RE: in search for better tools

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

GILLIOTTE Valérie wrote: 

> The problem is that variables are not necessarily names of products. It can
> be names of concepts. We write our documentation in French, where there is
> a gender problem, unlike in English. I can't think variables can work here,
> or maybe I did not understand all of it. ??

As Robert noted, this can be dealt with by creating separate variables for the concept with a definite artice, indefinite article, or no article. Even, if necessary, initial-caps variables for beginning sentences, plurals, or other special cases. If you apply good, consistent naming conventions so that all the variations of each variable group together in the list, this isn't hard to manage. 

To illustrate, here are some  example variable names (in angle brackets), followed by alternative definitions that might be used in different books (forgive me if I screw up the French; it's been many years since those college classes):

<animal-definite>: le chien, la chienne, le chat
<animal-Definite>: Le chien, La chienne, Le chat
<animal-indefinite> un chien, une chienne, un chat
<animal-Indefinite> Un chien, Une chienne, Un chat

I've created books that contain well over a hundred variables. I don't know if there is a limit, but I'll bet you don't encounter it. :-)


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
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