Inserting Chapter, Section, and Volume Number Variables Into Frames

For Adobe PDF output, you can insert variables in page layout frames that display your chapter, section, or volume numbers (if you are using autonumbers to identify the various parts of a manual).

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How to Insert a Chapter, Section, or Volume Number Variable Into a Page Layout Frame

Open a page in a page layout.
Click on the frame to which you want to add text or other content.

Note You can add text and content only to header, footer, and decoration frames. You cannot add text and content to a body frame (which automatically displays content from your topics). You can use image frames to insert images that use all of the space in the frame.
Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:
- Keyboard Shortcut Press F2 on your keyboard.
- Right-Click Right-click the frame and select Edit Text.
A message opens, asking if you want to pick content from a template (e.g., a page number).
Click No. The Frame Contents window pane opens.

Note If you have already prepared content in the form of a snippet and added it to your template folder, you can click "Yes" instead in order to select the snippet. See Templates.
Click in the Frame Contents window pane.
Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:
- RibbonSelect Insert > Variable.
- Local Toolbar Click .
- Keyboard Shortcut On your keyboard press CTRL+SHIFT+V.
The Variables dialog opens, with the variable set(s) on the left and the variables associated with the selected set on the right.
Select the System variable set.
Select the appropriate variable: ChapterNumber, SectionNumber, or VolumeNumber.
Click OK. The variable is added to the Frame Contents window pane.
Click to save your work. The variable can now be seen in the frame.

Note If you are using chapter or volume autonumbers and want them to be reflected in a print index, you can do so by specifying the autonumbers at the appropriate locations in your outline TOC (instead of inserting Chapter or Volume Number variables in a page layout). See Including Page Autonumbers in Print Indexes.

What’s Next?

In addition to completing the these steps, make sure you also perform the necessary tasks for creating the autonumbers in your topics and specifying where new chapters, sections, or volumes should begin.

To generate chapter numbers, you need to create an autonumber format that includes the {chapnum} command (see Autonumbers). Then you need to specify chapter breaks in the outline TOC (see Specifying Chapter and Page Layout Breaks).
To generate section numbers, you need to create an autonumber format that includes the {secnum} command (see Autonumbers). Then specify section breaks in the outline TOC (see Specifying Chapter and Page Layout Breaks).
To generate volume numbers, you need to create an autonumber format that includes the {volnum} command (see Autonumbers). Second, you need to specify chapter breaks in the outline TOC (see Specifying Chapter and Page Layout Breaks). Third, you need to specify the autonumber flow for each volume, resetting the volume number to a specific number (see Specifying Autonumbering Flow for Output).