Re: Style convention question - fields, text boxes, etc.

["Barb Einarsen" <barb -dot- einarsen -at- gnnettest -dot- com>]

> ...
> In the documentation, how would you describe these areas of the
application
> window that contain values that the user does not actually change?
>
> The first-draft writer calls them "fields," but that does not seem
accurate.
> We currently use "text box" to refer to the areas where the user will
> actually be entering information, so that term does not seem accurate
> either.
>
> (Also, do any of you have strong preferences for "text box" or "field" for
> screen areas where users add information?)
> ...

I tend to call editable and read-only dialog items fields and/or options
interchangeably. I identify the 'type' of dialog item in the field
description by using action words for editable fields (such as specify,
select, define) and non-active words for read-only fields (such as displays,
calculates, reflects)
For example, an editable Byte Size field may be described as:
"Byte Size--specify the maximum amount of bytes you want to send."
whereas a read-only field may be described as:
"Byte Size--displays the amount of bytes the software will send."

Hope this helps,
Barb Einarsen
Technical Writer
GN Nettest -- NOD

905 479 8090 extension 4340
barb -dot- einarsen -at- gnnettest -dot- com
www.gnnettest.com