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Subject:Indicating topic in TOC From:"Chuck Martin" <twriter -at- sonic -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 16 Aug 2001 14:14:40 -0700
In the new Help technologies, especially the HTML-based Help systems, one of
the "features" is that for whatever topic is being viewed, the corresponding
entry in the system's table of contents is highlighted. But I have a
question: how does this work for topics that are not in the TOC?
I am working on an HTML-based Help system for a web application using a
home-grown technology. Currently (and unfortunately), all topics have to be
in the TOC. I am working to change that, but I need to figure out the
behavior of the TOC display when a user clicks a link to a topic that is not
in the TOC.
Of course, this is only when the TOC is being displayed; if it is not, then
this issue is not relevant--except if a user is viewing a topic that is not
in the TOC and clicks the control to open the TOC. In this case, how should
the TOC appear?
What topics shouldn't appear in the TOC? Topics that contain further
explanation, for example. Say I write a procedure, and in a step a user has
to make a choice between several complicated options. Rather than put all
that information in the topic itself (making the topic long and creating a
large distance between one step and the next), I'll put in a small "More
Information" link that leads to a topic with all that information. That
"More Information" topic doesn't need to be in the TOC (it would be indexed,
of course, once we get out system indexed).
Ideas, thoughts, and pointers to available systems that handle this are much
appreciated.
--
--
"I don't entirely understand it but it is true: Highly skilled
carpenters don't get insulted when told they are not architects,
but highly skilled programmers do get insulted when told
they are not UI designers."
- anonymous programmer quoted in "GUI Bloopers"
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com
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