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Wade Courtney needs to document <<... a text based menu. What is best way
to do this. Menu selections are in a numerical list - for example 1
configuration 2 tools 3 logout>>
There's rarely any one "best" way to do such things. Here, you can pretty
much use any of the standard approaches for documenting a GUI menu:
- put the choices in a table, with the choice on the left and the
explanation on the right
- use each menu choice as a heading or subheading for its own section
- use a screenshot with callouts pointing at each choice and providing an
explanation
- define a series of tasks required to reach some endpoint, in a logical
order, then explain the menu choice that relates to each task
Which one is "best" depends on the approach your audience will take to using
the menu, and the kinds of problems you might encounter applying each
approach to your specific situation; for example, a table approach won't
work well if the descriptions for each menu command extend beyond a
paragraph or two, and the task-based approach requires some arbitrary
decisions if there's no logical sequence, as in the example you provided.
Try out each approach to see which one works best!
--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
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