software control terms (back to the original Topic)

Tue Sep 11 14:49:20 MDT 2007

>an subjective art (??!!)

Sure, I write for a living.

Like most of us, I often battle with some of my technical customers over verbs (and don't-get-me-started on adverbs like "gradually") such as "choose". Since most of these folks aren't the target audience for my documents, they usually lose the debate. How they want me to say something isn't always the way my readers will understand it.

(Back to the Original Topic).

I'm curious to hear from authors who use rendering conventions to differentiate between on-screen items (e.g. buttons, check-boxes and screen titles), function keys (e.g. Enter, F3 and spacebar), and entries that are to be typed.  My office has settled on a convention that seems to work for our software customers but I'd like to know how others are writing software documents.

 Are you using visual markers such as boxed words or bolded words; or are you using consistent terms such as:

            Term 1 - Always keyboard functions

            Term 2 - Always screen functions

            Term 3 - When either may be used

            Term 4 - Always typed entries

Blessings,

Darren

****************************************

Darren J. Butler

Sr. Technical Writer-Editor, