e-mail feedback, launching external files, starting Acrobat/Reader actions (e.g. common search phrases) and much more.

1. The Power of
PDF Bookmarks
& Automating with
FrameMaker-to-Acrobat
TimeSavers
February 21, 2012
Shlomo Perets, microtype.com

2. 1 Why bookmarks?
■ Provide a constant conceptual display
of document structure
■ Enable on-going easy access to
● Specific locations in current PDF / other
PDFs or web locations
● “Shortcuts” for useful actions
■ Do not complicate page layout/ print
aspects; minimal impact on file size

3. 2 Special-purpose bookmarks
■ Bookmarks to unique content
■ Web bookmarks / E-mail addresses
■ Open other PDFs
■ Launch external files
■ Multimedia bookmarks
■ Acrobat bookmark actions / Search
■ Doc. collection bookmarks

4. 3 Enhancing PDFs in Acrobat
■ Labor-intensive, repetitive process
■ Features added in Acrobat “disappear”
next time you distill / Save as PDF
and must be recreated and tested again
■ As a result, PDFs only use a fraction of
features supported by Acrobat

5. 4 With TS: define once, use many!
Add more features to your source FM
files using FM-to-Acrobat TimeSavers
and Assistants (TimeSavers add-ons):
■ Form Assistant
■ Multimedia Assistant
■ Navigation Assistant
■ Presentation Assistant
■ 3D Assistant

6. 5 TS bookmark enhancements
 Global bookmark properties/processing
(e.g. color/style, hierarchy, remove numbering):
■ Apply to all bookmarks
■ Do not require any intervention in
source FrameMaker files
■ Are controlled via TimeSavers dialog box

7. 6 TS bookmark enhancements
CONTINUED
 Special-purpose bookmarks
(e.g. web site, e-mail feedback, external PDF):
■ Defined via custom hypertext markers
■ Recurring bookmarks can be defined
once in TS-pre.ini or TS-post.ini files
● Optionally define job-specific bookmarks for
re-use – e.g. for two different departments
(Marketing/Engineering), where different
custom bookmarks are needed in each

8. 7 A good bookmark structure
Should be initially collapsed to show the
entire document structure
TimeSavers > Bmk Functions tab:
Collapse bookmarks to first or second level

9. 8 Bookmark text
 ■ Has to be meaningful out of context
■ Should have a unique beginning,
as bookmark panel may be narrow
TimeSavers > Bmk Start tab
TimeSavers > Bmk Functions tab: Remove pgf numbering,
Merge separate number + title bookmarks

10. 9 Bookmark visual properties
Bookmark color and font style
(plain, italic, bold, bold italic):
■ Improve perception of hierarchy
■ Emphasize bookmarks by text
TimeSavers > Bmk Style tab

11. 10 Figure/table bookmarks
 Top-level Figure/Table/Procedure bookmark
with subordinate bookmarks linking
directly to items; parallel to LOF, LOT, LOP
(Note: do retain LOF/LOT/LOP for print)
TimeSavers > Bmk Extraction tab: Extract figure/table/other
bookmarks

12. 11 Initial view setup
■ As a general guideline, PDF should be
set to open with bookmark pane visible
■ Impact of page layout (single page/
continuous) on specific destinations
within a page
■ PDF Document title can be populated
from top bookmark
TimeSavers > PDF Settings tab

13. 12 Bookmarks to unique content
 Quick access to items such as
“New/Updated Features”:
■ Sorted alphabetically
■ Can combine notes providing additional
information for the new/revised feature
TimeSavers > Bmk Extraction tab: Extract quick-access
bookmarks

14. 13 Web bookmarks
 ■ Bookmarks to web pages
● Product info, doc updates
● Support
■ Bookmarks to web search pages with
pre-defined queries

15. 14 E-mail addresses
 ■ Launch e-mail client, with e-mail
message loaded
■ Specify values of default fields
?subject= &cc= &body=
■ Special characters are automatically
converted to right value
(e.g. space=%20)

16. 15 E-mail addresses
CONTINUED
■ Bookmark text can indicate “Feedback”,
“Report...”, “Suggest...” or simply show
the e-mail address if self-explanatory:
■ Body of message can be HTML-coded
for better visual control (headings, lists)
■ Current page number + doc title may
be retrieved automatically into subject/
body (clarifying feedback context)

17. 16 Open other PDFs
■ When you have multiple PDFs:
“Home” bookmark to “main menu” or
navigation map
■ Can specify opening in new window

18. 17 Launch external files
■ Quick access to commonly-used files:
● Source/data files
● Boilerplate (template) files
■ Security message shown;
associated application will be
started with files loaded

19. 18 Multimedia bookmarks
■ With TimeSavers: can create
bookmarks to QuickTime/AVI movies
● Local files
● Files stored in web sites
 ■ Additional options with Multimedia Asst:
bookmarks to embedded movies/sounds
● Supports all formats that are supported by
Acrobat/Reader, including: SWF, FLV, MPEG,
WMV, AVI, QuickTime, WAV, AIFF, MP3
● Floating window vs. docked; movie segments

20. 19 Acrobat bookmark actions
■ Entire range of link actions is supported
also in bookmarks
● Execute Menu Action – e.g. Preferences,
Print, Search
● Show/hide fields
● JavaScript (e.g. Search / Print current page
with a single click, with/without dialog box)
adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.html
■ A bookmark can have multiple actions

21. 20 Search
 ■ Bookmark with a search action,
exposing the functionality
● Especially needed with Reader X, where the
Search/Find icons and text box are not
displayed by default
■ Bookmarks for both Find and Search
to highlight the different functionality:
● “Find in this PDF”
● “Search document collection”

22. 21 Search
CONTINUED
■ Bookmarks with pre-defined search
queries through Acrobat JavaScript
(optional parameters, synonyms):
● search.query("text phrase");
● search.query("text phrase", "ActiveDoc" );
● search.bookmarks=false; search.query("text
phrase", "ActiveDoc" );}

23. 22 Assistants / Custom shortcuts
With Assistants / custom shortcuts,
bookmarks can…
■ point to:
 ● Destinations in embedded PDFs
 ● 3D models or specific 3D views
● Specific areas in figures
● Specific topics in WinHelp/CHM help files
■ control layer visibility

24. 23 Doc. collection bookmarks
 ■ Point to other chapters, TOC, Index –
when books are converted to separate
PDFs
■ Maintain a consistent order of cross-file
bookmarks to enhance orientation
■ Collection-specific bookmarks:
● Home page
● Help / How To
● Search (standard or custom search form)

25. 24 Doc. collection bookmarks
CONTINUED
Using Navigation Assistant:
■ Project file stores information about
files in the project; bookmarks to other
PDFs participating in your project
■ Additional features apply to single PDFs
or to a set of PDFs:
● “Related PDF” bookmarks
● GetItem (link/bookmark)

26. 25 Additional info and examples
■ “36 Ways to Improve Your PDFs
with TimeSavers/Assistants”
microtype.com/ImprovePDF.html
■ TimeSavers custom markers
microtype.com/TimeSavers/TimeSavers5Shortcuts.pdf
■ TimeSavers/Assistants Showcase
microtype.com/showcase.html
■ TimeSavers info, order form
microtype.com/TimeSavers.html