You need to carefully plan your FrameMaker standards so you can import all elements, such as formats, page layouts, variables, and conditions across all source files. To avoid issues, do not reuse an element for two different purposes in two different files. For example, if the footer text differs between the front matter and the main chapters of a book, do not use the same variable to define the footer in both files. Otherwise, you cannot import that variable across files.

To avoid conflicts when importing master pages, use different page layout names for special pages in all files, such as Title, TOC right, TOC left, and Index first. In addition, delete unneeded formats, variables, and conditions to simplify your template use and maintenance.