Re: Best practice: Text flows in Frame templates

[Chris <cud -at- telecable -dot- es>]

Using master pages is definitely a smart thing to do.  But there are 
potential problems with unconnected text frames, and you will have to 
expirement to make sure they don't bite you.  For example, if you use an 
unconnected-flow master page in the middle of the document, the other 
text will just flow around it, which will make it difficult to keep that 
special page in the proper relation with the other text.  On the other 
hand, Maker 7 has a capability to tie a master page to a specific pgf 
format - you could use such a pgf format as a sort of identifier, and 
include a connected text frame that has room for just that paragraph - 
as the text flows, that pgf will look for the master page and keep 
things in line.  (You will have to experiment with this approach.)  

I would also look into using text insets - get the forms and turn them 
into specifically named text files, then import the text files.  You 
cpould do this for a special master page, or in other ways.  It might 
help...

Another option would be to use anchored frames - I have a freeware 
product called RefIcons that could automate this, and I think Silicon 
Praries has a shareware product to automate it, too.  The idea is, you 
have an anchored frame that is set up with the necessary text frames in 
it.  You also have a special pgf format for holding the aframe anchor. 
You put these into your document (using page breaks if needed), then 
put the special text into the anchored frame.  The automation tools 
store a copy of the anchored frame and then insert it on command. 
Otherwise, you can keep the anchored frame on a ref page of your 
template and copy/paste.

Hope this helps - without seeing your actual problem it's hard to be 
specific.  These are just different ideas.