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: in or on From:Laurie Rubin <lmr -at- SYL -dot- NJ -dot- NEC -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 23 Jan 1995 18:54:09 -0500
I would use:
Click on the (a) student icon displayed in the browser.
As long as all terms are described somewhere in the doc:
1. If a single click is appropriate for the action, use Click.
2. If there are more ways to choose the button (icon) than a single
click, use Select, but make sure you define Select by providing all
possible methods of selection in your terminology section.
3. The term Icon is appropriate if it is a button with a graphical or
photograhic image.
Using the name of a window element (such as icon) helps the user
to quickly locate and differentiate between command buttons, buttons
with graphics (icons), option buttons, etc.. Again, as long as all
elements are defined, and used consistently and appropriately in the
doc.
Laurie
> Which would you choose?
> The application I'm writing about has a tree browser that displays icons
> representing the different members of a school's organization. Which
> sounds better:
> Click the student icon displayed in the browser.
> or
> Click the student icon displayed on the browser.
> (Would you leave off the word icon? Would you use 'select' instead of
> 'click'?)
> Thanks for the help
> Chani Sacharen
> edunet -at- zeus -dot- datasrvv -dot- co -dot- il