Interleaf QuickSilver

Frequently asked questions

Interleaf QuickSilver

Interleaf, Inc. provides software and services to allow organizations to build, integrate and manage document systems.


What is Interleaf?

Interleaf, Inc. provides software and services to allow organizations to build, integrate and manage document systems. Interleaf software covers the full range of document processes: accessing information, developing text and graphic documents, putting them through their review and revision processes, distributing them electronically or on paper, and managing the entire process.

"Interleaf 6" is a document authoring and composition package. It provides an integrated set of tools for creating compound documents: word processing, graphics, data-driven business charts, tables, equations, image editing, automated page layout, book building-including automatic index and TOC, conditional document assembly. It includes several features engineered to support the production of large and complex document sets, including: centralized control over parts or all of a document (format and/or content), global search and replace/change on individual graphics objects regardless of specific orientation or position, revision management.

Also available (on some platforms) is the optional Developer's Toolkit (DTK) for customizing or extending the capabilities of the above authoring tool. Developer's Toolkit is used to write programs in Interleaf Lisp. Interleaf Lisp is similar to CommonLISP, but it also contains an extensive set of classes, methods, and functions for examining and changing almost all Interleaf objects, including documents and their contents. DTK includes an editor, debugger, compiler, listener, interpreter, and on-line documentation. Lisp code developed with DTK, or even written with an ordinary editor, can be executed by the stock system, so that customization or the provision of special functionality is not limited to installations with DTK. In fact, much of the distributed system is written in Lisp. Another option for Interleaf is "Interleaf 6 < SGML >" which provides complete support for creating structured documents in SGML.

Read more

What is New in QuickSilver?

The following new features and changes are included in this release of QuickSilver:

  • new Advanced Publisher tool
  • improvements to basic publishing and book features
  • updates for filters


Advanced Publisher Tool
The new Advanced Publisher tool, available from the Tools menu, provides powerful publishing capability beyond what is available in basic QuickSilver publishing.
For example, you can publish and deliver a complex, multi-file publication directly to a BroadVision Portal, using Advanced Publisher features to define the publication's category placement and to assign portal attribute and qualifier values based on QuickSilver attributes.

Improvements to Basic Publishing and Book Features
Several features have been added or improved in the basic QuickSilver publishing and book subsystems.

Hypertext TOC and Index Documents
In this release, the previous method for creating hypertext linked TOCs and indexes has been replaced. You can now choose from two methods:

  • Use the Book > TOC and Book > Index commands to create link-ready TOC and index documents that you can edit before publishing.
    Use this method if you require complete control over the appearance and placement of the TOC and index documents in your publication.
    Each entry in a link-ready TOC or index is bracketed by a pair of special index tokens. During the publishing process, each entry is converted to a hypertext link.
    When you edit link-ready TOC or index documents, do not remove, or explicitly move, the index tokens at the beginning and end of each entry. You can make the following types of changes:
    • Add components such as title headings, dividers, and paragraphs.
    • Change component properties, either with catalogs or by applying changes to components in the document itself.
    • Insert hard line returns in TOC and index entries.
    • Change, remove, or add words in TOC and index entries.
  • Use the new Create Index and Create TOC check boxes on the Publish dialog box to automatically generate linked TOC and index documents during the publishing process.
    Important: Generating index and TOC documents during the publishing process overwrites existing index and TOC documents in the book.

    To automatically generate hypertext-linked TOCs and indexes during the publishing process, use the Create TOC and Create Index check boxes on the Publish dialog box (for basic QuickSilver publishing) or on the TOC/Index sheet of the Project Properties dialog box (for Advanced
    Publisher).
    Use this method if the appearance and content of automatically generated TOC and index documents is acceptable for your publication. To control the placement of automatically generated TOC and index documents, include "dummy" TOC and index documents in the appropriate locations in your book before publishing. These documents can be empty, but their file names must match the TOC and index document names specified in your book. TOC document names are specified on the Content sheet of the Component Properties dialog box for components that are to be included in the TOC. Index document names are specified on the Index Token Properties dialog box.
  • Combining Methods for Creating TOCs and Indexes
    You can use one method to create your TOC and another to create your index. For example, you could use the Book > TOC command to create your TOC, but choose to automatically create your index while publishing. In this case, when preparing to publish, you would deselect the Create TOC check box and select the Create Index check box on the Publish dialog box (for basic QuickSilver publishing) or on the TOC/Index sheet of the Project Properties dialog box (for Advanced Publisher).


Important: TOC and index documents created prior to QuickSilver version 1.6.1 with patch AB must be regenerated if you want them to contain hypertext links when published.
The new methods for creating hypertext TOCs and indexes do not require HyperLeaf Toolkit. However, HyperLeaf Toolkit is still required for publishing documents with links that were created using HyperLeaf.

Single or Multiple Output Files
In the Publish dialog box, you can choose to output a book as multiple files, so that a separate output file is generated for each document in the book. You can also set the .publish-single-file attribute on any book or sub-book to cause it to always publish as a single file.

The .publish-single-file attribute
The first time you publish a book, a .publish-single-file attribute is automatically defined at the top level of the book. Its attribute value is set according to whether the Output book as multiple files check box in the Publish dialog box was selected when you published. The following list illustrates this relationship.(Check box status / Attribute value)

  • deselected - yes
  • selected - no


Toggling the check box status in the Publish dialog box changes the .publish-single-file attribute value at the top level of the book. Changing the attribute value at the top level toggles the check box status.

Publishing sub-books as single files
By default, when you publish a book as multiple files, one output file is created for each document in the book, and the structure of the output directory reflects the source book's structure. If the source book contains sub-books, the output directory contains analogous sub-directories, with individual output files for each document.
If you want all the documents in a sub-book to be published as a single file, even when the rest of the book is published as multiple files, you can set the .publish-single-file attribute value to yes on that sub-book.

Excluding Files from a Publication
To exclude specific files from a publication, but keep the files in your QuickSilver source book, you can use the .publish-ignore attribute.
Important: The .publish-ignore attribute works only with multiple-file output.

Files Excluded by Default
QuickSilver catalogs and Lisp files are always excluded from publications, for both single- and multiple-file output.
The following files are either excluded or not converted when you publish a book to PDF:

  • files in formats other than QuickSilver (.ildoc)
  • files in non-book sub-containers


These files are excluded if you output your publication as a single PDF file (similar to printing a book). If you choose multiple-file output, these files are included in the published output directory, but are not converted to PDF. To exclude them from the published output directory, you can use the .publish-ignore attribute.

Excluding QuickSilver Documents and Sub-books
To exclude QuickSilver documents and sub-books from a publication, you can use the .publish-ignore attribute or you can use conditonal content.
When you use conditional content to tag documents and sub-books for exclusion, the parent book is adjusted to reflect the absence of the excluded files. For example, the tagged files are omitted from page number and chapter number streams and from newly generated TOCs and indexes.
When you tag QuickSilver documents and sub-books for exclusion using the .publish-ignore attribute, the parent book is not adjusted. The book's autonumber streams, TOCs, and indexes reflect the presence of the tagged files in the book, even though the files themselves are excluded
from the published output.

Using the .publish-ignore Attribute
To use the .publish-ignore attribute, you must first define it, then set its value to yes on each file you want to exclude. Attributes you define on QuickSilver books and sub-books (.ilboo) or documents (.ildoc) become available for all other .ilboo and .ildoc files in the book. For other types of files and directories, you must define attributes individually.

To exclude a specific file or directory from a publication:

  • On the QuickSilver desktop, select the top-level book or a specific document, sub-book, or other sub-directory in
    the book.
  • Choose Attributes Setup from the Edit menu and define an attribute named .publish-ignore, restricted to the values yes and no.
  • Select the file or directory you want to exclude.
  • Choose Attributes from the Edit menu and set the value of the .publish-ignore attribute to yes.
    When you publish the book, any icon in the book with .publish-ignore set to yes is excluded from the publication and from the published output container.
    QuickSilver publishing disregards .publish-ignore settings on icons that you explicitly select for publishing. For example, suppose you set .publish-ignore to yes on a sub-book named appendix.ilboo. If you publish the book that contains appendix.ilboo, appendix.ilboo is excluded from the publication. However, if you select the icon named appendix.ilboo and publish it, the .publish-ignore setting has no effect; appendix.ilboo is published in full.


Browse Button for the Publishing Destination Path
By clicking the new Browse button next to the Destination text box on the Publish dialog box, you can browse local or networked file systems to set the destination path for your publications.
Use the Destination text box and option menu to specify where to paste the published file.

  • Pathname - To publish to any directories on the network, choose Pathname from the option menu and type full paths in the text box. You can use this option to make the document available on a shared directory for your workgroup.
  • Desktop - To publish to user desktops, choose Desktop from the option menu and type user names in the text box. You can use this option to exchange
    documents privately.
  • Bulletin Board - To publish to user bulletin boards, type user names in the text box and choose Bulletin Board. You can use this option to make it easy for reviewers to find and read your documents.
    Type a space between each path or user name.


Default Publishing Workspace Preference
On the Publish sheet of the QuickSilver Preferences dialog box, you can set a default path for the publishing workspace, where temporary files are stored during the publishing process.

The Publish Preferences
Use the Publish preferences to specify paths required for successful publishing.

Path to Acrobat Distiller
Provide the path to your installed version of Adobe Acrobat Distiller. This is required for publishing QuickSilver documents to PDF format.

Path to publishing workspace
The publishing workspace is a directory used by the Publish feature and the Advanced Publisher tool for storing temporary files during the publishing process. You can use the default workspace (typically your clipboard), or you can type or browse to a different path.
By default, Advanced Publisher also uses this directory as the default target location for final publications. However, you can change this path within Advanced Publisher on a project-by-project basis.

