managing page numbers in multiple documents

[feat]

Is there a way I can set the starting page number for each document when managing multiple documents as parts of a single opus?

I am writing a book with many chapters and had to store each chapter in its own file for efficiency reasons; collecting them together again would make a huge file, drastically slowing down any editing operation, especially those that handle image placement.

Or better, still: is there a way I can include references to separate files in a master document, and from there build some kind of global TOC and index — and of course print it from that master?

[gemboy27]

Yes.


windows/pallettes/section

set the page number to what ever you like for each document

[martin]

gemboy's is correct, the Sections palette controls the starting page number for the section/document.

Or better, still: is there a way I can include references to separate files in a master document, and from there build some kind of global TOC and index — and of course print it from that master?

There's no built-in support for managing documents this way- it's all going to have to be done manually by you I'm afraid.

[feat]

Thanks million! Now I can print separate chapters with the expected page numbers...

But I had hoped there was an implementation of the master document concept, like we used to have with the late WordPerfect.

I'm sure it could be useful; especially for big (over 1 MB) documents.

[greenmorpher]

I have produced many books with PageMaker over two decades, feat, which incorporates the master document concept and booking chapters. There are very significant complexities involved if it is to be made to fit all situations.

I suspect that it would be relatively simple to script a simple case of this behaviour in NisusWriter Pro. You would want a script that allowed you to choose one file as the beginning file, then added other files in a listed order as new sections. You would need a choice of whether you left the page numbers as they were (in the case of section numbers and page numbers, e.g. 2-46) or read the last page number of the previous section and began the new section one number further on.

It would start to get complicated, though, if you were working in page spreads and wanted the new chapter to always start on a new page, etc.

On the other hand, to be frank, I don't find manually setting page numbers in multi-page documents to be a problem. Whenever I am doing a book, I am working to a page limit anyway so I have to set up the chapters to be within that page limit before I book the thing. Ergo, I have to know page numbers and set them. Takes minutes.

Cheers, Geoff

Geoffrey Heard, Business Writer & Publisher

"Type & Layout: Are you communicating or just making pretty shapes" -- Revealed! The secrets of how you can use type and layout to turbocharge your messages in print. See the book at http://www.worsleypress.com

[gemboy27]

there is a concentrated macro out there somewhere too


That is a macro that will combine files in a folder, but I think you have to name the files something like book1, book2...book57

[ptram]

As one who spends most of the time on FrameMaker, and is looking for an alternative on the Mac, I must say that a master document would be a nice addition to me. Not the only one needed, but being able to automatically manage page and chapter numbering, zooming, invisible character display, cross-referencing between documents, search and replace, would be a first, big step.

I don't know if NWP will ever become a FrameMaker replacement, but it is probably the best candidate, due to the open file format, and its support to LinkBack -- the only way to easily manage technical documents filled up with graphics. Adding master documents, variables, conditional text, floating frames, and a way to cross-referencing to structural elements, would do the trick. Easy, hu?

Paolo