TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Emily asked:
We generally like to list the field name and a description of the field when
users must enter data into that field. In the past, we have also included
field names that are not used in our company or for a particular SAP
transaction. Recently, I've been thinking about not including these unused
fields so that users just get the information that they need and to
eliminate unnecessary information. Any thoughts?
***************
We just went through this exercise where I work. The prevailing theory
was not to document unused fields. Well, we heard plenty of feedback
on that, especially from users in training. If it's on the GUI, they will
expect to get an explanation, even if they don't need it now. Why should
they ignore it? What happens if I make a mistake and put something in
the field? Why is it on the GUI if I don't need it? So, in the interest
of completeness and abundant technical detail, we are now including a
description of all fields, whether they are used for the procedure or
not.
Dave Demyan
NOTE: This message, including any attachments, may include privileged,
confidential and/or inside information. Any distribution or use of this
communication by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is strictly
prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient,
please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from
your system. Thank you.
SEE THE ALL NEW ROBOHELP X5 IN ACTION: RoboHelp X5 is a giant leap forward
in Help authoring technology, featuring Word 2003 support, Content
Management, Multi-Author support, PDF and XML support and much more! http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrldemo
>From a single set of Word documents, create online Help and printed
documentation with ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 7 Professional, a new yearly
subscription service offering free updates and upgrades, support, and more. http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.