Filters Updates
Several filters have been updated, including the following:

  • The RTF/Microsoft Word import filter (rtf2iam) converts hyperlinks in RTF files to HyperLeaf links in QuickSilver documents.
  • The Adobe Acrobat import filter (pdf2iam) supports PNG predictor algorithms for improved PNG conversion.
  • The CGM import filter (imsl2iam -format=cgm) supports CGM version 4.
  • The AutoCADR Drawing Interchange (DXF) import filter (imsl2iam -format=dxf) includes several enhancements that improve DXF conversion.
  • The JPEG import filter (bmp2leaf) converts the CMYK values in JPEG files to RGB values in QuickSilver.

Read more

How does Interleaf compare to FrameMaker, IslandWrite, WordPerfect, etc.?

This is a religious and/or political issue for many, and it is very hard to provide an objective answer. The following summarizes a few majority opinions from the frequent discussions in the newsgroup. Framemaker is considered to be a "mid-range" application; it is easy to learn, but experienced users find complex tasks difficult or impossible. Many I5 users hate the toolbox, Mac/PC-like interface. Interleaf considered a high-end system; it is difficult to get started, but expandable and powerful when advanced tasks must be done. While many new users abhor the I5 UI, a seemingly equal number of experts praise it. I6 for Unix has a traditional Motif interface whose graphics editor is largely toolbox based. 6.1 offers a combination of traditional Motif/MSWindows style interface with optional "power user" UI features. Interleaf's document creation metaphor is object-oriented and structured in approach, in contrast to the page-layout orientation of many "Desktop Publishing" products like Frame, Quark, PageMaker, etc. This is often a widely misunderstood difference when comparing Interleaf to other "similar" products. IslandWrite, WordPerfect, MS-Word, et al. have been considered low-end applications, but as they improve on their capabilities, Interleaf distinguishes itself from them in the complexity and size of documents it can deal with, in its level of integration of text and graphics, and in its open architecture for third-party extensibility.

Read more

Document Versions?

On the desktop, a document appears as a single icon with a label. Underneath the desktop icon, however, QuickSilver can create and maintain up to five different versions of that document both as a safety precaution and to accommodate different working styles.
The five different versions of a document that QuickSilver can create are as follows:

  • a saved version that contains all the changes you last saved
  • a backup version that usually contains the second-to-last changes you saved
  • a work-in-progress version that contains the last changes that have been put on hold but not saved
  • a checkpoint version that QuickSilver produces periodically as a safety mechanism; the checkpoint version includes all unsaved changes since the last Save command or checkpoint save was executed
  • a crash version that contains the changes you last saved from the Crash message box when QuickSilver shut down unexpectedly


NOTE: You can use the Cleanup command on the Admin submenu of the desktop Tools menu to remove backup and checkpoint files from a directory.

The Saved and Backup Files
When you create a document on your desktop, QuickSilver creates a corresponding saved file. Initially, this saved file consists only of whatever was in the default document in your Create cabinet, usually some structural information, such as the dimensions and margins of the page, and the masters for the default components, frames, and autonumber streams.
When you choose Save from the File menu, the existing contents of the open document, including any changes you made, become the new saved file; the previous saved file becomes the backup file.
As you work on the document and save it, this process continues. If the Revert to submenu shows that saved and backup files exist, the saved file is always the most recent save you have made, and the backup file is usually the second-most recent save you have made.

The Checkpoint File
As you work in a document, QuickSilver creates a checkpoint file whenever you have typed a certain number of keystrokes. For text entry, the default number of keystrokes ranges from 3,000 to 7,000, depending on the document length. When you are working in graphics, the mouse movements are also figured into this keystroke total.
You can use the Preferences dialog box to adjust the frequency with which checkpoint files are saved.
If there is a checkpoint file, it is a more recent version of your document than the saved, work-in-progress, or backup files. When you save or hold a document, the checkpoint file is automatically deleted because it is superseded by a more recent saved file or a work-in-progress file.

The Crash File
If you experience a crash, the Interrupt message box automatically appears. The File option on this message box allows you to save documents in a special file called a crash file. To save the changes in any open documents on your desktop, choose File on the message box before you choose Exit; Exit immediately takes you out of QuickSilver.
If you have more than one document open when you choose File, an additional message asks you if you want to save a crash file for each document you have changed.

The Work-in-Progress File
You can create a work-in-progress file in the following manner:

  • First, choose Close from the File menu in a document you have modified but not saved.
  • Then, choose Hold in the message box that appears.


In addition, work-in-progress files are created automatically when you open more documents than the number specified for Maximum number of open documents in the QuickSilver Preferences dialog box.
The work-in-progress file stores all changes made since you last saved. By holding changes in a work-in-progress file, you do not affect the saved file.
When you open a document containing a work-in-progress file, QuickSilver automatically opens that version. You can then save, delete, or edit the work-in-progress file.

The Revert To Submenu
The Revert to submenu on the File menu provides a way for you to display the saved, backup, work-in-progress, checkpoint, and crash files associated with a document.
The Revert to submenu lists only the file versions available for document.

  • Choose Saved to open the last version you saved.
  • Choose Backup to open the version saved just previous to the most recent saved version.
  • Choose Work-in-Progress to open the version that you chose to put on hold (only available if there is a work-in-progress file).
  • Choose Checkpoint to open the most recent automatically saved file (only available if QuickSilver has made a checkpoint file since the last save).


NOTE: You can use the Revert to submenu on the File menu to browse through as many of the versions of a document as you like, but once you save your document, the version you save becomes the saved file. The next time you look at the Revert to submenu, all versions other than the saved and backup versions are dimmed.

To Access Different Document Versions
When you modify a document and choose Revert to from the File menu without first saving your changes, a message box appears. The message box allows you to save the changes by choosing Cancel and following a series of steps, or delete the changes by choosing Revert to on the message box.

To use Revert after modifying a document:

  • Choose a command from the Revert to submenu of the File menu.
    A message box says that you will lose your unsaved changes and gives you a chance to cancel the Revert command.
  • Click Revert.
    The document changes to the version you selected. All modifications that you did not save are permanently lost.


To close and save a document after using Revert:

  • Choose Close from the File menu.
    A message box gives you a chance to save the current version (or hold in a work-in-progress file).
  • Click Save (or Hold).
    The current version is saved (or held in a work-in-progress file), and the document closes.
    OR... Click Close.
    The current version is discarded and the document closes.
    OR... Click Cancel.
    The close operation is canceled.

Read more

How to Create a Linked Icon?

You can create a linked icon in two ways:

  • by creating a link to a selected icon
  • by creating a linked icon in the current window and changing the pathname to another directory


To create a link to a selected icon:

  • Select the icon to which you want to create a link.
  • Choose Link from the Edit menu.
    A link to the selected icon is copied to the QuickSilver clipboard. The linked icon's name is the same as the original but appears in italic.
  • Open the container in which you want the link.
  • Choose Paste from the Edit menu.
    The linked icon appears in the current container.


To create a link to another directory:

  • Choose Link from the Edit menu.
    A host directory icon labeled NoName appears in the current window
  • Select the NoName icon
  • Choose File Properties from the File menu.
    The File Properties dialog box appears.
  • Choose the Interleaf Info sheet.
  • Delete NoName from the Name text box, and type the desktop name you want for the icon.
  • Choose a QuickSilver container type for the icon from the Class drop-down list.
  • Choose the File Info sheet.
  • Delete the pathname in the Link To text box, and type the pathname of the directory to which you want to link the icon.
  • Click OK


NOTE: When you create a linked icon, you own the linked icon, but the target icon retains its original owner.

Read more

How to find and change text and text properties?

To find and change text and text properties, you first open the Find and Change dialog box. Then, you do the following:

  • specify the text you want to find, and the text you want to replace it with
  • specify the text properties you want to find, and the text properties you want to replace them with
  • find and change the text and/or text properties


The Find and Change Dialog Box
You can use the Find and Change dialog box to locate specific text or text properties in a document, and to modify single, selected, or all occurrences of the specified text or properties. You can also use the dialog box to specify search criteria such as the direction of the search, whether the search is case sensitive, and whether the search criteria includes wildcards.
You can open the Find and Change dialog box by choosing a command from the document menu bar, the tool bar, or by using a keyboard shortcut. You can also open the dialog box with or without text selected.

To open the Find and Change dialog box:

  • With or without text selected, choose Find/Change from the document Edit menu.
  • With or without text selected, click the Find/Change tool on the Text tool bar.
  • With no text selected, enter a keyboard shortcut.

If you have text selected when you open the Find and Change dialog box, that text is automatically inserted in the Find box.

Specifying Text to Find and Change
When you specify the text that you want to find and change, you can include special characters and wildcards.

To specify the text to find and change:

  • Open the Find and Change dialog box.
  • In the Find box, type the text you want to find.
    You can include special characters in the search by selecting from the Special Characters list box. You can also include wildcards by selecting the Wildcard Search check box and then selecting from the Wildcard
    Characters list box.
  • For a forward search, use the check boxes to select any of the following search options: Match Case, Whole Word, or Count Words.
    If the Find Backwards check box is selected, only Match Case in the above options is available.
  • In the Change To box, type the text you want to replace the original text with. This text can also include special characters.
  • If either Text Props button in the upper right corner of the dialog box says TEXT PROPS, click one of the buttons, and use the Reset button in the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box to reset any text properties that you specified.
    This ensures that the search does not affect text properties.


Specifying Text Properties to Find and Change
To specify text properties you want to find and/or change, you use the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box, which you open from the Find and Change dialog box. You can specify particular text with the text properties, or any text with the text properties.

To specify text properties you want to find:

  • Open the Find and Change dialog box.
  • To find particular text with the properties you want to find, type the text in the Find box.
    To find any text with the properties you want to find, leave the Find box empty.
  • Click the Text Props button next to the Find box to open the Find Properties sheet of the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box.
    If you have the Change Properties sheet of the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box open, select the Find radio button on the sheet.
  • In the Find Properties sheet, use the controls to specify the text properties that you want to find.
    In the Find and Change dialog box, the button next to the Find box changes from Text Props to TEXT PROPS, which means that you have specified text properties that you want to find in the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box.


