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: how to write click From:"Sharon Burton-Hardin" <sharonburton -at- earthlink -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 9 Nov 1999 16:18:35 -0800
Just to stir the pot - I was teaching FrameMaker and had 10 students. Most
of them were tech writers and described themselves as fairly competent with
computers. One student had an awful time following the text book for
homework and thought his copy of frame must be broken. Turns out that when
the instructions said Press ALT+F4, he knew to press the ALT key, the + key
and the F4 key. needless to say, he wasn't not getting the results he
wanted. I explained to him that it meant he should press and hold the ALT
key and then press the F4 key. He did fine after that.
Not an exhaustive survey, but it does make me leery of using pipes, arrows,
or other symbols when the words work fine. On the ... menu, click ... very
straightforward and clear.
sharon
Sharon Burton-Hardin
President of the Inland Empire chapter of the STC
www.iestc.org
Anthrobytes Consulting
www.anthrobytes.com
Check out www.WinHelp.net!
See www.sharonburton.com!
----- Original Message -----
From: Cheri E. Kelln <tekgrrrl -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Tuesday, 09 November, 1999 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: how to write click
| I agree with Ronica about not using the pipe character. We use the »
| character (File»Edit). I wasn't used to it when I first started, but it
has
| been really helpful. It is Alt+0187.
|
| Cheri Kelln
| Technical Writer
| National Instruments
| Austin, TX
|
| ----- Original Message -----
| From: Ronica Roth <rroth -at- exactis -dot- com>
| To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
| Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 4:34 PM
| Subject: RE: how to write click
|
|
| > I like the arrows method (File -> Edit).
| >
| > I strongly recommend AGAINST using the pipe (|) character. In certain
| > programming/technical contexts, the | means "logical or", so that File |
| > Edit would mean File OR Edit. In other technical contexts, the pipe
| > indicates that the output of the process to the left should be directed
| > toward the thing on the right.
| >
| > Although your readers may not be so technical, someone who is technical
| > might get confused. Plus, I think it's a bad habit to get into, since
you
| > might later need to write similar notation for a more technical
audience.
| >
| > Ronica Roth
| > Technical Writer
| > Exactis.com, Inc.
| > rroth -at- exactis -dot- com
| > 303.588.8122
| >
| >
| > > need to tell the user how to
| > > > find the appropriate screen. Is
| > > there a condensed way to write this?
| > > >
| >
| >
| > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| > Sponsored by Weisner Associates Inc., Online Information Services
| > Moving your documentation online? We can help with standards, planning,
| > or training. Visit us at http://www.weisner.com or
| mailto:info -at- weisner -dot- com -dot-
| >
| > Sponsored by Scriptorium Publishing. We offer highly effective
FrameMaker
| > and WebWorks Publisher training, consulting, and implementation.
| > Visit us on the web at www.scriptorium.com
| >
| >
| > ---
| > You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: tekgrrrl -at- yahoo -dot- com
| > To unsubscribe send a blank email to
| $subst('Email.Unsub')
| > Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
| > http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
| >
|
|
| __________________________________________________
| Do You Yahoo!?
| Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
|
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| Sponsored by Weisner Associates Inc., Online Information Services
| Moving your documentation online? We can help with standards, planning,
| or training. Visit us at http://www.weisner.com or mailto:info -at- weisner -dot- com -dot-
|
| Sponsored by Scriptorium Publishing. We offer highly effective FrameMaker
| and WebWorks Publisher training, consulting, and implementation.
| Visit us on the web at www.scriptorium.com
|
|
| ---
| You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: sharonburton -at- earthlink -dot- net
| To unsubscribe send a blank email to
$subst('Email.Unsub')
| Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
| http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
|
|
