RE: Click X, or click the X button?

Subject: RE: Click X, or click the X button?
From: "Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com>
To: "Robert Lauriston" <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>, "techwr-l List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:47 -0700

I suppose it's busy work if you're stuck in 1987 and unable to single source. In-line with text, I use just an image of the button. And the research indicates that this approach is optimal for the user, aiding in "identifying and locating window elements and objects" (Gellevij 2002).

Leonard

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Robert Lauriston
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 1:45 PM
To: techwr-l List
Subject: Re: Click X, or click the X button?

You include a screen capture for every button? Even Save and Next?
Cropped to the button, whole dialog, or what?

To me, that's tech-writer busywork that leads to bloated docs and
slows down readers. I do that only when the UI is bad and it's clear
that the user will have trouble finding the UI element.


On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 1:38 PM, Leonard C. Porrello
<Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> wrote:
> I use an actual screen capture of the buttons and say "Click X" (where X
> is the screen capture).
>
> Leonard
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
> om] On Behalf Of jennysubs -at- mac -dot- com
> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 12:38 PM
> To: techwr-l List
> Subject: Click X, or click the X button?
>
> How do you describe button actions? Does it make a difference if
> you're writing online help vs. print/PDF?
>
> I was trained to use the full "click the XYZ button," but recent style
> seems to be "Click XYZ."
>
> The 2004 Microsoft Style Guide says to use Click the X button, except
> for OK and Save. The 2008 Apple style guide shows both types, but
> mostly seems to use Click the X button in its examples.
>
> That was the style guides.  I also did a quick look through some help
> and PDF files on both Windows and the Mac.  Here are my data points:
>
> The Mac help style is definitely Click X.
> Frame help is Click X.
> Word Help is Click X.
> Microsoft XP Pro system help is mostly Click X.
> PDF manuals for Apple iLife apps typically use Click the X button.
> PDF for Frame 9 uses both, although it's usually consistent within the
> section.
>
> Just wondering...
>
> Jenny
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
> Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
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> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
> Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
> 2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
> http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/
>
> Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
> authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
> once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
>
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

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Follow-Ups:

References:
Click X, or click the X button?: From: jennysubs
RE: Click X, or click the X button?: From: Leonard C. Porrello
Re: Click X, or click the X button?: From: Robert Lauriston

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