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Emily Allen wondered: <<I'm just curious about how people document
fields that are not used within procedures.>>
If the fields are there, aren't they intended to be used? <g>
The longer and more interesting answer is that it depends on what
you're documenting. If you're producing purely procedural information
("follow steps 1-3 to print a single copy of your document without
changing any of the options"), then any fields not used in those steps
are obviously irrelevant to the task and can be omitted. If you're
producing pure reference material ("everything you ever wanted to know
about the print dialog"), you obviously have to document everything.
What about if you're producing something in between the two? Then you
document only the key fields in a procedural part, but document all
other fields in an "additional options" section under the main topic
("printing"). This way, those who just want the main procedure (e.g.,
printing) get that in an efficient, minimalist dose, but those who want
details (e.g., halftone options) have them available without having to
hunt down the reference material in another topic.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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