Using Conditional Tags in Adobe FrameMaker

Here at ASCENT, we publish different versions of our guides: learning vs. instructor; print, eBook, or eLearning; and sometimes different units of measure, like imperial vs. metric. Using the Conditional Tags tool in our authoring software, Adobe FrameMaker, makes things a little easier. 

How It Works 

Adobe FrameMaker gives you the option of creating different tags and applying those tags to your content. You can then turn the tags on or off (show or hide them) in order to output a particular version of your file. For example, you may have content tagged as Print Only that you hide when producing the eBook version, or Imperial and Metric tags that you hide/show to switch out the units for the different versions of the document. 

How to Create a Conditional Tag

1. Select View>Panels>Conditional Tags… to open the Conditional Tags panel. 
2. In the Conditional Tags panel, click (Create New Tag). 
   
3. In the Add Conditional Tag dialog box, enter a Tag Name. Optionally, you can also set a Style, Color, and Background, as shown below. (More on this in my next blog post!) 
   
    
4. Click OK. The new tag will now appear in the Conditional Tags list. 
   

If you want your tag styles to display in your file, you will need to select Show Condition Indicators, either in the Show/Hide Conditional Text panel (View>Show/Hide Conditional Text) or from the View menu, as shown below. This option is useful to have on while you are editing a file, but be sure to turn it off before publishing a document or you will see the tag styles in your final product. 

How to Apply a Conditional Tag 

1. Open the Conditional Tags panel, if not already open. 
2. In your document, select the text or object you want to apply a tag to. 
3. In the Conditional Tags panel, check the State checkbox for the tag you want to apply. You can apply more than one tag to your selection, as needed. 
   
    
4. Click (Apply). If you’ve added a style, color, or background to your tag and have Show Condition Indicators toggled on, your content will update to match the tag’s style. The tag of the text/object where your cursor is located is also displayed in the lower left corner of the window, as shown below. 
   

How to Set Conditional Tags 

1. Select View>Show/Hide Conditional Text… to open the Show/Hide Conditional Text panel. 
2. Ensure Show as per Condition is selected. 
3. Either double-click on a tag or use the arrow button to move it from the Show list to the Hide list (or vice versa). 
   
4. If outputting your document for publication, you will want to uncheck the Show Condition Indicators option. 
5. Click Apply. The content tagged with the tags that are in the Hide list should disappear from your document. 
6. Check your content and layout to make sure no formatting issues have occurred and that there’s no missing content after the tags are hidden (this can happen if you’ve misapplied your tags).  

Note: If you have content that is tagged with multiple tags, be aware that the Show tags take precedence. The content will display if any of its tags are being shown, even if the other tags are hidden. 

In my next blog post, I’ll provide some tips and tricks for using conditional tags in FrameMaker more effectively. Stay tuned! 

About the Author

Technical Editor<br><br>Fueled by her meticulous nature, an eye for detail, and a love of books, Breanne has been an editor for over 10 years. She has been a technical editor with ASCENT since 2019, and outside the office she is an avid volunteer with the Editors’ Association of Canada. Breanne holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University and a certificate in publishing from Ryerson University.

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