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.
Subject:RE: Field definitions From:"David Spreadbury" <David -dot- Spreadbury -at- afc -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 3 Jun 2004 11:20:38 -0700
I have always document everything the user can see or get to. Now for those options that a typical user would not use, I would add a caveat, i.e., "this function/option not implemented when performing xxx.".
Having been a user, I know that some users will try everything they see. If the option isn't documented, they run the risk of damaging something and then someone else (typically) has to go back and pick up the pieces, meanwhile they are cursing the documentation for being incomplete.
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-149767 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-149767 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of Allen,
Emily
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2004 1:02 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Field definitions
Hi,
I'm just curious about how people document fields that are not used within
procedures.
Example:
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?
Thank you!
Emily Allen | Documentation Specialist
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.
8401 Greenway Blvd | Suite 230 | Middleton, WI 53562
T: 608.664.8249
emily -dot- allen -at- teldta -dot- com | www.teldta.com
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.