To specify replacement text properties:

  • In the Find and Change dialog box, click the Text Props button next to the Change To box to open the Change Properties sheet of the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box.
  • In the Change Properties sheet, use the controls to specify the text property changes you want to make.
    In the Find and Change dialog box, the button next to the Change To box changes from Text Props to TEXT PROPS, which means that you have specified replacement text properties in the Find and Change Text Properties dialog box.
  • To change specific text with the text properties you have specified, type the text in the Change To box of the Find and Change dialog box.
    To change text properties regardless of the text, select the Change Text Properties Only check box.
    The Change To box becomes inactive and displays the text Same As Find. This ensures that no text will change, even if text properties are replaced.


NOTE: To change just the text properties of specified text and/or text properties, remember to select the Change Text Properties Only check box in the Find and Change dialog box. Otherwise, if the Change To box is empty but active, a change operation will replace occurrences of the specified text with nothing.

Finding and Changing Text and Text Properties
Once you specify the text and/or text properties that you want to find and change, you can choose commands to begin the search and replace the text or text properties.

To find and change text and text properties:

  • Follow the procedures for specifying the text and/or text properties that you want to find and change.
  • To find and select the next occurrence of the text and/or text properties, click the Find button in the Find and Change dialog box.
    If you want to change multiple occurrences of the text or text properties without first locating an occurrence, you can skip the step of clicking Find.
  • Set the Change option menu to one of the following:
    • Then Find - to change the selected occurrence and continue the search. This option is only available after you click Find.
    • Single - to change the selected occurrence and end the search. This option is only available after you click Find.
    • To End - to replace all occurrences from the current location (the text insertion point) to the end of the document, regardless of the direction of the search. This option is available before you click Find.
    • All - to replace all occurrences in the document. This option is available before you click Find.
  • Click Change.


To Find and Change Special Characters
To find and change special characters in a document, you use special key sequences to enter the characters in the Find and Change dialog box. These key sequences are different from the ones you use to insert the same characters in a document.
For example, to search for a tab character, you type the characters backslash and t ( \t) in the Find text box, rather than pressing the TAB key.
For convenience, you can choose this and other special character sequences from the Special Characters list box in the Find and Change dialog box. You can also type the sequences by using the following list.
The following lists the key sequences for the special characters you can enter in the Find and Change dialog box.

  • Tab- \ t
  • Hard Return- \ r
  • Hyphen (-)- \ -
  • En dash (-)- \ _
  • Em dash (-)- \=
  • Hard space- \ S
  • Hairline space- \ H
  • Thin space- \T
  • Figure space- \ F
  • En space- \ N
  • Em space- \ M
  • Open double-quote ( " )- \"
  • Backslash ( \)- \ \
  • he character with a hex code of {hex code}. For example, \ x3f \ would find a question mark (?).- \ x {hex code}\


To find or change a special character:

  • In the Find and Change dialog box, choose whether you want to work in the Find box or the Change To box.
  • Select a character from the Special Characters list box.
    Type the appropriate key sequence listed in the table.
    The sequence for the character appears in either the Find box or the Change To box, depending on whether your are finding or changing the character.

Read more

Hyphenation?

About Hyphenation
Hyphenation can improve the appearance of blocks of text by keeping the length of lines relatively the same. QuickSilver provides a number of ways for you to control hyphenation in your documents.
You can:

  • rely on default settings and the master dictionary, which generally ensures proper hyphenation
  • change the way specific occurrences of words are hyphenated by using Hyphen commands on the Edit menu
  • change the way specific words are hyphenated by editing the desktop dictionary
  • turn hyphenation on or off for specific components or for an entire document
    If you have an odd line break in a document, you can change the way a single occurrence of a word is hyphenated. To be sure that words you commonly use (for example, the name of your company) are never hyphenated, you can adjust the hyphenation of the word permanently in the desktop dictionary.


Hyphenation Points and Hyphens
As you type words into a new document, QuickSilver inserts invisible hyphenation points in those words. Hyphenation points are not hyphens; but they indicate where hyphens can occur in words when both of the following are true:

  • In the Composition sheet of the Document Properties dialog box, the Hyphenation check box is selected.
  • In the Composition sheet of the Component Properties dialog box for the particular component, Hyphenation has a setting other than Off.


Hyphenation Defaults and Conventions
To ensure proper hyphenation of most common words, QuickSilver uses three dictionaries: desktop, master (for the language of your text), and system.

Conventions
QuickSilver does the following to hyphenate words:

  • Sets a hyphenation point after a hyphen character (-), a slash (/), an en dash (-), and an em dash (-). As with other hyphenation points, you can set or clear these points.
  • Clears the hyphenation point if you edit a word containing a manually set hyphenation point.
  • Preserves a manually set hyphenation point if you cut or copy a word and then paste it.
  • Uses an algorithm to set a word's hyphenation points if that word is not in any of the dictionaries.


The Hyphenation Commands
Use the commands on the Hyphen submenu of the Edit menu to view or modify hyphenation points for a particular word.

Show
Choose Show to display in the document message bar the hyphenation point(s) for the word adjacent to the text insertion point.

Set
Choose Set to insert a hyphenation point at the text insertion point. This command is only available with no text selected.

Reset
Choose Reset to restore the default hyphenation of the text selected. This command is only available with text selected.

Clear
Choose Clear to remove the hyphenation point at the text insertion point, or to remove all hyphenation points from the text selected.

To View and Adjust Hyphenation Points
Use the following procedures to display hyphenation points in words and to adjust hyphenation for a single instance of a word.

Showing Hyphenation Points
To view the hyphenation points in a word:

  • Position the insertion point anywhere in the word, or select the word.
  • Choose Hyphen > Show from the Edit menu.
    The word appears in the message bar with its hyphenation points marked by dots.


Setting and Clearing Hyphenation Points
Note the following guidelines when you set and clear hyphenation points:

  • A hyphenation point cannot occur immediately after the first letter or immediately before the last letter in a word.
  • A hyphenation point cannot occur in a word that contains fewer than five characters.
  • A hyphenation point cannot occur before a hyphen (-), an apostrophe ('), a slash (/), an em dash (‑), or an en dash , which is the same character on the keyboard as the minus sign (-).


To set a hyphenation point in a word:

  • Position the insertion point in a word where you want the hyphenation point.
  • Choose Hyphen > Set from the Edit menu.


To clear a hyphenation point in a word:

  • Position the insertion point in a word at the hyphenation point you want to remove.
    OR... Select the word to remove all hyphenation points for that word.
  • Choose Hyphen > Clear from the Edit menu.


Restoring Default Hyphenation Points
To restore the default hyphenation points in a word:

  • Select the word.
  • Choose Hyphen > Reset from the Edit menu.


To Permanently Adjust Hyphenation Points
You can permanently override the default hyphenation points for a word by changing the hyphenation points in your desktop dictionary.

To permanently change hyphenation points:

  • Open the desktop dictionary.
  • Find the word for which you want to change hyphenation points.
    OR... On its own line, type a word for which you want to change default hyphenation points.
  • Position the insertion point in the word where you want a hyphenation point and type an asterisk (*).
  • Remove any unwanted hyphenation points (asterisks) in the word.
  • Save and close the dictionary.
    If there is no dictionary on your desktop, you can create one.

Read more

How to define a New Master?

The following procedures describe how to

  • define a new master, based on the properties of a selected component, inline, or frame
  • copy content and attributes when you define a master


Use the Define Master dialog box to rename an object and create a master with the new name. To open the Define Master dialog box, click the New button in the properties dialog box for the named object on which you want to base the new master.

The Define Master Dialog Box

Define Master Based On
The Define Master Based On box displays the name of current instance. The new master is based on the properties of this instance. You can also copy the content and attributes of this instance to the new master.

Name
Type the name for the new master in the Name text box.

Copy Properties And...
When you define a new master, QuickSilver copies the properties of the current instance to the new master. You can also copy the content and attributes of the current instance to the master.

Content
Select the Content check box to copy the contents of the current instance to the new master.

Initial: Select the Initial radio button to copy the content of the current instance to the new master. Initial Content appears in every instance that you create from the Create dialog box.

Shared: Select the Shared radio button to copy the content of the current instance to the new master, and turn on Shared Content in the current instance and the new master. All instances with Shared Content display the same content as the new master.

Attributes: Select the Attributes check box to copy the attributes of the current instance to the new master.

Define
Click the Define button to rename the current instance and copy its properties to a new master with that name. If you selected Content or Attributes, QuickSilver also copies the content or attributes of the current instance to the new master.

When to Define a New Master
Define a new master when you need to create multiple named objects with the same properties, content, or attributes.
Once you define a master, you can then choose Create to make new instances. New instances have the same name and properties as the master. Later, you can change the properties of any one instance, or change the properties of all instances and the master.

To define a new master:

  • Select a single component, inline, or frame.
  • Choose Selection from the Properties menu.
    The properties dialog box for the selected instance appears. The Name box displays the name of the current object.
  • Click the New button.
    The Define Master dialog box appears.
  • Type a new name into the Name text box.
  • Click Define.
    QuickSilver copies the properties of the current object to a new master. The name of the current object changes to the new name, and the Define Master dialog box closes.
  • To change the format of the new master, change any properties in the properties dialog box.
  • Choose Changes to All from the Apply option menu.
  • Click Apply or OK.
    QuickSilver applies the new properties to both the current object and the master.


Example
Suppose you want to use a consistent format for the section titles in your document, but you may need to change that format later. You can use the following procedure.
First, create an instance of a component that has properties similar to those you want to define for the new master, and select it in the component bar. Then open the Component Properties dialog box and click the New button. In the Define Master dialog box, type head:section in the Name text box and click Define. Finally, change the font family, font size, and any other properties in the Component Properties dialog box, choose Changes to All from the Apply option menu, and click OK.
Later, you can change the properties of all head:section components whenever necessary.

