Re: FONT STANDARDS

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

The only place I might ever write the instructions for SW this way is in
individual command displays in context-sensitive help.  In a printed manual, I
would say "To set options, select Tools -> Options.  The Options dialog is
displayed."  Then a brief rundown of each option ("Always Create Backup
Copy checkbox:  Creates backup copies yadda yadda,") for each option,
with "Click OK to save options" at the end of the list.  There would only be
one instruction to tell the user how to access Options, and one instruction to
say how to conclude.  The index entries for each individual option would say,
"See Options," and send the reader to the Options section.

Gene Kim-Eng



"Isaac Rabinovitch" <isaacr -at- mailsnare -dot- net> wrote in message news:...
>
> Reasonable question. OK, suppose you're writing about Microsoft Word options.
So you write
> about creating a backup copy. You write "From the 'Tools' menu, choose
"Options". This
> brings up the options dialog box. Click on the 'Save' tab, and make sure that
'Always
> Create Backup Copy' is selected."
>
> Then you have to write about embedding fonts. You write ""From the 'Tools'
menu, choose
> "Options". This brings up the options dialog box. Click on the 'Save' tab, and
make sure
> that ..."
>
> After you've done this 3 or 4 times, your reader is screaming, "I get it, I
GET IT. You
> want me to bring up the options dialog and click on the 'Save' tab!"


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