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Subject:Re: Rules in tables From:"Klopfenstein, Ed (AFS)" <EdK -at- ACCU-FAB -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 25 Jul 1997 12:04:37 -0700
Chris wrote:
Recently I got a review back from my boss (who is not a TC professional)
and he asked me to put horizontal & vertical rules in all my tables.
I operate on the "minimum ink" principle (thank you Edward Tufte), and
don't use rules unless the table has so many columns that I have to
scrunch it horizontally, or the cells are irregular
Well, Chris:
State your case as best you can (knowledge of industry documentation
standards helps at times like this).
But, when you get down to it, even if your boss wanted graphics of
little green men in disco outfits printed on each page, that's his call.
Just keep notes, so if his boss gets upset at you for that faux pas,
you've got the five Ws for protection.
Just a thought.
Ed Klopfenstien
Technical Writer
Accu-Fab Systems
Corvallis, OR
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Christopher Knight [SMTP:knight -at- ADA -dot- COM]
>Sent: Friday, July 25, 1997 11:55 AM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: Rules in tables
>
>Recently I got a review back from my boss (who is not a TC professional)
>and he asked me to put horizontal & vertical rules in all my tables.
>I operate on the "minimum ink" principle (thank you Edward Tufte), and
>don't use rules unless the table has so many columns that I have to
>scrunch it horizontally, or the cells are irregular (i.e. have indents
>or other structure within the cells). The document is a software Users'
>Guide for telecom operations center personnel, with a fair amount of
>tabular material, but little of it meets my criteria for using rules.
>What do you think? Anybody have thoughts on this issue?
>
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