Re: Seeking advice on the best way to phrase an error message?

["Mike Starr" <mikestarr-techwr-l -at- writestarr -dot- com>]

Almost all current development environments allow the programmer to insert 
the punctuation of choice in a phone number field or Social Security number 
field so that all the user needs to do is type the numbers; the punctuation 
is just ignored.

Mike
--
Mike Starr                            WriteStarr Information Services
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----- Original Message -----
From: <HBacheler -at- aol -dot- com>
To: <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>; <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>; <ipsque -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 8:38 PM
Subject: Re: Seeking advice on the best way to phrase an error message?

>A reasonable 'default for the phone number is area code, central office,
> instrument/instruments number.
>
> for example a minimal phone number entry in the field is  8005551212.(10
> digits)
> No punctuation, separation, hidden meaning
>
> Social security number 123456789 (9 digits)
>
> I think any programmer/designer/analyst should accept this as the 
> optimum.
>
> There is NO DIFFERENT way you can express either of these numbers in their
> minimum form
>
> You can have 800-555-1212 - (800)555-1212 - (800) 555-1212 -  800.555.1212
>
> You can have 123-45-6789
>
> The  dash) -, the open parenthesis (, and the close  parenthesis ) are 
> values
> that can be 'skipped' in the  parsing/verificatin/validation of the 
> number.
>
> So "I" forgot the punctuation, so what, (programmer/analyst/designer) deal
> with it in your design and implementation...
>
> Bringing back my days as a programmer/analyst/designer  ---  making things
> easier for the customer.
>
> Other input?
>
> Harry 

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