How to Align the Punctuation in a FrameMaker Numbered List

Framemaker numbered list

A FrameMaker Numbered list looks alright until you reach the TENTH step. Then things usually get ugly due to the way the default PERIOD after the step number shifts right.

Here is one such UGLY FrameMaker Numbered list:
FrameMaker 9 Punctuation Alignment 1

Here is a method to construct numbered lists that look much better than the one above. We’ll call it the HANDSOME LIST METHOD :-)) which consists of creating TWO tab stops.

(1) Launch your Paragraph Designer (Ctrl + M).

(2) Select the NUMBERED 1trong> paragraph tag.

(3) Click and display the BASIC tab.

(4) Select New Tab Stop and click Edit to display the EDIT TAB STOP dialog box:

FrameMaker 9 Edit Tab Stop dialog box

(5) Enter an appropriate value for New Position, which is the distance from the LEFT edge of the TEXT FRAME, like 1″. Select DECIMAL for Alignment.

(6) Click Continue to return to the BASIC tab.
Now you need to create a SECOND tab stop, this one with LEFT alignment.

(7) Select New Tab Stop and re-click Edit to display the EDIT TAB STOP dialog box.

(8) Enter an appropriate value for New Position, which should be LARGER than the DECIMAL tab stop.  For example, in this example, it has to be larger than 1. For example: 1.3″.

(9) Click Continue to return to the BASIC tab.

(10) Click the APPLY button to make sure the tans will register.

(11) Now select the NUMBERING tab. Select the AUTONUMBER FORMAT check-box.

(12) Enter this formula into the Autonumber Format field:

\t <n=1>.\t

(13) Click Apply to register the formula.

(14) Select the NUMBERED paragraph tag.

(15) Repeat the steps 3-11.

(16) Enter this formula into the Autonumber Format field:

\t <n+>.\t

(17) Click Update All to register the formula with all the steps (other than the first step).

And enjoy your HANDSOME FrameMaker Numbered list:
FrameMaker 9 Punctuation Alignment 2

2 Comments

  1. Punctuation Checker on January 29, 2011 at 1:12 am

    I have subscribed to your feeds and found your blog enjoyable.



    • admin on January 29, 2011 at 1:24 am

      Thanks for reading TCC. Let me know if I can help you with any of your tech comm questions. Best regards, Ugur