TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Has anyone had experience using "tram lines" to document the syntax of
functions and commands? Oracle's PL/SQL manuals use this approach, in which
the various parameters, options, and requirements are presented as a series
of branching parallel lines, with the appropriate arguments inserted on the
line.
It is actually very effective for communicating which combinations of
parameters must be used together, which are optional, and which required.
I would like to know what tools are used to produce this type of syntax
description - is it done graphically (e.g., in Visio) or textually (e.g.,
using an OEM font like MS LineDraw)? or is it generated from the
development environment?
What production tools are used to produce the manuals? FrameMaker or
something else?
