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I have a manual [that] I'm working on that has a plethora of sentences
sim. to the folllowing:
"Choosing Data Information from the Window menu will display the
Data Info dialog.
Clicking on the node at the left end of a line will expand that block and
give specific details of the particular category."
In your experience, is present tense preferred for these types of
instructions?
Is it usual to say "the dialog will be displayed, the node will expand,
"the device
will start running?
Or is "press begin and the device starts," better?
Indeed, does anyone know from where I'm coming?
Doug Nickerson
Programmer/ author/ Father/ person
Bourne. Mass.
