This feature is supported in all online outputs, as well as Microsoft Word and Adobe FrameMaker outputs.
A master page is an element that you can create in your project in order to apply certain content to multiple topics. A master page is useful in online outputs, as well as print-based outputs. However, the benefits are somewhat different for online output than they are for print output. For example, you might use a master page in online output to apply features such as breadcrumbs, mini-TOCs, or footer text to multiple topics, or even all topics in a target. For print-based output, a master page allows you to determine page specifications (such as size or orientation) and to apply certain content (such as header text or page numbers) to many topics in a manual.
Page layouts are similar to master pages, but are more flexible and easier to use. The general rule of thumb is that page layouts are recommended for print-based output (when possible), and master pages continue to be the best method for automatically adding headers, footers, and breadcrumbs in multiple topics for online output. Another difference between page layouts and master pages is that page layouts can be used for any of the print-based outputs (Adobe PDF, XHTML, Microsoft XPS, Microsoft Word, Adobe FrameMaker), whereas master pages can be used only for Microsoft Word and FrameMaker when creating print-based output. See About Page Layouts.
example
Let's say you want every topic in your Help system to include a footer with contact information about your company (such as the footer that you see at the bottom of every topic in the Flare Help system). Rather than having to type this content or insert a snippet in every topic, you can create a master page and enter the footer in just that one location. Then you associate the master page with any of the targets in your project. The footer is automatically included at the bottom of every topic when you build and view any of those associated targets.
Like all other files in Flare, a master page is an XML file. It has an .flmsp extension and is stored in the Content Explorer under the Resources\MasterPages folder.
Apply master page to TOC entry If you are creating Microsoft Word or Adobe FrameMaker targets, you can apply master pages to the different sections of the print-based output. For example, you might want to display different header content for your front matter, the various chapters in the manual, your index, and so on. To accomplish this, you can apply the appropriate master page to the outline TOC entry where a new section will start in the output. This is the most common approach when using master pages in print-based output. See Creating Print-based Output and Specifying Section Breaks and Master Pages.
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What if you want to use more than one master page in an online target so that different topics use different master pages? You can accomplish this through the use of topic styles (i.e., classes of the <html> tag) and the "mc-master-page" property.
example
You might want most topics in your project to use the same master page (to display the same text at the bottom of each topic). However, maybe you want a select few other topics to use a different master page. For the majority of the topics, you can simply apply the main master page to the target. But for the other topics, you can use a topic style. For example, you can create a class for the <html> tag in your style sheet, naming it "SpecialMasterPage" (i.e., html.SpecialMasterPage). Then you can modify the "mc-master-page" property for that class so that it is associated with the secondary master page. Finally, you can apply the html.SpecialMasterPage style to the topics that you want to be associated with that master page.
How to use multiple master pages by creating topic styles
to save your work.
to turn on the structure bars. In the context menu, select Style Class and choose the style that you want to apply.
Note: You will not see any styles from this list until you create a class for the <html> tag in the Stylesheet Editor.
You can add a proxy to a master page to let Flare know you want to include a certain type of content in the master page. A proxy acts as a placeholder for the content that you have created elsewhere. When you generate output, the content takes the place of that proxy. Proxies can be added to regular topics
Note: Let's say you have used master pages in earlier versions of Flare when creating Word or FrameMaker output, but now you decide to use the newer page layouts instead. You can manually remove all links to master pages in your target and table of contents. However, another alternative is to automatically disable the user of master pages in your project. By using this feature, Flare will ignore all links to master pages when you generate the Word or FrameMaker target. It will instead use links that you provide to any page layouts. See Disabling the Use of Master Pages.
See Also