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Subject:Re: Need Help Fast!!! From:Scott Miller <smiller -at- PORTAL -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 20 Oct 1998 14:21:16 -0700
Yippee! A perfect excuse for me to avoid work for several minutes...
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> 1. Would you describe steps with bullets, numbers, or some other form of
> enumeration?
>
Numbers. Like, you do 1 first, then 2, then 3. Bullets are used for
indicating discrete bits of info.
> 2. How many different types of enumerative devices (excluding numbers)
> would you put into a training manual? Why?
>
Numbers and bullets should be all you need, along with little captiony
things that say "Note," and "Important."
> 3. Which of the following would you rather use and why?
> Click the XYZ button.
> Click on the XYZ button.
>
"Click XYZ." A UI should always have only one thing named XYZ that you can
click. No need to call it a button. Well, if it's a training manual, OK. But
definitely not "click on."
> 4. Other than quoting titles, do you use italics, and if so, for what?
>
Introducing a term for the first time. But hardly at all for online docs
because italics is hard to read online.
> 5. Currently, we use the following convention. To indicate what option,
> button, etc. someone is to select we bold the option button, etc. For
> example, (using the asterisks as bold) Click the *ABC* button and
> highlight the appropriate line.
>
Is the convention in question bold? I use bold.
> 6. Would you enclose any of the following elements in a box in the text or
> instructions: Names of buttons, windows, or dialog boxes?
>
Bold is enough.
> 7. Do you use underlining and if so, when.
>
Never.