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.
>We are currently discussing whether there is any advantage, in procedures,
>to bolding the names of control elements within the software (e.g., dialog
>box names or text box & button labels). We know plenty of companies do
>this, but is it worthwhile?
>
Don't do it. Well, actually, it depends. If you wind up with a lot of bolds,
the page is ugly, and you have all of these raisin-bread spots calling for
attention. It's like a room full of two year olds. Look at some
documentation that does not use bolding, italics, special fonts, or any
other special treatment of control elements. If you're like me, you will
find that you have no trouble following the instructions. And you can save
your special treatments for items that should grab the reader's attention.
Marv Cochrane, who wrote software documentation in a previous life.
