Adobe FRAMEMAKER 6.0 Manual page 9

Although you can rely on the MIF interpreter to provide defaults, the exact properties and objects provided
may vary depending on your FrameMaker product's configuration. The MIF interpreter uses default
objects and properties that are specified in setup files and in templates. In UNIX® versions, these templates
are and . You can modify these default objects and document formats by creating your own version of or
or by modifying your setup files.
For more information about modifying the default templates and setup files, see the online manual
Customizing FrameMaker Products for UNIX versions of FrameMaker products. For the Macintosh and
Windows® versions, see the chapter on templates in your user manual.
Current state and inheritance
A FrameMaker product has a MIF interpreter that reads and parses MIF files. When you open or import a
MIF file, the interpreter reads the MIF statements and creates a FrameMaker document that contains the
objects described in the MIF file.
When the interpreter reads a MIF file, it keeps track of the current state of certain objects. If the interpreter
reads an object with properties that are not fully specified, it applies the current state to that object. When
an object acquires the current state, it inherits the properties stored in that state.
For example, if the line width is set to 1 point for a graphic object, the interpreter continues to use a 1-point
line width for graphic objects until a new value is specified in the MIF file. Similarly, if the MIF file specifies
a format for a paragraph, the interpreter uses the same format until a new format is specified in the file.
The MIF interpreter keeps track of the following document objects and properties:
Units
•
Condition tag properties
•
Paragraph format properties
•
Character format properties
•
Page properties
•
Graphic frame properties
•
Text frame properties
•
Fill pattern
•
Pen pattern
•
Line width
•
Line cap
•
Line style (dash or solid)
•
Color
•
Text line alignment and character format
•
Because the interpreter also provides default objects for a document, the current state of an object may be
determined by a default object. For example, if a document does not provide any paragraph formats, the
interpreter applies a set of default paragraph properties to the first paragraph. Subsequent paragraphs use
the same properties unless otherwise specified.
ADOBE FRAMEMAKER 6.0 9
Introduction