Re: periods inside quotation marks?

[Janice Gelb <janiceg -at- MARVIN -dot- ENG -dot- SUN -dot- COM>]

Shannon:

Piece of advice number 1, change your house style so button
names don't have to go inside quotation marks!

Piece of advice number 2, make it your house style that you
don't have to include ellipses that appear next to a button
name when you are referring to the button in text.

If number 1 doesn't work, I would put the period outside
the quotation marks, since this is not a quotation but a "name"
of something.

-- Janice

>
> I am doing online Help for an application that has several buttons
> that use odd terminology.  The interface design (due to egos) will not
> be changed, so I have to make do.
>
> Question:  in referring to a button, where does the punctuation go?
>
> Example:  If the name of the button is Remove, do I use show the
> command as
>
> 1.  Click "Remove."
> OR
> 1.  Click "Remove".
>
> I know that sentence rules say punctuation goes inside the quotation
> marks, but here I am emphasizing the button name and not an actual
> quote.
>
> If you think you have it figured out, here is the kicker.  I have
> several buttons that use punctuation within the button name, such as
> Modify. . .
>
> Then, would I use
>
> 1.  Click "Modify. . . ."
>
> OR
>
> 1.  Click "Modify. . .".
>
> I am bound by screen design and the requirement to put the button in
> quotation marks.  My only question is, where does the ending period
> go?  For clearest communication, it would seem to go outside the marks
> since the buttons do NOT contain the ending period.
>