To copy content or attributes when you define a master:

  • Select a named object that has the contents or attributes you want to copy to the new master.
  • Choose Selection from the Properties menu.
    The properties dialog box displays the name of the object that you selected.
  • Click the New button.
    The Define Master dialog box appears.
  • Type a new name in the Name text box.
  • To copy the content of the current object to the master as Initial content, select the Content check box and the Initial radio button.
    OR... To make the content of the current object shared by all objects with the new name, select the Content check box and the Shared radio button.
  • To copy the attributes of the current object to the master, select the Attributes check box.
  • Click Define.
    QuickSilver copies the properties of the current object to a new master. Depending on which you chose, QuickSilver also copies the content or attributes of the object to the master. The name of the object changes to
    the new name, and the Define Master dialog box closes.


How to view Master Properties?
You can view the properties of the following types of named objects: components, inlines, frames, tables, and table rows. You can view the properties of one instance or multiple instances.

To view the properties of one instance:

  • Select a single component or row in the component bar.
    OR... Place the component insertion point above or below the name of a component or row.
    OR... Place the insertion point in an inline, frame, or table.
    OR... Select a range of text that includes an inline, frame anchor, or table.
  • Choose Component, Inline, Frame, Table, or Row from the Properties menu.
    The properties dialog box displays the name and properties of the current instance. In the Component Properties, Inline Properties, and Frame Properties dialog boxes, related properties are grouped in separate sheets.
  • To view other groups of related properties for components, inlines, or frames, click the name of another sheet at the top of the dialog box.
  • To view the properties of another instance, select another instance, or move the insertion point to that instance.
    The properties dialog box updates to display the name and properties of the new current object.


To view the properties of multiple instances:

  • Select multiple components or rows in the component bar.
    OR... Select a range of text that includes multiple inlines or frames.
    You can select multiple instances with the same name, or multiple objects of the same type with different names.
  • Choose Component, Inline, Frame, Table, or Row from the Properties menu.
    The properties dialog box displays the names and properties of all selected instances.
    If all of the selected instances have the same setting for a property, that setting is displayed. If some of the selected instances have one setting for a property and others have another, that setting is dimmed or displays "Mixed".
  • To view the names of any selected objects that extend beyond the Name box, click the Name box and press the right arrow key.
    The names scroll in the Name box.
  • To display the properties of other objects of the same type, select or deselect instances.
    The properties dialog box for each type displays the names and properties of the currently selected objects of that type.


How to change Master properties
When you change the properties of an instance, you can apply those changes to the current instances (Changes to Current), or to all instances and the master (Changes to All). If there are instances that have variant settings for other properties you did not change, you can also apply all properties of the current instance to all instances and the
master (All Props to All).
You choose these options from the Apply option menu on properties dialog boxes for named objects. These Apply options provide you with the power to maintain consistency among instances, and the flexibility to make exceptions as needed.

Applying Changes to the Current Instance
When you apply changes only to the current instance, that instance becomes variant. Other instances and the master remain unchanged.

Applying Changes to All Instances and the Master
When you apply changes to all instances and the master, you give every instance and master the new properties. But the instances retain any variant settings for other properties that you did not change.

Applying All Properties to All Instances and the Master
When you apply all properties of the current instance to all instances and the master, you give every instance and master identical properties. No instances remain variant.

When to Delete Masters
Delete masters or streams when you have no instances or tokens with those names in the document, and you do not want to create any again.
When you delete an unused master or stream, you remove its name from all lists of local masters in the document. You can no longer create new instances or tokens with that name, and you can no longer convert other instances or tokens to that name.
The exception to this is in books. In documents in books, the name of the master or stream no longer appears on local lists, but you can still create a new instances or tokens from a catalog that exports that master or stream.
To delete the master from the book, delete it from the catalog.

To delete selected masters or streams:

  • Choose Delete Master from the document Edit menu.
    The Delete Masters dialog box appears.
  • Click the Components, Frames, Autonumbers, Page Streams, Tables, Table Rows, or Named Graphics radio button.
    The names of all unused masters or streams of the type that you selected appear in the list box.
    Select one or more names in the list box, and click Delete.
    QuickSilver removes the selected masters or streams from the document.


To delete all unused masters and streams:

  • Choose Delete Master from the Edit menu.
    The Delete Masters dialog box appears.
  • Click the All Types radio button.
    < All Unused Masters > appears in the list box.
  • Click Delete All in the Delete Masters dialog box, then click Delete in the message box that appears.
    QuickSilver removes all unused masters and streams from the document.

Read more

How to Import and Export Files?

To Add Filename Extensions
Filename extensions indicate to QuickSilver the type of file format you are converting. Use the following procedure to add a filename extension.

To add the extension using the File Properties dialog box:

  • Select the file you want to convert and choose File Properties from the File menu.
    The File Properties dialog box appears.
  • Click the Class option menu to view the list of file formats you can use.
  • Choose the file class from the menu.
  • Click OK.
    The icon changes to display the current file type.


To Filter Using Drag and Drop
You can import files automatically into an open document by using drag and drop. You can also use the Copy and Paste commands or the Import command. When you import a file automatically, you convert the file using the default settings of the filter.
Before you import a file automatically, make sure the filename has the appropriate file extension.

To import a file automatically using drag and drop:

  • Open a QuickSilver document.
  • On the desktop, select the file icon you want to convert.
  • Drag the icon to the component bar of the open document and release the mouse button.
    OR... You can also drag and paste the information into the text area, but a message box warns you that some component information may be lost.
    QuickSilver imports the file into your document.


To import a file automatically using copy and paste:

  • Open a QuickSilver document.
  • Select the icon for the file you want to convert.
  • Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
  • In the open document, place the pointer in the component bar and choose Paste from the Edit menu.
    When you release the mouse button, QuickSilver imports the file.


To import a file automatically using the Import command on the File menu:

  • Open a QuickSilver document.
  • Choose Import from the document File menu.
    The File Import dialog box appears.
  • (Windows) In the File Name box, select the file you want to import.
    OR... (UNIX) In the Files box, select the file you want to import.
  • (Windows) Click OK.
    OR... (UNIX) Click Import.
    QuickSilver imports the file into the document.


To Convert a File Using Import and Export
You can use the Import/Export dialog box to import or export a file, and to modify the way the file converts. You can also use the dialog box to convert many files of the same type.

To import files using the Import/Export dialog box:

  • Select the document you want to convert.
  • Choose Import/Export from the desktop File menu.
    The Import/Export dialog box appears.
  • Verify that the Input and Output boxes contain the correct filenames and destinations.
  • Verify that the Configuration box contains the correct setting.
    By default, the Configuration box displays < None >, indicating that you will use the default options displayed in the Convert From box.
  • Verify that the Convert From box displays the correct input and output formats.
    If the description in this box does not describe what you want to do, scroll through the selections to choose the conversion format.
  • In the Options area, specify any options you want to use.
  • Click Convert.
    The Import/Export Messages window appears.
    The filter creates a document, image, or external-file icon and places it in the directory specified in the Output box.
  • With the Import/Export dialog box displayed, select another file you want to convert and click Convert.
  • Repeat step 8 on all the files you want to convert, then close the Import/Export dialog box.


The Filter Command Syntax
Although each filter has a unique set of options and produces unique results, all filters follow the same basic set of conventions. The standard form or command syntax for running a filter from the command interpreter is as follows:
filtername [-options] inputfile [outputfile]

The Syntax
The brackets [ ] in the command syntax indicate optional parts of the command; do not type them.

  • The filtername is the actual name of the filter you are running - for example, hpglfilt for HPGL files. The filtername is required.
  • The import options are preceded by a hyphen (-). They may be in quotation marks if the option has special characters or embedded spaces. Import options are separated from other elements in the command line by white space. You add import options to the command line to modify how the filter converts a file.
  • The inputfile is the name or pathname of the file to be converted. Include the filename extension in the inputfile name, if one exists. Pathnames can be absolute or relative.
    The inputfile field is required for all filters.
  • The outputfile is the name or pathname you can specify for the converted file.
    If you do not specify an outputfile filename or pathname, the filter uses the name of the input file and puts the output file in the current directory or container. Most filters add the appropriate extension to outputfile if you do not specify one.

Read more

How to Lock Files?

A lock file is a file that is created when a document or desktop is in use. The lock file is linked to the user and host process ID of the first user who accesses the document or desktop.
Lock files help prevent unintended loss of data when multiple users access the same document or desktop. Normally, lock files are removed when you save and close a document, or exit QuickSilver. If a document or desktop closes abnormally, as the result of a software crash, for example, the lock file(s) are not removed and you are notified that the desktop or document is locked the next time you open it.

Lock Files in the Operating System
In QuickSilver, lock files in QuickSilver containers are the same on both the Windows and UNIX platforms.

  • A document lock file is represented as follows: filename.ildoc#
  • A desktop lock file is represented as follows: clipboard.clp#


Within Interleaf 6 containers in QuickSilver, lock files are the same as they were in Interleaf 6.

  • (Windows) Document lock files are represented as follows: document.do#
  • (UNIX) Document lock files are represented as follows: .#filename.doc


Overriding Locks
When you try to access a document or desktop that is in use, a message box informs you that the document or desktop is currently in use and it identifies the user. When you override the message box to access the document or desktop, a new lock file that identifies you as the new user is created.

Important: When more than one user accesses a document at the same time, saving document changes must be coordinated between users. If the last user to access the document chooses Save, changes made by the first user are lost.

NOTE: If you do not want other users to write to, or even read, a particular document on your desktop, you can deny these permissions in the file properties. However, as system administrator, you can read any document, regardless of the permissions granted.
A lock file also may be created when there is a system crash, and QuickSilver has not been exited properly. The next time the user attempts to access the desktop, a message box notifies the user that the desktop is locked. Override the message box to unlock the desktop.

Deleting Desktop Locks
If a document or desktop remains locked after you override the message boxes, you can delete the lock file through the operating system.

  • (Windows) Use the del command to delete the lock file.
  • (UNIX) Use the rm command to remove the lock file.

Read more

What is Interleaf Desktop Utility?

