Re: Document Size and Page Numbers

[SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com]

I agree with many of Tom Murrell's and David Neeley's points regarding 
chapter-vs-contiuous numbering, and wanted to add a couple further notes:

1.  I personally have found it easier to find things that are 
chapter-numbered, if the doc is a large one, especially if the chapters 
have some typographical mechanism for identifying the chapter at-a-glance 
(e.g., shaded "tab" blocks in the margin with the chapter number, with the 
shading bled to the edge so you don't even have to look at the actual pages 
to find the section. Also, if you are trying to find something in relation 
to something else, rather than indexed (e.g., "I know I saw an example of a 
situation like that in the chapter on doohickeys...lemme go look..."), it 
makes it easier to confine the scope of that search.

2.  For large documents that are broken into multiple online (Word) files, 
continuous numbering can result in more maintenance hassle (especially if 
you are not unifying them within a single master doc file). 
Chapter-specific numbering allows the management of a complex document as a 
collection, if need be.
     For example, with a certain piece of complex system documentation, 
I've had the doc broken into discrete chapters, each with its own table of 
contents and sign-off sheet; the scope of the constantly-evolving system 
would incorporate new hardware into the existing system structure, while 
discrete hardware groupings operated independently from one another. Each 
hardware subsystem and its associated data collection software would be 
handled in discrete chapters. The "front matter" of the document would give 
a generalized TOC of the chapters, while chapter TOCs would give specific 
details. When something changed in a subsystem, only that chapter would 
have to be revised, reviewed, and signed off, with the revision history 
reflecting the changes made. If we had continuous numbering on that doc, 
we'd have to renumber the entire thing and get each independent area to 
sign off on what they would consider a non-change (i.e., "It's just the 
page numbering, who cares?") because of "someone else's stuff" -- it would 
be perceived as a recurring, bureaucratic waste of time, and the user base 
would come to resent the document.
     Now, that's with an internal doc, written for an internal audience, on 
a subject/scope that is unlikely to promote the reading of the doc from 
cover to cover. YMMV.  If it were a less complex system, I wouldn't have it 
broken out the same way, so chapter numbering would be unnecessary.

Again, it depends on the doc and the audience.

Shauna Iannone
--------------
  /"\
  \ /     ASCII RIBBON CAMPAIGN
   X       HELP CURE HTML MAIL
  / \

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com

Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.