Re: Your typographical conventions

["Harry Bacheler" <hbacheler -at- aol -dot- com>]

These are my thoughts about the typographical conventions.  I do not address 
the font type or size, in this email.



One thing I advocate at ALL times.



Key caps are ALWAYS uppercase and BOLD.



This is to make them stand out in sentences, paragraphs, and in 
instructions.



This way the novice can get an idea that it is a key.  For the experienced 
reader/user they can serve as 'shortcuts' and quick references.



This is a table that is put into every document for clarification of the 
typographical conventions that we created for a US Government agency.

-------------------------------



      Table X-X, Typesetting Conventions

Type               Meaning

Italic                  1) New terms or phrases when initially defined.

                         2) An italic term followed by a page number 
indicates the page

                               where that term is first defined.

Underline          Menu and dialog box options with letters that appear 
underlined

                          on screen indicate shortcut keys (hotkeys).

Monospace       Information that you type, Web addresses, or onscreen 
messages.

UPPERCASE     Typically used to indicate Excel objects, such as functions 
and cell

                            references.  Also used to 'set off' KEY CAPS

Initial Caps         Menus, Dialog Box Elements, and Commands are initially 
capitalized.

                              (Some call this convention - 'Title Case'



A table similar to this was used in several user/operational/maintenance 
manuals that I have seen over the years.



A convention that I use personally for web addresses, URLs, etc., is this 
convention  <<  URL  >>



Using the 2 left arrows (uppercase comma) and the 2 right arrows (uppercase 
period) allows you to set off the web address and URL so that you can do a 
search for them.  It also helps if you get to the point where the page is 
printed in black and white, or gray scale.



I remember it being suggested (back in 1997 or 1998) that readers of 
documentation that may have been published on the web and printed on a 
standard laser printer would universally understand this convention.



Points to ponder.



If there is a consensus about this convention I have not heard anything.



I welcome any input that may be suggested.



Harry



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nancy Allison" <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>
To: "Chris Vickery" <cvickery -at- arenasolutions -dot- com>; 
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 5:46 PM
Subject: Re: Your typographical conventions


> Chris says:
>
>>In my manual I use bold for button names and commands, and italics for
>>radio button selections or choices in drop-down menus.
>
> I'm curious. Why make the distinction between these two sets of items?
>
>>We end up with sentences where the same word can be used generically, so
>>it's lowercase, and also used to name a specific app concept, so it's
>>uppercase. The word "File" for example.
>
> Oh yes. All you can do is hope that your reader is literate enough to 
> understand why -- otherwise, the documentation takes a hit in credibility 
> because of the poor literacy of the reader!
>
> (Just like the need never to split an infinitive or end a sentence with a 
> preposition, not because those rules have had any serious weight for the 
> past 100 years, but because readers and even in-house reviewers still 
> perceive the text as incorrect and the writer as an ignorant fool. 
> Aarrrgh.)
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