Creating Frames for Use | Defining the Typeblock

## The flowfram Package: A Brief Summary

The `flowfram` package is a LaTeX2e package that allows the user to construct frames in a document, such that the document text flows from one frame to the next in the order that the frames were defined. The mechanism is much the same as that used to create the columns when using the standard two column mode, but the columns are of arbitrary width, height and position.

There are three types of frame: "flow" frames which are the main type of frame. These are the frames in which the document text is placed. The other two types of frame are "static" and "dynamic". The contents of these frames has to be set explicitly using one of the commands or environments provided by the `flowfram` package. The contents of the static frames are typeset once (when the contents are set) and it remains unchanged until the user explicitly resets the contents. The contents of the dynamic frames are re-typeset on each page for which the frame is defined. So, for example, if on page 1 of your document, you set the contents of a static frame to contain the command `\thepage`, the contents of that frame will always display a 1 (no matter what page it appears on), since that was the value of `\thepage` when the contents were set. If, on the other hand, you use a dynamic frame, the contents will be re-typeset on every page, so it will display the relevant page number.

Each frame has an associated label which uniquely identifies it for a given frame type, and it can optionally have a border. Frames also have an associated page list indicating on which pages the frame should appear. The page list can be one of the keywords `all`, `odd`, `even` or `none`, or it can be a comma separated list of pages or page ranges (e.g. `<4,7,9,10-14,>20`).

The `flowfram` package stacks the frames on the page in the following order: static, flow and dynamic, each in the order that they were defined. For example, if you define a flow frame called `left`, then define a static frame called `title`, then a dynamic frame called `header` and lastly a flow frame defined `right`, then the `flowfram` package will stack the frames in the following order: `title`, `left`, `right` and `header`.

Note that Jpgfdraw defines the frames according to its own
, and will allow you to position, say, a static frame above a flow frame,10.3 but once the information has been exported to a LaTeX package, the frames will be displayed according to the `flowfram` package's stacking order.

To clear all data relating to the `flowfram` package, select the menu item TeX/LaTeX->Flow Frames->Clear All.

See also:

- Step-by-Step Example: A Poster
- Step-by-Step Example: A Newspaper

#### Footnotes

... frame,10.3
  This is because the only way to change the stacking order is to move objects to the front, to the back, or by grouping and ungrouping

Creating Frames for Use | Defining the Typeblock