4.2.3 Reusing or discarding MIF files
FrameMaker keeps document files in "Maker" format, typically with an .fm extension. This binary file format is a closely held trade secret of Adobe Systems Incorporated. FrameMaker files must be saved as MIF (Maker Interchange Format) before Mif2Go can read them. Mif2Go converts the MIF files to binary DCL (Document Coding Language) files, and finally from DCL to the output format you specify (see §1.2.2 How the conversion process works).
Mif2Go ordinarily saves your FrameMaker files as MIF immediately before each conversion. However, if you have not altered a FrameMaker file since the last time it was saved as MIF, you can choose to let Mif2Go use the existing MIF file. You specify this option in the Mif2Go Export dialog, which in turn updates the configuration file. Or, you can change this setting directly in the configuration file:
; UseExistingMIF = No (save new .mif file) or Yes (use if it exists)
MIF files can be very large, and if you save all the MIF files for a sizable book you might run low on disk space. You can choose to have Mif2Go delete each MIF file immediately after conversion. The following setting keeps the disk space used to an absolute minimum:
; DeleteMIF = No (keep MIF file when done) or Yes (delete it)
As an alternative, you can have Mif2Go delete old MIF files from the project folder just before starting a new conversion; see §33.3.4 Deleting MIF files from the project folder.
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