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.
Re: Help! Software sugg. for eng. to do editing with
Subject:Re: Help! Software sugg. for eng. to do editing with From:"Dan S. Azlin" <dazlin -at- SHORE -dot- NET> Date:Fri, 19 May 1995 23:29:26 -0400
On Thu, 11 May 1995, Dianne Driskell wrote:
> Problem: Engineers want to edit the text in soft (digital) copy.
> The writers want to be able to see
> where the suggested changes were made and possibly
> have the changes ranked in some way (color of text?) to show if it's a
> very important correction or less important correction. I think they are using
> Word 6.0.
The most obvious solution is to use Word's ability to format selected
text differently from the paragraph's defined font. Select no more than
3 colors that will represent the ranking of the importance of the
correction. Then establish a simple procedure for the engineers to
follow: first select the offending text, then select the format/font menu
item, then select the "strikethrough" effect and click OK. This marks
the offending text for reference (NEVER let them delete text). Then have
them type their new and improved text, select it, then select the
format/font menu item again, and this time select the appropriate color
and click OK. The result is color coded changes, while maintaining the
original text for reference.
> Actually, the writers want the engineers to have only hard copy but that
> didn't fly.
Who gave the engineering types veto authority? Part of our job is to keep
them under some control. Just give them a six-pack of Jolt Cola, a
couple of bags of chips, and a box of donuts. That should keep them
sedated while you get the work done.
Dan Azlin ** WORD ENGINEERS, Technical Writing & Publishing **
Ph/Fax: 508-921-8908 18 School Street
Internet: dazlin -at- shore -dot- net Beverly, MA 01915-4851
