I'm trying to figure out the logic about applying Chapter breaks (And, more importantly, the applied page layout) in a TOC. Should it occur before or after the topic it's applied to? And will anything override it? I'm having trouble getting a particular page layout to show up properly in the output. (Flare 9/Word output.)
I'm not quite sure what you're asking. The Chapter break change occurs on the TOC entry you set it on. You could a Chapter break on every TOC, if you wanted. If you have multiple page types in your page layout, then it will automatically switch between those page types, depending on what type they are. For example, if your page layout contains a First, Normal, and Empty page, then the First page will be used on the first actual page of the topic where the Chapter break is set (assuming you don't override the page type selection in the Chapter break properties), and it will use the Normal page for all other pages in the output until it encounters another Chapter break. The last page before the new Chapter break may be an Empty page or a content page, depending on if you have "auto-end on left" enabled.
If, on the other hand, your page layout contains a First, Left, Right, and Empty pages, then when you specify the Chapter break, you can choose if it starts with the First, Left, or Right page. Whichever one is selected, it will thereafter alternate between Left and Right and will continue that way until it comes to the next Chapter break.
There are a few other page types available in the page layouts, but hopefully you get the idea.
Lisa Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines. Warning! Loose nut behind the keyboard.
This information may help you perhaps:
Over the last few weeks I've been trying to develop a page layout that works with my Word output. However, no matter what I tried, First Right, Title and Empty Left just did not seem to work. After logging a support call last week I was informed by Madcap Support that '...Word output currently does not support Title pages, First Right pages, or Empty pages' (and by implication First Left as well). There are Bug Reports (#79739 for First Right page and #53312 for Title pages) with the development team. Hopefully these issues will get sorted out soon.
Flare documentation does say that Empty page types are not supported in Word (I hadn't read that bit) but there is nothing at all about First and Title page types not working. No matter what you've been trying with Chapter Breaks you're not going to get First Right working (assuming of course you've been attempting to use First Right).
I wasn't trying to do right pages, and I didn't exactly end up finding a resolution either (at least that explains why). One of our resident geniuses created a macro (in Word) based on of the tags we're using to insert appropriate breaks and that's how that issue got fixed.
Thank you blackline for mentioning the bug! I was trying to break on a Title page and it doesn't work, and the Title page formatting is not being applied either. I kept thinking I was making a newbie mistake.
I was trying to break on a Title page and it doesn't work, and the Title page formatting is not being applied either. I kept thinking I was making a newbie mistake.