[no subject]

From: "Wing, Michael J" <mjwing -at- INGR -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996 08:04:21 -0500

>----------
>From: John Bell[SMTP:johnbell -at- MNSINC -dot- COM]
>Sent: Thursday, August 08, 1996 10:02 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L

>>The situation is this. The manual is describing a reset of a piece of
>>hardware. The process is to press one button labelled "Reset" and then to
>>press a second button labelled "Init." Should the sentence go:
>>
>>Press the "Reset" and then the "Init" buttons.
>> or
>>Press the "Reset" and then the "Init" button.
>> or
>>Press the "Reset" button, and then the "Init" button.

>If this is a software product, the answer is none of the above.
>In proper GUI terms you do not "press" buttons, you click them.
>Also, you do not need to use the word "button" because the term
>"click" already implies a GUI button.

>The proper phrasing would be:
>Click Reset then click Init.


I thought "click" had fallen into disfavor because it assumes that the
user is operating a mouse. Thus "click" is an anomalous term when using
the Tab key followed by the Enter key, a mnemonic, a light pen, or a
touch screen. Technically, clicking is a mechanical action (as is
pressing the Tab key) that performs a selection operation. "Select"
often seems to be the safest term; however, because a user can select
more than buttons, the selected device still needs to be named.

Mike Wing

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
_/
_/ Michael Wing
_/ Principal Technical Writer
_/ Jupiter Customization and Educational Services
_/ Intergraph Corporation
_/ Huntsville, Alabama
_/ (205) 730-7250
_/ mjwing -at- ingr -dot- com
_/

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