Setting Frame Breaks on Paragraphs and Headings

For PDF output, you can apply breaks to page layout frames, similar to the way you can apply page breaks to content such as headings or paragraphs.

In a stylesheet, the following properties are used: frame-break-before, frame-break-after, frame-break-inside. These are not part of the W3C's CSS specification. Instead, they were created by MadCap Software specifically to support this functionality.

By applying these style properties, you can automatically move content to the next frame on the current page in a layout. If no more frames are available on the current page, a page break occurs instead.

This feature can be especially useful when you want to make sure that heading text is the only content in a particular body frame.

How to Use a Style to Set a Frame Break

1. From the Content Explorer, open the stylesheet that you want to modify.
2. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays . If the button displays instead, then click it.
3. In the upper-left corner of the Stylesheet Editor, click in the drop-down field and select .
4. Select the appropriate style. In most cases, this will be a heading style (e.g., h1, h2, h3). But you can also place a frame break on other block-level styles, such as paragraphs.
5. From the Show drop-down list on the upper-right side of the editor, select .
6. (Optional) You can use the toggle button in the local toolbar to show properties below in a group view or an alphabetical view .
7. If you are using the grouped view, expand the PrintSupport group.

8. Select the appropriate property and set a value for it.

   Frame-Break-Before

   To the right of the property, click and set a frame break before the element.

   • always A break will always occur before the element.
   • auto A break will neither be forced nor prevented before the element.A
   • avoid A break will not occur before the element.
   • inherit The break setting of the parent tag is used.

   Frame-Break-After

   To the right of the property, click and set a frame break after the element.

   • always A break will always occur after the element.
   • auto A break will neither be forced nor prevented after the element.
   • avoid A break will not occur after the element.
   • inherit The break setting of the parent tag is used.

   Frame-Break-Inside

   To the right of the property, click and set a frame break inside the "rendering box" of the element. 

   • automatic A break will neither be forced nor prevented inside the rendering box of the element.
   • avoid A break will not occur inside the rendering box of the element.
   • inherit The break setting of the parent tag is used.

9. Click to save your work.

How to Use Local Formatting to Set a Frame Break

1. Open the content file.
2. Click on the paragraph that you want to modify.

3. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

   • Ribbon Select Home > .

   • Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+ALT+B.
   • Right-Click Right-click on the paragraph and from the context menu choose Paragraph.

   The Paragraph Properties dialog opens.

4. Select the Breaks tab.

5. Use the Frame Break section to specify the settings.

   Before

    You can select one of the options for setting a frame break before the element.

   • Automatic A break will neither be forced nor prevented before the element.A
   • Always A break will always occur before the element.
   • Avoid A break will not occur before the element.

   After

    You can select one of the options for setting a frame break after the element.

   • Automatic A break will neither be forced nor prevented after the element.
   • Always A break will always occur after the element.
   • Avoid A break will not occur after the element.

   Inside

    You can select one of the options for setting a frame break inside the "rendering box" of the element.

   • Automatic A break will neither be forced nor prevented inside the rendering box of the element.
   • Avoid A break will not occur inside the rendering box of the element.

6. In the Paragraph Properties dialog, click OK.
7. Click to save your work.

What’s Next?

After editing a style, you can apply it to content in a topic or snippet. See Applying Styles to Content.