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Subject:Re: departing from a template From:Janice Gelb <janiceg -at- marvin -dot- eng -dot- sun -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 17 Apr 2002 10:31:19 -0700 (PDT)
In article A49A7712BBF66B429012E546AD56AF6B07B429 -at- COCPISEX1 -dot- clear-technology -dot- com, ellen -dot- vanrenen -at- clear-technology -dot- com ("Ellen Vanrenen") writes:
>
>We have a style guide and a template. Our manager, who is the manager of =
>Customer Service and Support, becomes unhappy when we depart from the =
>template. I created the template. It is mostly for end user =
>documentation, and I always envisioned it as the "core" from which =
>individual documents might vary to some degree, depending on the needs =
>of the writer. With some variation allowed, documents would still have =
>the same "look and feel" if the writer adhered to the fonts and so =
>forth.
>Is it usual to consider a template the only way to create documents of =
>the same type, allowing the documentor no freedom depending on the =
>individual document?
>
I think the key phrase here is "documents of the same type."
A good template should be flexible enough for everyone to
be able to use it to create documents of a similar type.
As you note, creating a common look and feel is important,
so you don't want individual writers to have blanket permission
to deviate either. One person's slight variation is another
person's completely different look and feel.
If you have documents that are so different that the template
does not work for them, you may need to have different templates
for different needs. For example, we have different templates
for white papers than for user documentation.
*********************************************************************
Janice Gelb | Just speaking for me, not Sun.
janice -dot- gelb -at- eng -dot- sun -dot- com | http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8018/
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