Using the Interleaf Desktop Utility (IDU), you can convert QuickSilver files or an entire QuickSilver desktop for use on a different platform. The file(s) can then be transferred to another workstation using the new platform.
Although IDU provides some limited communications capabilities on platforms that support TCP/IP, it does not transfer files from one workstation to another. To transfer files between workstations, you need a communications program such as uucp, rcp, ftp, or NFS.
(UNIX) If your file does not have the standard QuickSilver file extension, the software adds one during the file transfer.

NOTE: You should already be familiar with the Interleaf publishing software before using IDU.

How IDU Works?
IDU packages one or more files into a single binary file that can be unpackaged on another workstation. The files are formatted and named according to the requirements of the platform on which the files will be unpackaged.
For example, to move all of the files in a folder (or an entire QuickSilver desktop) from a UNIX or VMS workstation to a PC, you could use IDU to package the files on the UNIX workstation and use it again to unpackage them on the PC.
Alternatively, you could package, transfer, and unpackage the files simultaneously.

Advantages of Using IDU
Using IDU has several advantages over transferring files using operating system commands:

  • You can ensure that all files associated with documents (attributes files, for example) are transferred properly.
  • You do not need to adapt the filenames manually to the naming conventions of the target platform.
  • You can use one or more of the option switches provided with IDU.


Although QuickSilver provides IDU commands on the Tools menu, you do not need to have a QuickSilver desktop open to run IDU. You can run the utility from any operating system prompt. You can also add the IDU commands to a Lisp script within QuickSilver so you can execute the utility from a Tools submenu.

Read more

What are The IDU Option Switches?

You can use option switches to refine the way IDU operates.
To see a complete list of option switches, type: idu -h. To see the list and more complete descriptions of each switch, type: idu -hv or (Windows) idu -hvv. The following titles of option switches are alphabetized according to the letter used to specify the switch.

Convert All Document- Related Files [-a]
Includes all files related to input documents. This switch ensures that a document's backup file, checkpoint file, and crash file are included. This switch is incompatible with the -z and -r switches.

Specify Explicit Blocking Factor [-b]
Allows you to specify a blocking factor for the IDU file. The number you provide following the -b switch is the number of 512-byte records to write in one block. The default is 4, or a block size of 2K. The IDU file will be a multiple of the block size.

Create an IDU File [-c]
Creates an IDU file from the files listed in the command (or, if you also use the -n switch, from the files listed in a file).
By default, both files and their desktop attributes files are included. For documents, all related files except the backup, checkpoint, and crash files are also included. You can use the -a or -z switches to include more or fewer related files.

Use Regular Expressions [-e]
When you create an IDU file, this option allows you to substitute regular expressions for filenames in the input names list. Regular expressions are variables that you can use to represent filenames or parts of filenames. You can use the following regular expressions:

  • ? to match any single character
  • * to match any (non-empty) string of characters
  • [character(s)] to match the next character with any character between the brackets
  • [^character(s)] to match the next character with any character except those between the brackets
  • [character-character] to match any character within a range of characters
  • to tell IDU to treat the next character in the pattern, when it is one of the regular expression characters, as a character rather than as a regular expression


When you are creating an IDU file, regular expressions are recognized only when they match subdirectories, and only if you use the -e switch. When you use the -e switch, you can specify filenames and use regular expressions. However, because IDU recursively includes subdirectories, only those files in the subdirectories whose icon names match one of the filenames or regular expressions are added to the IDU file. If you use the -y switch, IDU does not recursively include subdirectories, so the -e switch has no effect.
For example, if you want to include all of the files in the foo.ildrw directory with the extension .ildoc in an IDU file, you could use the asterisk as a regular expression:
idu -[optionswitches]ec[f iduname] foo.ildrw *.ildoc

NOTE: The IDU regular expressions differ from similar regular expressions used by some operating systems. In addition, on some operating systems, you must place certain symbols in quotation marks; otherwise, the operating system treats the symbol as a regular expression. In the previous example you type:
idu -[optionswitches]ec[f iduname] foo.ildrw "*.ildoc"

Specify the Filename of the IDU File [-f]
Enables you to specify the name given to the IDU file.
Supply the name immediately following the -f switch. If you specify the character "-" as the filename, the IDU file is read from standard input (when you use -x) or is written to standard output (when you use -c).

Help [-h]
Provides help information. If you use -hv (verbose help) or -hvv (Windows only, extra verbose help), you receive more detailed help information.

Transfer Between IDU Processes [-i]
The -i switch enables two IDU processes on the same network to communicate with each other to transfer desktop files. One IDU process must be started at one workstation.
Another must then be started at a second workstation. At the second workstation, you specify the files you want to transfer and whether you want to send them from or receive them at that workstation.

Because the TCP/IP network protocol is used when the two IDU processes are on different platforms, the -i switch works between any two UNIX platforms, and between UNIX and Windows. However, pre-3.0 versions of IDU (before QuickSilver) might terminate unexpectedly when given long filenames, and they cannot correctly interpret or create QuickSilver containers or their content.

All other switches except -c, -f, -p, -t, and -x can be used with the -i option. The -a, -j, -l, -n, -p, -r, -s, -u, -y, and -z switches and the list of filenames apply to the source workstation. The -m and -o switches apply to the target workstation. The -w switch applies to the local workstation.
The -b, -k, and -v switches apply to both workstations.

Allow ASCII Only [-j]
Creates the IDU file in a format that contains only ASCII printable characters.
(UNIX) When you extract a file created with the -j switch, the blocking factor (refer to -b switch) must be the same as the one that was used in creating the file.

Allow EBCDIC Only [-jj]
Creates the IDU file in a format that contains only EBCDIC printable characters.

Create Without Writing [-k]
Receives input from a list (exactly like the -c switch), but does not create an IDU file. You can use this switch by itself to see if you will have problems running a given IDU command. If you use it with the -v switch, you receive more information.

Links [-l]
This switch includes in the IDU file the files or directories to which desktop links point, but does not include the links themselves. By default, IDU does not include links or the files to which they point.

If you use -ll, the links themselves will be included in the IDU file, but the link pathnames are not converted when the IDU file is extracted.
If you use -lll, the desktop links themselves will be included in the IDU file, and the link pathnames are converted when the IDU file is extracted.

Preserve Original Modified Time Stamp [-m]
(UNIX) Instructs the filter not to change the "last modified" time stamp when it extracts files from an IDU file. This option is not supported on the Windows platform.

Read Input Filenames from File [-n]
This switch instructs IDU to read input filenames from the file you specify immediately after the switch. Each line in the file must contain only one filename. If you specify the character
"-" as the filename, the list is read from standard input. If you place the character "{" before the filename, then all names read from the file are converted to lowercase. If you place the character "}" before the filename, all names read from the file are converted to uppercase.

Overwrite [-o]
This switch instructs IDU to overwrite existing files with files from the IDU file if it encounters files with the same names while it is extracting files. Unless you use this switch, IDU always creates unique filenames.

List Non-Portable Documents [-p]
Creates a list of documents, among those specified or in the directory specified, that Interleaf software cannot open on all platforms. Among other things, this list includes fast-formatted documents written by IBM Interleaf Publisher, Release 3 of the publishing software, or earlier versions of the publishing software.

Add with Actual Filenames [-r]
Adds all files and links specified. This switch is incompatible with the -a and -z switches. Using this switch may make the IDU file unreadable on another platform.
This switch is useful only if the IDU file will be read by the UNIX tar utility.

Sorted List [-s]
If you are specifying a list of filenames to be listed or extracted from an IDU file, the -s switch instructs IDU that the list is sorted in the same order as the filenames in the IDU file.
(Windows) When this switch is used, IDU requires less conventional memory.

List Table of Contents [-t]
Lists the contents of an existing IDU file. To determine whether a particular file or group of files is in an IDU file, you can supply the filenames (using regular expressions if necessary). If the files you supply appear in the output, the filenames will be listed. You can use regular expressions with this switch without specifying -e.

Human Readable [-u]
Treats all files within the IDU file as human readable (ASCII). The IDU file contains both binary and ASCII files.
Sometimes, the utility may mistake some ASCII files for binary files. If this happens, you can use the -u switch to treat all files as ASCII, or you can use the -uu switch to treat all files as binary.

Use Verbose Mode [-v]
Provides extra processing information. Using -vv or -vvv provides still more information.

Working Directory [-w]
Enables you to specify a working directory after the switch.
However, the IDU file itself is always specified relative to your current directory.

Extracts Files from an Existing IDU File [-x]
Extracts files from an IDU file. By default, the switch extracts all files within the IDU files. If you provide filenames (or use regular expressions), it will extract only the files whose names you specify. You can use regular expressions with this switch without specifying -e.

Extracts While Ignoring Drive Letter [-xx]
(Windows) Extracts files from an IDU file, ignoring the drive letter used when the IDU file was created. Use this switch if you specified a drive letter when you created the IDU file, and you want to extract the files on a different drive.

(Windows) By default, the switch extracts all files within the IDU files. If you provide filenames (or use regular expressions), it will extract only the files whose names you specify. You can use regular expressions with this switch without specifying -e.

Read more

How To Create an IDU File?

For the IDU filter to work when you type the command, you must have updated your search path, using an editor of your choice, so that it includes (Windows) the qsilver.ileaf i386 bin directory.
(UNIX) the QSILVER_HOME/bin directory, as recommended in the QuickSilver Installation Guide.

To create an IDU file:

  • At an operating system prompt on the workstation containing the files you want to include in the IDU file, change directories to the directory containing the files.
    ...OR...
    Do not change directories. In this case, you must specify the directory containing the files using the -w switch when you complete the next step.
  • Type the IDU command with the -c switch.
    idu -[optionswitches]c[-f iduname] inputname(s)
    The iduname variable is the name you want to assign to the IDU file (assuming you use the -f option). Use the input filenames as they appear in operating system directory listings (with the extension), rather than as they appear as the icon Name.
    The brackets indicate optional parts of the command.
    Do not type them.

