Creating multi-column topic

[navoff]

I am converting a Word file to Flare. In Word, the text is put into a two column layout. I want to try to duplicate this in Flare for a print-only project. I figure I'll need a new PageLayout with two columns like what is used for a Glossary. However, I want the heading to flow across the entire page width and only have the text below the heading be two column. For instance, here's a screenshot of the original Word file:

2-column_layout.png

How do I set up the page layout so that I can have a heading that spans the full page width and have the remainder of the page in two columns?

[whunter]

Unless things have changed in Flare 7 (or unless someone knows a better way to do it), I believe you have to create a second small body frame at the top of your page layout to hold the title.

The problem I had when I set it up for my index was figuring out how to change the flow between the two body frames so that the added body frame goes first. In fact I can't remember how to do it now. I can look through my old emails to find the instruction if you don't know how to do it either.

[LTinker68]

Word doesn't accept two body frames in a page layout, so that option is out. Others suggested putting the heading directly in the page layout. It seems like I tried that and it didn't work, or at least the heading didn't appear in the generated output, but you could give it a try -- I may have done something wrong when I tried it and didn't bother investigating it further.

The way I did it was to create two topics. One contained just the heading and was associated in the TOC with the normal page layout. The second topic contained the content to be spread across the columns and was associated with the new page layout that had the body frame split into columns. When the output is built, the TOC captures the heading and adds it to the generated table of contents and the columned content immediately follows the heading on the same page. So to the person reading the document, it appears to be one "topic", when in reality it's two.

[navoff]

Word doesn't accept two body frames in a page layout, so that option is out. Others suggested putting the heading directly in the page layout. It seems like I tried that and it didn't work, or at least the heading didn't appear in the generated output, but you could give it a try -- I may have done something wrong when I tried it and didn't bother investigating it further.

The way I did it was to create two topics. One contained just the heading and was associated in the TOC with the normal page layout. The second topic contained the content to be spread across the columns and was associated with the new page layout that had the body frame split into columns. When the output is built, the TOC captures the heading and adds it to the generated table of contents and the columned content immediately follows the heading on the same page. So to the person reading the document, it appears to be one "topic", when in reality it's two.

Well, if it's any consolation, I'm not generating Word output. It's going to be PDF. It's just that the original source file I'm working with is in Word. The only other thing I can think might work is to do what whunter suggested, create a PageLayout that had a first page that had a full width text box for the heading and then a two column layout below with the remaining right/left pages all having just the two column layout. However, I don't know how you would specify that the first heading level is the only thing in that first, full-width box.

[whunter]

You don't specify it on the content...you just have to size the box so that the only thing that can fit in there is the heading. It is a less-than-optimal workaround. I am only using it for my Index and Glossary. If you have to use it for multiple topics and some topics have a 1-line heading and some have a 2-line heading, I think it's going to be a pain.

I originally tried to do what Lisa suggested but it didn't work for me. I'm sure I did something wrong...I'll try it again sometime when I have a few minutes.

[whunter]

The way I did it was to create two topics. One contained just the heading and was associated in the TOC with the normal page layout. The second topic contained the content to be spread across the columns and was associated with the new page layout that had the body frame split into columns. When the output is built, the TOC captures the heading and adds it to the generated table of contents and the columned content immediately follows the heading on the same page. So to the person reading the document, it appears to be one "topic", when in reality it's two.

Just curious...I tried this again because this is originally how I wanted to do it. I can't get it to work though. How do you assign the second topic to a different page layout without flagging it as starting a new chapter document? (And if I do that, then it starts on a new page.) Is this something that you can only do if outputting to Word, not PDF?

[navoff]

You don't specify it on the content...you just have to size the box so that the only thing that can fit in there is the heading. It is a less-than-optimal workaround. I am only using it for my Index and Glossary. If you have to use it for multiple topics and some topics have a 1-line heading and some have a 2-line heading, I think it's going to be a pain.

I originally tried to do what Lisa suggested but it didn't work for me. I'm sure I did something wrong...I'll try it again sometime when I have a few minutes.

Thanks I tried this and it seemed to work just fine. Although, I discovered an interesting fluke with Flare 6.1. When I created the new PageLayout, I gave it the name 2-column. When I did that ALL my topics suddenly took on this layout, regardless of what layout they were assigned. So I changed the name to Two-column, and everything returned to normal.

[LTinker68]

The way I did it was to create two topics. One contained just the heading and was associated in the TOC with the normal page layout. The second topic contained the content to be spread across the columns and was associated with the new page layout that had the body frame split into columns. When the output is built, the TOC captures the heading and adds it to the generated table of contents and the columned content immediately follows the heading on the same page. So to the person reading the document, it appears to be one "topic", when in reality it's two.

Just curious...I tried this again because this is originally how I wanted to do it. I can't get it to work though. How do you assign the second topic to a different page layout without flagging it as starting a new chapter document? (And if I do that, then it starts on a new page.) Is this something that you can only do if outputting to Word, not PDF?

Oops, I misspoke slightly and my situation won't work as well for your situation. I use two topics but the same page layout. So the first topic is the start of a new chapter that references the page layout, and the second topic contains the content to be split on the columns and inherits the page layout from the proceeding topic. It works for me because my heading is short ("Index"). If the heading is long, then it would still wrap down to the first column of the layout. However, because they're two separate topics, the heading text appears on one line and all the other content is below it, instead of the content being level with the heading as it would have if they were in the same topic. And, yes, if you try setting a chapter break between then the heading won't be with the content. So my solution only works if your heading is short.

[olgad]

Here's what helped me:
http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... anchor3614