Repeating blocks of text: How (or if?) in unstructured FM

[Joe Malin]

Hi!

 

I always seem to hit this issue:

 

I have several similar procedures for creating a new software
application in the IDE. The user chooses a procedure based on the
template he or she is using as a start. In each procedure, the user
follows a path based on what results he or she wants.

 

The procedures share a lot of steps, but some are different. For
example, if I have three procedures, they have the following pattern.
Notice that some steps are common to all three procedures, but I write
them out three times:

 

Procedure 1:

Step A1

Step B

Step C

Step D1

Step E1 or E2

Step F1

 

Procedure 2:

Step A2

Step B

Step C

Step D1

Step E1 or E3

Step F2

 

Procedure 3:

Step A2

Step B

Step D1

Step E2 or E3

Step F1

 

I write out all three procedures in their entirety, because as much as
possible I want the user to see all the steps in one place, without
jumps around the documents.

 

Does this make sense? Would it be somehow better to craft one procedure
with various options? Three procedures that "thread" through the steps,
so that I write each step only once?

 

If I put a common step (for example Step B) three times, what's the best
way to do it in FM? Should I use text insets?

 


TuVox, Inc.


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Joe Malin

Technical Writer

(408)625.1623

jmalin at tuvox.com

www.tuvox.com

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