Where have all the tables gone ?

Problem
Background
Fix the problem

Problem

It is common practice when placing pictures in a FrameMaker document to use the nested construct table-cell - anchored frame - picture. In most of these cases these tables have only one cell per row and only two rows (1 for the picture container and one for the picture caption).

This all works fine until you suddenly have just anchor points spread over the text and all the tables are placed at the end of the text - beyond the 'end-of-flow' mark §

Of course this can happen with any table, because FrameMaker can not split a cell if it grows to high.

The anchors of the tables are at the locations of the black figures. The corresponding tables are numbered in white.

Background

To avoid gaps in the text you define the table to be 'floating'. Hence the text after the table can flow in front of the table in case the table becomes to high for the current page. If your tables start 'anywhere' you just get at least one empty page in front of the (too) high table row.

After careful inspection of the pictures and their container frames you find the following:

1. The document is OK until one particular large picture is placed in a large anchored frame.
2. As you know the cell contents defines the height for a table row.
3. If the row height becomes to large for the rest of the space on the current page the table is moved to the next page and (in case of attribute 'floating' of the table) text appearing logically after the table is moved in front of it.
4. Since the table with the large content can not fit onto the new location either, FrameMaker moves it to the end of the document - after the 'end-of-flow' mark §. It is very difficult to select these tables by triple clicking into them. However, selecting the anchor also selects the table.
5. Following - even small - tables are also moved behind according to their order of anchors.

Fix the problem

So you have the cure to the problem: a table row must not be higher than the space available on a page.

1. Find the first table after the end of the flow.
2. In this table click into the image and copy it to the clipboard.
3. Now you see the anchored frame as the most inner item.
4. Select the anchored frame and reduce its height signigificantly. The table snaps to its intended location.
5. Adjust the height of the frame to the largest possible value.
6. Paste the image back into the frame. You may wish to adjust the position and/or size of the image to fit the relevant contents into the frame.

In this picture everything is OK (again).