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.
Re: FW: Referring to an unnamed button with three dots
Subject:Re: FW: Referring to an unnamed button with three dots From:Lou Quillio <public -at- quillio -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 11 Jul 2005 15:05:00 -0400
And I agree, also respectfully, and raise you one: Why use a
mystery symbol at all, for anything? What's the advantage?
"Because?" No dice. "Word of the Day" opportunity? C'mon.
[Browse]
[Select]
[Settings]
[Next]
These work just fine. And you can translate 'em.
> and an ellipsis after an entry indicates that the command opens a
> dialog or wizard where the user can set choices or execute some
> other function.
This works fine, too, because it doesn't stand alone and it's not
usage-critical. The subsequent dialog is gonna happen regardless:
just tipping the user off.
A certain percentage of users will forever be buffaloed by a naked
ellipsis button, though. We can try to document our way out of
that, or ditch the ellipsis. Easy call for me.
But if you're working within mandated UI constraints or documenting
an in-place system, you may not have a choice. In those cases, I
like this approach:
"I've followed all the instructions to the letter, but I'm
stuck. I can't find the 'any' key. Where's the 'any' key?"
"It's the spacebar. The 'any' key is the spacebar."
LQ
Dick Margulis wrote:
> I respectfully disagree. The ellipsis button is not always used
> for the browse function. I think if the browse function is in
> play then the button should read "Browse" and I can't conceive of
> any circumstance where that would be impossible.
>
> I think the ellipsis button should be reserved for popup pickers
> (other than file pickers, which would, by definition, constitute
> browse dialogs), such as calendar controls, color pickers,
> sequence dialogs, etc. This is analogous to the standard Windows
> use in menus, where an unadorned menu entry actually executes a
> command (copy to the clipboard, paste from the clipboard, etc.)
> and an ellipsis after an entry indicates that the command opens a
> dialog or wizard where the user can set choices or execute some
> other function.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 2005 now has RoboHelp Converter and HTML Source: Author
content and configure Help in MS Word or any HTML editor. No
proprietary editor! *August release. http://www.componentone.com/TECHWRL/DocToHelp2005
---
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- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
