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>Ricki,
> I have a preference for indention of succeeding levels of text
>primarily for the reader's visual reference. Proper indenture defines
>hierarchical *belonging* in a document visually so that the reader
knows it
>without having to think about it.
I disagree. With the text layout tools available today, there are
many better ways to indicate subject hierarchy than using the
arcane (typewriter days) solution of increasing indents. Each
hierachical transition should have a new heading. That heading
should show (visually and with differing typeface size and other
visual cues) the hierarchy of the subject matter.
In most specifications, using a combination of heading numbers
and varying indents, your results will look strange and will
actually hinder readability. Two important side effects:
a) columns will become increasingly smaller as the heading
numbering increases, and b) when a block of text breaks to the
next page, the reader will be unable to determine the hierarchy
by looking at the level of indent, adding confusion.
Regards,
Dave Demyan *** Mendem Concord, Inc.
(908) 753-8500 *** One Mountain Blvd.
concord -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com *** Warren, NJ 07059
FAX: (908) 754-8224