    For example, to create an IDU file out of a folder named work on your desktop, you type: idu -c work.ilfdr . You might see error messages. When the prompt reappears, the procedure is complete. An external file icon appears on your desktop or in your working directory.
    If you did not use the -f switch to specify another name, the file is called default.idu.
  • Save the text file.
  • When you run the command, use the -n switch and provide the filename as an argument.
    If the text file is not in the directory from which you plan to run IDU, you must specify the pathname along with the filename.


To Create a File for Use with the -n Switch
To convert several documents, place the filenames into a file that is read by IDU when specified with the -n switch, enabling you to correct mistakes easily as you enter the filenames.
Placing filenames in a file also saves time if you routinely convert the same files. Once the filenames are in the file, you can use the -n switch to specify the file instead of typing in the filenames each time you use IDU to convert them.

  • Create a text file using an ASCII editor of your choice (DOS Editor, for example).
  • Type in the names of the input files for IDU.
    Place only one filename on a line and end each line with a hard return.
  • Save the text file.
  • When you run the command, use the -n switch and provide the filename as an argument.
    If the text file is not in the directory from which you plan to run IDU, you must specify the pathname along with the filename.

Read more

How To Extract Files from an IDU File?

After you create the IDU file, you must move it to the new workstation and then extract the converted files from the IDU file.

To extract files:

  • Using your communications software, transfer the IDU file to the workstation on which you want to extract the files.
  • At an operating system prompt on the workstation on which you want to unpack the files, change directories to the directory containing the IDU file.
    For example, to unpack the files in the desktop directory, you would change to the desktop directory.
  • Type the IDU command using the -x option.
    idu -[optionswitches]x[-f iduname] [inputname(s)]
    The inputname(s) variable represents the names of files within the IDU file that you want to extract. (You do not need to supply input names to extract all the files in the IDU file.) Unless the input IDU file is named default.idu, you must use the -f option and supply the name of the input IDU file as its argument.
    The brackets indicate optional parts of the command.
    Do not type them.

    For example, to extract all the files from an IDU file named sales.idu, type: idu -xf sales.idu. To extract all the files from an IDU file named default.idu, type: idu -x. You may see error messages.
    When the prompt reappears, the procedure is complete.
    The appropriate document or container icons appear in the directory listing and, after the next update, as icons on the QuickSilver desktop or within the appropriate desktop subdirectory.
  • To see the icons on your QuickSilver desktop immediately, choose Update from the View menu.

Read more

How To Transfer Files Using the i Switch?

Use the -i switch to allow two IDU processes on the same network to communicate with each other in order to transfer desktop files.

  • At an operating system prompt, change directories to your desktop directory or to the directory containing the files you want to process.
  • Type the first IDU command.
    idu -i server[,id=idnumber][,password=user-password
    The idnumber variable is a unique number that you provide to distinguish this IDU process from another IDU process running on the same workstation. If you do not provide an idnumber, the process is assigned a default number.
    The userpassword variable is a string that you can supply. If you supply a password, the source workstation only transfers files with another IDU process that is run with the same password.
    The brackets indicate optional parts of the command.
    Do not type them.
    For example, to start the process without using an id number or a password, type: idu -i server. If you did not use the -v switch, you will not see a message. If you used the -v switch, you see the message: idu server: started.
  • . Go to the second workstation and execute the second IDU command.
    idu -i command,host=firstworkstationname[,id=idnumber] [,dir=directoryname][,password=userpassword] in putnames
    The command variable is either put, get, hello, or shutdown. Use put if you are transferring files from your workstation to the remote workstation. Use get if you are transferring files from the remote workstation to the local one. Use hello if you want to see if the IDU server process is running. Use shutdown to stop the IDU process on the remote system.
    For example, to transfer a document named Joe from a workstation named clayton and you did not specify a user id or a password when you started the first IDU process, you type: idu -i get,host=clayton Joe.ildoc. If the input IDU file is in the same directory where you executed the first IDU command, the inputnames variable is the name of the IDU file. If the input IDU file is in a different directory, the inputnames variable is the relative pathname from the directory where you executed the first IDU command.
    The files or directories appear in the directory listing and, after the next update, as icons on the QuickSilver desktop or within the appropriate desktop subdirectory.
  • If your QuickSilver desktop is open and you want to see the icons immediately, choose Update from the View menu.
  • Terminate the first IDU process.
    idu -i host=firstworkstationname,shutdown
    You can issue this command from either workstation.


Add Directories Only [-y]
Instructs the filter to add only directories, and not the files within the directories, to an IDU file.

Exclude Related Files [-z]
Excludes all attribute files and other document related files from the IDU file. If you use -zz, you can specify exceptions.
When you use -zz, place the attribute file before any of the files to which it related or your files may receive an incorrect filename.

Convert Files to or from Interleaf Publisher Format [-3]
(Windows) Converts files to or from Interleaf Publisher format. You must use this switch with either the -c switch (when copying files from a Publisher desktop) or the -x switch (when extracting files to a Publisher desktop).

(Windows) To convert Interleaf 5 files to Publisher format or to convert Publisher files to Interleaf 5 on any platform other than DOS, you must first save them as Interleaf ASCII. To convert Publisher files to Interleaf 5 for DOS, this is unnecessary.

Read more

Interleaf Desktop Utility Messages?

The following error messages indicate problems that prevent the utility from running. The description of each error message indicates the most likely problem and suggests solutions.

NOTE: The lists are not exhaustive; they do not contain self-explanatory error messages.

Error Message
Meaning/Solution

You must specify exactly one of the -c, -h, -i, -k, -p, -t, or -x options.
You either failed to specify one of the switches listed or failed to specify more than one of the switches listed. Execute the command again using one of the switches listed.

Unexpected EOF on IDU file.
An unexpected end-of-file marker appeared in the IDU file when you used the -t or -x switch. This usually means you have an incomplete IDU file; perhaps the disk was full when the file was created.

Illegal option optionswitch.
You have used an undefined option switch.
Run the command again without the illegal option switch.

filename not found in IDU file.
While extracting files from an IDU file, IDU did not find one of the files in the list you supplied. Use the -t options to see what files are in the IDU file.

Could not open IDU file filename: No such file or directory.
IDU cannot open the input file because the file does not exist, you misspelled the filename, or you do not have necessary permissions.

This doesn't look like an IDU file.
Either the file being processed is not an IDU file or header information in the file being processed is incorrect.

Warning or Information Messages

Error Message
Meaning/Solution

Link linkname not included.
When creating the IDU file, the utility encountered a link and did not include it. If you want to include links, use the -l or -ll switch.

All document related files will be added.
You have used the -a switch, so all related files (including checkpoint, backup, crash, and work-in-progress files) will be added to the IDU file.

No document related files will be added.
You have used the -z switch.

This doesn't look like an IDU file. Skipping to next file header.
Header information in the file being processed is incorrect, but the utility was able to recover from the error.

Read more

How to print a QuickSilver document?

To print a document:

  • To print an open document, choose Print from the File menu.
    Or click the Print tool on the Text tool bar.
    To print closed documents or books, select the ones to print and choose Print from the File menu.
    The Print dialog box appears.
  • Make sure the printer you want to use appears in the Printer Name box.
  • Make any desired changes to the available options.
  • Click Print.


NOTE: The Print Properties dialog box is not available when you print a book because print properties relate to individual documents.

To print only the current page:

  • To print only the current page, in an open document, open the Print dialog box.
  • Make sure the printer you want to use appears in the Printer Name box.
  • From the Pages menu, choose Current.
  • Click Print.


To print a range of pages:

  • To print a range of pages in an open document, open the Print dialog box.
  • Make sure the printer you want to use appears in the Printer Name box.
  • From the Pages menu, choose Range.
  • In the From and To text boxes, enter the range of pages to be printed.
  • Click Print.


Creating a WorldView or EPS File
You can send your output directly to a WorldView or Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file instead of to a printer. A WorldView file (formerly called a Printerleaf file) is an Interleaf page description language file created from a document.

To create a WorldView or EPS file:

  • Open the Print dialog box.
  • Click the WorldView File button.
    Or click the EPS File button.
  • Check the Directory box to verify the directory to which the WorldView or EPS file is sent, usually the current directory.
  • Click Print.
    Unless you changed the pathname in the Directory box, the file is saved in the container where the original document is located. If you do not have write permission for that container (or for the container you specified), the file is saved on your QuickSilver desktop.


To Create a PCL or PostScript File
You can configure your system to send QuickSilver files directly to a PCL or PostScript file on your QuickSilver desktop instead of to a printer.

To create a PCL or PostScript file:

  • Use the Print Setup dialog box to add a PCL or PostScript printer, with Print To set to File.
  • Open the document, or select the object(s) to be printed, and choose Print from the File menu.
    The Print dialog box appears.
  • On the Printer Name menu, click the arrow to select your PCL or PostScript printer.
  • Click Print.


To Set Printer Options
Each printer has several device-specific options that you can set by using the Set Printer Options dialog box. This dialog box appears when you click the Set Printer Options button on the Add sheet of the Print Setup dialog box.

To set printer options:

  • From the File menu, choose Print Setup.
    The Change sheet of the Print Setup dialog box appears.
  • Select the Add button.
    The Add sheet appears.
  • Click the Set Printer Options button.
    The Set Printer Options dialog box appears.
  • In the Printer Option list box, select a printer option you want to view or change.
    The available settings appear in the Available box in the Option Settings area of the dialog box. The default setting appears in the Default Setting list box.
  • To make a setting unavailable, click the setting in the Available column.
    For example, if your printer does not have an A4 paper tray, you may want to disable the A4 paper size option.
  • Make sure the setting you want as the default for the selected Printer Option appears in the Default Setting list box.
  • Select and change any other options you want to set or disable.
  • Click OK on the Set Printer Options dialog box.
  • Click Apply on the Add sheet of the Print Setup dialog box.


To Change Document Printing Properties
Use the Print Properties dialog box to hide text attributes you do not want to print, or to change a document's page orientation.

