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No you don't NEED to document all the fields in a screen, you CAN only
document the fields that the user will interact with as they complete the
task they are currently working on.
Depending on your audience, if you can be certain that some headings do not
need explanation then you CAN choose not to describe them.
Background processes, I'm presuming to be additional things the user COULD
do with the application, I'd leave to another section. If it's not in the
'flow' of what the user is doing they'll only distract them from their
current task.
No real answers to any of this, of course, depends on your audience needs,
any other existing documentation that follows a specific pattern, and
whether or not there is a requirement to document every single field (I hope
not!)
Should all the fields in a screen be described in a procedure. Or, should
only the fields that the user types an entry should be documented?
Also, if the user searches for information, should all the information on
that screen be documented, or only those headings that are not self
explanatory be described?
Can background processes be described in the procedure itself or as notes?
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Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices. http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
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