You can add as many page layouts to a project as you need for generating print-based output. If you want to create a manual where the page headers and footers, orientation, page size, and margins are different for various parts of the manual, you will need multiple page layouts. If the page header and footer content, as well as the configuration, are the same for all pages in the manual, you only need one page layout.
After determining the number of page layouts that are needed to produce the kind of output you want, you can add the page layout files to the project. The best course of action is usually to use the factory templates provided by Flare and edit them as necessary. Another approach is to make copies of finished page layouts. After you configure a page layout as needed (adding pages, frames, page size settings, content), you can copy that page layout to create the additional ones that you need. That way, much of the work may already be completed in the subsequent page layouts, with only some tweaking necessary.
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Example
Example — Frontmatter/Chapters/Index
You are creating a manual that consists of front matter (e.g., title page, copyright page, and table of contents), 10 chapters, and an index. Perhaps you want all of the pages in the manual to measure 8 inches in height and 6 inches in width. Furthermore, you might want some pages (e.g., title and copyright pages) to contain no headers or footers, while you want the other parts of the manual to contain header text and page numbers at the bottom.
In a situation such as this, you might create one page layout for your title and copyright pages, a second page layout for your TOC, a third page layout to be used by all of the chapters, and a fourth page layout to be used by the index. Each page layout might contain the same page size settings, but different page headers and footers.
How to Add a Page Layout File
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Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:
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(Recommended) Right-Click In the Content Explorer, right-click on a folder and from the context menu select New > Page Layout.
Tip When adding a new file to the Content Explorer, the recommended method is to right-click on the folder in the Content Explorer and use the New menu option. This is the most efficient way to direct the new file to the folder where you want to store it. That's because the Add File dialog opens when you add a new content file, and this method ensures that the folder you want is already selected in that dialog.
- Ribbon Select Project > New > Page Layout.
The Add File dialog opens.
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- In the File Type field at the top, make sure Page Layout is selected.
- In the Source area, choose to create the new file based on a template or an existing file.
- New From Template Choose either a factory template file or one of your own custom template files as a starting point. The new file will take on all of the settings contained in the template. If you want to use the factory template provided by Flare, expand the Factory Templates folder and click on a template file. If you want to use your own custom template file, expand the appropriate folder and click on a file.
- New From Existing Choose an existing file of the same type as a starting point for your new file. As with template files, your new file will take on all of the settings contained in the file you select. To use this option, click
, use the Open File dialog to find a file, and double-click it.
Following are the factory page layout templates provided by Flare. Many of these layouts already contain multiple page types. And many of the pages already contain content or variables in header or footer frames (e.g., page numbers, Chapter Number variables, Heading variables).
- ChapterA4 This template can be used for the main chapters in your manual. The pages in the template are already specified to use the international standard (ISO) A4 size (21 cm x 29.7 cm).
- ChapterLegal This template can be used for the main chapters in your manual. The pages in the template are already specified to use the legal size (8.5 inches x 14 inches).
- ChapterLetter This template can be used for the main chapters in your manual. The pages in the template are already specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches).
- ChapterResizable This template can be used for the main chapters in your manual. The pages in the template are already initially specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches). However, you can easily resize the pages in this layout without having to also resize the frames within them.
- Default This template is a very simple page layout consisting of only one Normal page, with a header frame, body frame, and footer frame. The page is already initially specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches).
- FrontMatterResizable This template can be used for pages that precede the main chapters in your manual. For example, if you include a generated table of contents at the beginning of your manual, you might use this template to display those pages. The pages in the template are already initially specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches). However, you can easily resize the pages in this layout without having to also resize the frames within them.
- GlossaryResizable This template can be used for pages that hold a generated glossary. The pages in the template are already initially specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches). However, you can easily resize the pages in this layout without having to also resize the frames within them.
- IndexResizable This template can be used for pages that hold a generated index. The pages in the template are already initially specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches). However, you can easily resize the pages in this layout without having to also resize the frames within them.
- Landscape4x3 This template can be used for pages intended for a standard size PowerPoint presentation. The template includes landscape page orientation, a default body frame size, and no headers or footers. The 4x3 in the name refers to the aspect ratio of the slide.
- Landscape16x9 This template can be used for pages intended for a widescreen size PowerPoint presentation. The template includes landscape page orientation, a default body frame size, and no headers or footers. The 16x9 in the name refers to the aspect ratio of the slide.
- NormalResizable This template is a very simple page layout consisting of only one Normal page, with a header frame, body frame, and footer frame. The page is already initially specified to use the letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches). However, you can easily resize the pages in this layout without having to also resize the frames within them.
Why are some templates called "Resizable"? It's not because only those page layouts contain pages that can be resized. You can resize the pages in any of these templates. The difference is that the resizable templates contain frames that have been anchored to the edges. This means that those frames maintain the same distance from the edges of the page if you choose to resize the page. The frames in other templates are not yet anchored (but they can be), which means that those frames will not automatically be resized if you decide to enlarge or reduce the page.
You can also create your own page layout templates, which can be used in the future when you create new page layouts.
- New From Template Choose either a factory template file or one of your own custom template files as a starting point. The new file will take on all of the settings contained in the template. If you want to use the factory template provided by Flare, expand the Factory Templates folder and click on a template file. If you want to use your own custom template file, expand the appropriate folder and click on a file.
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(Optional) The Folder field is automatically populated with the folder that has focus in the Content Explorer. If you want to place the file into a folder that you previously created in the Content Explorer, in the Folder field click
and select the subfolder. Otherwise, keep the default location. Note If you want to place non-topic files in a recommended folder, first make sure that folder exists in the Content Explorer. If it does not exist, you can easily add it.
Non-Topic File Type
Recommended Default Folder in Content Explorer
Branding
Resources > Branding
Image
Resources > Images
Micro Content
Resources > MicroContent
Multimedia
Resources > Multimedia
Page Layout
Resources > PageLayouts
Snippet
Resources > Snippets
Stylesheet
Resources > Stylesheets
Table Stylesheet
Resources > TableStyles
Template Page
Resources > TemplatePages
- In the File Name field, type a new name for the page layout.
- (Optional) If you want to apply condition tags to the file, expand the Attributes section at the bottom of the dialog. Next to the Condition Tags field, click and select the conditions you want to apply. Click OK.
- (Optional) If you want to apply file tags, expand the Attributes section at the bottom of the dialog. Next to the File Tags field, click and select the file tags you want to apply. Click OK.
- Click Add. The page layout is added to the Content Explorer. The Page Layout Editor opens to the right, displaying the page layout.
What’s Next?
After adding a page layout, you can add more pages to the layout. You can also add frames to the pages and edit them. See Adding Pages, Adding Page Layout Frames, and Editing Pages.