To change print properties:

  • In an open document, choose Printing from the Properties menu.
    The Print Properties dialog box opens.
  • Make your changes in the dialog box.
    Selecting a text property (underlines, strikethroughs, deletion markers, or revision bars) makes the property visible when the document is printed. Deselecting a text property hides it when the document is printed.
  • If you select Underlines, select either Baseline or Descender to print the underlines at the baseline or the descender of the font.
  • Click OK, then close the Print dialog box.
    The changes you apply to the document are saved when you save the document.


To Troubleshoot Printing Problems
Use the following information to correct two common printing problems: improper directory permissions and book printing error messages.

Improper Directory Permissions
To check directory permissions:
For the Print command to work, permissions must be set correctly for your home directory, desktop directory, and .deskprint directory.

  • Make sure your home directory has permissions set so that group and others have at least search permission, for example, rwx -- x -- x.
  • Make sure your desktop directory has permissions set so that group and others have at least search permission.
  • Make sure your .deskprint directory (a hidden directory located in your desktop directory) has permissions set so that all users have read, write, and search permissions, for example rwxrwxrwx.


If permissions on your desktop or .deskprint directory are not set correctly, you will not always get a message, and your document will not print. If you are having problems printing, make sure permissions are set correctly.

Book Printing Error Messages
In addition to operating system error messages, you may see one of the following Interleaf-specific Book Printing error messages and the solutions:

  • Book Printing Error Number 1- Invalid option. While running the Book Printing Utility from the command line, you specified invalid arguments.
  • Book Printing Error Number 2- No input file specified. While running the Book Printing Utility from the command line, you failed to specify an input file. Run the utility again and specify the input file.
  • Book Printing Error Number 3- Cannot open input file. Either the input file does not exist or you lack permission to open it.
  • Book Printing Error Number 4- Invalid WorldView file. The file you specified while running the Book Printing Utility from the command line is not a WorldView file.
  • Book Printing Error Number 5- Corrupted WorldView file. The file you have specified is corrupted. Try creating a new WorldView file.
  • Book Printing Error Number 6- Cannot create output file. Either the .deskprint directory is full or you lack permissions to it. Check the permissions
    and space in the .deskprint directory.
  • Book Printing Error Number 7- Out of memory. The Book Printing Utility lacks memory. Close other applications that are running on your workstation.

Read more

How To Create a Table?

You create a table by creating a new table master or by creating an instance of an existing table master, as described in the following procedures:

  • creating a new table master
  • creating an instance of a table master with the Create dialog box
  • creating an instance of a table master with the Component pop-up menu only


To create a new table master:

  • Position the insertion point where you want the table to appear.
  • From the Tables menu, choose Create Table.
    OR...
    From the Component pop-up menu, choose Create Table > New Table.
    The Create dialog box opens, with the Tables radio button selected.
  • In the list box, select < New > and then click the Create button.
    OR...
    In the list box, double-click < New New >.
    The Create Table dialog box opens.
  • In the Create Table dialog box, specify the number of rows and columns that you want in the new table.
  • Type a name for the table in the Name box.
    OR...
    If you do not specify a name, QuickSilver creates a default name for the new table master, based on the number of rows and columns in the table.
    For example, if you specify 3 rows and 5 columns, the table is named 3x 5.
  • Click Create.
    A table appears in the document. Initially, each column has the same width, and the table spans from the left margin to the right margin.


Choosing Font and Text Properties
Before you create a new table master, you can choose text properties for the new table's cell components. For example, to choose a specific font family, size, and style for text in the table cells, set the text properties in the Text or Component Properties dialog box before you create the new table master.

To create an instance of a table master using the Create dialog box:

  • Position the component insertion point where you want to create the table.
  • From the Tables menu, choose Create Table.
    OR...
    From the Component pop-up menu, choose Create Table > more...
    The Create dialog box opens, with the Tables radio button selected.
  • In the list box, select the name of the table master you want to create, and then click the Create button.
    OR...
    Double-click the name of the table master you want to create.
    The table appears at the component insertion point. It has all the properties of the table master, such as table rulings and text style.


To create an instance of a table master by using the Component pop-up menu only:

  • Position the component insertion point where you want to create the table.
  • From the Create Table submenu of the Component pop-up menu, choose the name of a table.
    The new table appears at the component insertion point. Its properties and initial content exactly match those of the master you specified.


NOTE: If you have a component selected when you create a table using either the Create dialog box or the Component pop-up menu, the new table is created above the current component.

Read more

How To Change Table Rulings?

QuickSilver offers a variety of styles and thicknesses for table rulings. To add or change table rulings, you use the Rulings Palette.

  • Click in the table and choose Edit Rulings from the Tables menu.
    The Rulings Palette and the rulings pointer appear.
  • Use the rulings pointer or the Select commands on the Rulings Palette to select the ruling or rulings you want to change.
  • Choose commands on the Rulings Palette for visibility, number, color, or weight.


The Rulings Palette
Use the Rulings Palette to specify the style, thickness, and visibility of table rulings.
To open the Rulings Palette, choose Edit Rulings from the Tables menu.

Select
In the Select area, click one of the buttons to select the type of rulings indicated. You can select:

  • All Rows
  • All Columns
  • Table Borders
  • All Rulings


Click Again to repeat the last rulings selection. Click Deselect to deselect the rulings.

Visible
Show
Click Show to make the selected table rulings visible.

Hide
Click Hide to make the selected table rulings invisible.

Number
Single
Click Single to make the selected table rulings appear as single rulings, in the current line weight and color.

Double
Click Double to change the selected table rulings to double rulings, in the current line weight and color.

Color
Click the Color button to open the Color dialog box, which you can use to choose an edge color for the selected table rulings.

Weight
Use the Weight option menu to choose an edge weight for the selected table rulings. Choose Numeric to specify a numeric edge weight for the rulings. You can also choose from three edge values (.25, .50, or .75 points), or choose one of six edge weights from the ones shown.

Read more

How To Convert Text to a Table?

If you have created text with tabs or components that would work better as a table, convert the text to a QuickSilver table using the Convert Text to Table command on the Tables menu.

Requirements for Conversion
When preparing tabular text for conversion to a table, make sure the lines of text or the components you are converting adhere to the following guidelines:

  • They must have the same left margin.
  • They must have the same tab stop settings on every line.
  • They must have flush left, outer, or justified alignment.
    You cannot convert components that have flush right, inner, or center alignment to a table.
  • They must consist of more than empty tabs.
    You cannot convert a table that contains just tabs and no text.
  • They must be outside microdocuments, and they cannot contain microdocuments.
  • They cannot include frames or tables created with the Tables feature.
  • They should not include a tab that extends to the right margin of a page (created by pressing the TAB key when there is no tab stop), or the table may run off the page.


CAUTION: When you select components or text and convert it to a table, the new table replaces the selected components or text. You cannot convert the table back to its previous state.

To convert text to a table:

  • Select the text or component(s) you want to convert to a table.
  • Choose Convert Text to Table from the Tables menu.
    The Convert to Table dialog box appears.
  • In the Tables list box, click New, and then click the Convert button.
    OR...
    Select an existing table master name and click Convert.


The selected text is converted to a table. Text at each tab stop is placed in a single table cell. Text in separate lines or in separate components is placed in individual rows. All hard returns are removed.
If you chose an existing table master and it does not have the appropriate number of columns and rows for the selected text, an error message appears in the Convert to Table dialog box. Select a different table master or click New to create a new table master.

CAUTION: Once you have converted text to a table, you cannot convert it back. To avoid problems, work with a copy of the material.

Read more

Troubleshooting?

This section describes the following troubleshooting procedures:

  • recovering from QuickSilver crashes
  • describing a problem you cannot fix to the Interleaf Customer Support Center


This section also contains explanations of Interleaf Desktop Utility (IDU) messages.

To Recover from a QuickSilver Crash
This topic provides steps to recover from a QuickSilver crash indicated with a message box.
Crashes can destroy open files. However, you can usually recover all but the most recent changes to users' files from the checkpoint or crash files that QuickSilver creates automatically.

NOTE: To prevent a serious crash from destroying much more than one day's work, make daily tape backups of the files that are important to you.
Though QuickSilver crashes are the most common type of crash, they should not be frequent. If you have as many as two or three crashes in a week, contact the Interleaf Customer Support Center.

To recover from a message box crash:

  • Select Continue.
  • If the message box disappears, save any open documents and resume your work.
  • If the message box reappears, select File.
    For each document in which changes were made, QuickSilver asks whether to save that document in a crash file. Choose Yes to save the changes. If you choose No, the most recent .ildoc version becomes the most recent copy.
  • When you see the message box again, select Exit.
  • (Windows) After QuickSilver closes, reopen the desktop from the Program Manager.
    (UNIX) When you see the operating system prompt, reopen the desktop.


If there is a crash file for a document, QuickSilver informs you that the crash file exists when you try to open that document.
A message asks you whether to open the crash file or the existing document file. Unless you have a good reason for not doing so, open the crash file; it probably contains your most recent work. The next time you save the document, this version becomes the document version.
If no crash file exists, there may still be a chance to recover work from the most recent checkpoint file for the document. To do this, select the checkpoint file at the message box.

To Recover from a Hang
A hang usually causes QuickSilver to "freeze up," that is, to stop responding to mouse clicks or keystrokes that you type. If the QuickSilver cursor is unresponsive and the window manager cursor is active, choose Refresh from the window menu.

Caution: Do not turn off your workstation after a hang; you may damage filesystems.

To recover from a hang (Windows):
Use the Windows Task Manager to end the QuickSilver task.

(UNIX) The following procedures provide instructions that may help in the event of a hung process.
To recover from a hang using CTRL + z (UNIX):

  • Interrupt QuickSilver by pressing CTRL + z.
  • Click Exit and reopen the desktop.


If CTRL + z does not produce a message box and you can access another window on the hung workstation, continue to the next procedure.
If you cannot access another window on the hung workstation, attempt to remotely log in from another workstation and kill the QuickSilver processes.
If the problem is not fixed, return to the hung workstation and execute the keyboard reboot command or press the reset button.

