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Subject:Re: Why a Table of Figures? From:"Cheverie, Paul [Cont]" <paul -dot- cheverie -at- GPO -dot- CANADA -dot- CDEV -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 12 Sep 1995 18:11:00 EDT
> I think it's good practice to list all figures and tables (in that order)
in
> the TOC
I agree with John on this point. Listing the figures and tables within
the TOC just makes them easier to find. IMHO there are three things that a
technical manual must be:
- it must be easy to use.
- it must be accurate
- it must provide complete information (to the level it is written to).
If a manual isn't easy to use, it doesn't get used. If it doesn't get
used, it doesn't matter whether or not it is accurate or complete.
> but not necessarily to draw attention to them by giving them a
> separate heading that carries the same weight as "Table of Contents" (such
as > "List of Figures"). Just use "Figures" and "Tables" as headers
to the lists > embedded as part of the overall TOC.
The decision whether or not to imbedd the list of figures and list of
tables in a TOC is a stylistic decision and really doesn't matter much
either way, provided that the headers "Figures" and "Tables" are prominent
enough in the TOC to be easily found by the reader. The thing to avoid here
is making the reader search through the front matter of your manual in order
to find something of interest.
Paul C.
paul -dot- cheverie -at- canada -dot- cdev -dot- com
