Omni Systems, Inc. |  | Mif2Go User's Guide, Version 55 |  |  |  |  |

> 38 Generating intermediate output > 38.1 Producing MIF with Mif2Go vs. FrameMaker

## 38.1 Producing MIF with Mif2Go vs. FrameMaker

When you specify FrameMaker MIF as the output type, Mif2Go saves all the files in your FrameMaker document (including the book file, if you so specify) in MIF format, and stops there.

Use this feature to save your entire document as MIF, perhaps to a different directory, and perhaps for a different purpose; for example:

• Store your FrameMaker document in a revision-control system.

• Pass files to someone using FrameMaker on a different operating system.

• Extract text for translation.

• Back up your document over a LAN (Local Area Network).

Use Wash option instead to clean files

If you want to save as MIF primarily to clean up FrameMaker file corruption, you can simply use the Wash Via MIF option on the FrameMaker File menu; see §D.2.6 Check for file corruption.

FrameMaker insists on .mif extension

When you save as MIF from FrameMaker, you have to use the .mif extension. But if you are saving a book file, you do not really want it to come out as mydoc.book.mif, or worse yet, mydoc.mif. And if you subsequently load chapters into FrameMaker from the book file, the extension is wrong; the book knows about chapter.fm, not chapter.mif.

FrameMaker 8 defaults to version 7 MIF!

When an FDK application saves as MIF, the default for FrameMaker version 8 is to produce FrameMaker 7 MIF files. This default action discards the FrameMaker-8-specific information, and does not use Unicode. Mif2Go overrides this action, and saves FrameMaker 8 files as FrameMaker 8 MIF, by default. See §38.2.4 Saving FrameMaker 8 files as FrameMaker 8 MIF.

Mif2Go keeps original file extensions

Mif2Go produces MIF files with .book and .fm extensions, saved in a different directory. When you load these files into FrameMaker, FrameMaker reads the MIF without complaining; and when you choose File > Save, FrameMaker silently overwrites them in binary format.

FrameMaker changes links

When you save to a different directory in FrameMaker, FrameMaker thoughtfully rewrites all your links to point back to the original sources.

Mif2Go preserves links

Mif2Go first saves each MIF file in the same directory as the original file, but with a temporary extension; then moves the file to the new directory, renaming it with a .book or .fm extension.

See also:

§38.2 Generating MIF output

§D.2.6 Check for file corruption

> 38 Generating intermediate output > 38.1 Producing MIF with Mif2Go vs. FrameMaker

| Mif2Go User's Guide: 38 Generating intermediate output |  | Mif2Go User's Guide: 38.2 Generating MIF output |