To recover from a hang by terminating the process (UNIX):

  • In another window on the hung workstation, list the processes that are running.
    Or.. Log in to another workstation as root, and log in to the hung workstation remotely.
    If you cannot log in to the hung workstation, return to the hung workstation and execute the keyboard reboot command or press the reset button.
  • In the display, look for entries owned by the user whose workstation is hung. Pick out the one that lists ileaf in the command column and find its process ID number.
  • Terminate the process.
  • Check the workstation or window that was hung. If the problem is fixed, you will see a message indicating that the process has been killed.
  • If the problem is not fixed, identify the Motif window manager and X server process ID numbers and terminate each process.
  • Check the workstation or window that was hung. If the problem is fixed, you will see a message indicating that the process has been killed.
  • Reopen the desktop.
  • If the problem is not fixed, return to the remote workstation or window and shut down and reboot the workstation that is hung.



Interleaf Desktop Utility Messages
The following error messages indicate problems that prevent the utility from running. The description of each error message indicates the most likely problem and suggests solutions.

NOTE: The lists are not exhaustive; they do not contain self-explanatory error messages.

Error Message-- Meaning/Solution

  • You must specify exactly one of the -c, -h, -i, -k, -p, -t, or -x options.-- You either failed to specify one of the switches listed or failed to specify more than one of the switches listed. Execute the command again using one of the switches listed.
  • Unexpected EOF on IDU file.-- An unexpected end-of-file marker appeared in the IDU file when you used the -t or -x switch. This usually means you have an incomplete IDU file; perhaps the disk was full when the file was created.
  • Illegal option optionswitch.-- You have used an undefined option switch. Run the command again without the illegal option switch.
  • Filename not found in IDU file.-- While extracting files from an IDU file, IDU did not find one of the files in the list you supplied. Use the -t options to see what files are in the IDU file.
  • Could not open IDU file filename: No such file or directory.-- IDU cannot open the input file because the file does not exist, you misspelled the filename, or you do not have necessary permissions.
  • This doesn't look like an IDU file.-- Either the file being processed is not an IDU file or header information in the file being processed is incorrect.


Warning or Information Messages
Error Message-- Meaning/Solution

  • Link linkname not included.-- When creating the IDU file, the utility encountered a link and did not include it. If you want to include links, use the -l or -ll switch.
  • All document related files will be added.-- You have used the -a switch, so all related files (including checkpoint, backup, crash, and work-in-progress files) will be added to the IDU file.
  • No document related files will be added.-- You have used the -z switch.
  • This doesn't look like an IDU file. Skipping to next file header.-- Header information in the file being processed is incorrect, but the utility was able to recover from the error.

Read more

How To Designate Components for a TOC?

Use the following procedures to include components or inlines in a TOC document. Use the first procedure for individual documents. Use the second procedure when you are working in books with catalogs that apply to multiple documents.

How to include a component or inline in a TOC document:

  • Open the properties dialog box for the components or inlines that you want to include in a TOC. Open the Content sheet for components or the Format sheet for inlines.
    You can select components or inlines with different names and access their properties all at once.
  • In the Table of Contents Document text box, enter the name of the TOC in which you want the current or selected element(s) included.
  • You can choose a TOC Page Stream from the option menu or leave the setting unmodified.
    Your choices are the page number streams defined in the source document or imported from a catalog. QuickSilver uses the source document's default page number stream unless you specify a different one.

    Changing the TOC Page Stream setting for one component changes the stream name for all components assigned the same Table of Contents
    document name in that document. It does not change the stream name in other documents in the same book.
  • To make all components with the same name as the current component(s) or inline(s) appear in the same TOC, choose Changes to All from the Apply option menu and click Apply.


How to Designate Components for a TOC in a Catalog
You can use a catalog to specify that all components with the same name, in multiple documents in a book, are included in a TOC. To do so, use the following procedure.

To use a catalog to export component TOC properties to multiple documents:

  • Open a catalog that is positioned to affect TOC source documents in a book.
  • Open the properties dialog box for the components or inlines you want to tag for TOC inclusion. Open the Content sheet for components or the Format sheet for inlines.
  • Specify the Table of Contents Document name and (if appropriate) the TOC Page Stream name.
  • To globally apply the TOC properties to the master and all instances of the current or selected elements(s), choose Changes to All from the Apply option menu and click Apply.
  • Open the File Properties dialog box for the catalog.
  • Select the Exports Components check box and click OK.
    QuickSilver includes in the specified TOC document all elements in the affected source documents with names matching the elements you tagged in the catalog.

Read more

How to Create a TOC and TOC Dialog Box?

How To Create TOC Dialog Box
Use this dialog box to specify settings for and to create tables of contents.
To open the Create TOC dialog box, select a document or group of documents in a book and choose TOC from the Book menu.

Create TOC at:
Use the Create TOC at option menu to specify where to create TOC documents.

  • Top level only - Creates a TOC document at the top level of the book.
  • Each sub-book level - Creates a TOC in each sub-book, as well as at the top level of the book. Each sub-book TOC contains entries for only that sub-book. The top-level TOC includes all TOC entries for every sub-book.


How to Prepare TOC for hypertext linking
Select this check box to prepare your TOC to be linked when you publish it in a format such as PDF or HTML.
This option inserts a special index token at the beginning and end of each TOC entry. When you publish your book, the software uses each token pair to create a hypertext link in the output file.

NOTE: The TOC source file (.ildoc) never contains linked TOC entries. The links are created only in the published output file.

How to Include page numbers in TOC
Select this check box to include page numbers in TOC entries. Deselect it to exclude page numbers. You may not want to display page numbers if you plan to distribute your book online with hypertext-linked TOC entries.
This option is automatically selected but dimmed when you deselect the Prepare TOC for hypertext linking check box.

How To Create a TOC
Use the following procedures to create a TOC and update an existing TOC document.
Before you create a TOC document, update book information with the Book > Sync command if you have done any of the following:

  • used conditional content in the book
  • made changes to a catalog affecting documents in the book
  • pasted new documents into a book and have not opened or resaved those documents.


Creating a TOC Document in a Book

  • Select the documents for which you want a TOC.
  • Choose TOC from the Book menu.
    OR... Click the TOC tool on the container tool bar.
  • Make selections in the Create TOC dialog box that opens, then click OK.
    One TOC document is created for each Table of Contents document name specified in the selected source documents.
  • Move the TOC document(s) to a position in the book that does not disrupt inherited page numbering.


If a source document is open, the resulting TOC reflects the latest document changes, even unsaved ones. If there is a work-in-progress source document version, the TOC reflects changes in that version.
The TOC does not include source documents (or elements in source documents) made ineffective by conditional content.

How to Update an Existing TOC Document
Once you create a TOC, you can re-generate the same document as often as necessary. Doing so lets you update the TOC and keep it synchronized with the source documents to which its content refers.

  • To update a TOC after making changes to source documents, select the source documents and choose TOC from the Book menu.
    You can leave a TOC document and source documents open when you create a new TOC.


Your latest changes to the source documents are reflected in a new, saved version of the TOC. If the TOC document is already open, its content updates automatically. Any existing TOC with the same name becomes a backup version, and the new TOC becomes the saved version.

Read more

How To Edit the Style and Content of a TOC?

What is the Default Style of a TOC
By default, TOC documents in QuickSilver use the following style conventions.

Component Order
The order of entries in a TOC are based on the order of source document(s) in the book and the order of the corresponding elements in those documents.

Component Names and Properties
QuickSilver appends the letters TOC to component names in the TOC document, truncating the last three characters of a component name as it appears in the source document, if necessary.
Except for name, Font Size, Bold, Dictionary, Initial Indent, Top Margin, and Allow Break After settings, all components in a TOC document have the same properties. The font is a 10-point serif font. Headings are separated from page numbers by two tabs, one of which is dotted.
When a TOC contains multiple components with differing names, the first component appears in 12-point bold, as do all other components with the same name. For example, suppose a component called titleTOC is the first component in a TOC that contains multiple kinds of components. That component and all other instances of titleTOC appear in 12-point bold.

Columns
The default TOC is a single column document, with two levels of component indentation. If you change the TOC to multicolumn, you can alter component indents or the default gutter width, if necessary, to keep the components from straddling columns.

You can easily correct or update a TOC once you have created it. Use the following general guidelines to make changes to a TOC:

  • Make content changes (text of headings, order of
    components, and page numbers, for example) in source documents.
  • Make style and format changes in the TOC or in a atalog governing the TOC.


NOTE: You can leave a TOC document open hile you edit the orresponding source documents.

How To modify TOC content in source documents:
As the content of source documents changes, corresponding TOC documents might also require changes.

  • To add or delete entries in a TOC document, modify the Table of Contents setting in properties dialog boxes in the source documents.
  • To ensure consistency between text in source documents and the corresponding TOC entries (chapter titles, for instance), edit the text in source documents and re-generate the TOC.
  • To add or remove a page number prefix, modify the Prefix setting for the page number stream used to create the TOC. Do this in the Page Number Streams properties dialog box in the source document.


After making changes in source documents, you can re-generate the TOC to reflect those changes.

How To modify TOC style:
You can fine tune the appearance of a TOC document by editing it as you would any other QuickSilver document.

Important: When you edit link-ready TOC documents, do not remove, or explicitly move, the index tokens at the beginning and end of each entry.

To automate TOC formatting, you can use a book catalog. For example, you could use a catalog to export to a TOC

  • page size and the content of headers and footers
  • non-default component masters for customizing the TOC by adding a book title, Contents heading, and rules, for example
  • properties for default components such as font family, size, and face, or tab stops

Read more

How to convert an .idu file to Quicksilver 3.0 format?

Тo be able to open the content of IDU file in Quicksilver 3 you need to first open it in Quicksilver 2 and extract the content of the idu file.
After you extract the content of the IDU file open the content and save them *.doc. After that you can open the doc file in Quicksilver 3.

Read more