Re: Help: "Increment" as verb

["Doug, Data Librarian at Ext 4225" <engstromdd -at- PHIBRED -dot- COM>]

Connie Winch says:

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I'm editing one of our manuals and have come across "increment" used as a
verb.  According to my American Heritage Dictionary, it's not a verb.
However, I'm having a hard time thinking of a replacement.  Any
suggestions?  It would be used in a sentence like this:  "The software
package automatically increments the transaction ID number after each
entry."
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If your audience is programmers or other folks with a stake in the gory
internal details, you're probably OK with "increment."  Check a computing
dictionary (don't have one handy....) but I'd bet my keyboard it's there as
a verb.

If you're dealing with more business-type folk, try something like:"The
software package automatically assigns a unique transaction ID number
after each entry." If necessary, add: "...by adding one to the most
recently used transaction ID number."  (But that may be more than they
want to know.)

Also, are you -sure- it's -just- incrementing the ID?  Multi-user software
often assigns an alphabetic portion to ID numbers, so that multiple users
don't "step on" one another by creating the same ID at the same time.  Just
a thought...

Skoal,

Doug                       "Every gift that is given is given
ENGSTROMDD -at- phibred -dot- com      is given for a reason."

                                               -- Martin Bell

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