Forum 95: Checklist Online-documentation

[Alexander Von_obert <avobert -at- TWH -dot- MSN -dot- SUB -dot- ORG>]

Hello,


here's another part of my checklist. Enjoy!

To repeat it: This checklist is intended to define how you, as a writer of
online documentation, will interact with the programmers of your project.


Preparation for Localisation
----------------------------

H)  Urge the programmers to isolate every single word that will be
displayed and may be translated from their normal source code.
Many machine-readable files contain words that definitely should
not be translated, e.g. "showpage" as the last command in a
PostScript file. Not to mention that the program source code
itself is made up out of "words". For some platforms there are
tools that do the separation automatically.


How much help?
--------------

I)  Discuss where context-sensitive help will be needed. Decide on
a consistent way to do it: Should <F1> show something about the
active window, control, menu or menu item? Should there be extra
help for every control or entry field, e.g., by those bubbles
called "tool tips" in Windows 95? This will have great impact on
the number of help topics you will write and on how much
information will remain for the paper manual.




Any additions or clarifications for this?


If you wish to receive the check list in its present unfinished form
 (presently Version 0.2 dated 27-JUL-95), send an empty message to
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Greetings from Germany,
Alexander

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