Re: Tracking Hypertext Links

Subject: Re: Tracking Hypertext Links
From: Bonni_Graham_at_Enfin-SD -at- PROTEON -dot- COM
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 1994 09:28:00 EST

Something we wanted to do, but never got the requisition approved for the
cork board (and now, of course, it's a very moot point <SIGH>), was to line a
wall with cork board and tack screen prints from the program to it. Around
the screen prints, we would tack an index card with a topic name and number
written on it in something other than black ink. We would then tack a
colored string (same color as the topic ink) from the topic card to the place
in the program where that topic would come up. Under the topic name, we
would write (in a different color ink) the links in that topic. We would
tack a colored string (different color from the first -- same color as the
link ink <ouch -- sorry>) from the listed link to the link topic card.

At least, we wanted to do this. (And I have done it, on a much smaller scale,
at home on a contract I worked on.)

Obviously, you need a lot of wall space. BUT, once you're done, you have a
visual map of your help system. We were even thinking of using different
colors of ink to indicate different parts of the program (so we could see
immediately what elements interacted with what other elements).

What I ended up doing for my portion of the help was to create a paper
outline that included each topic name and number, with any links listed below
it. Unwieldy, but somewhat better than nothing. I used different color
highlighter to show the different parts of the program. (Can you tell I like
to use color?)

Hope that helps!

Bonni Graham |
Technical Writer | Most software is run by
Easel Corporation, ENFIN Technology Lab | confused users acting on
Bonni_Graham_at_Enfin-SD -at- relay -dot- proteon -dot- com | incorrect and incomplete
President, San Diego STC | information, doing things
| the designer never expected.
NOTE: apparently my email address needs |
to be typed exactly as it appears here, | --Paul Heckel, quoted
punctuation and all, or the system gets | by William Horton
upset. |


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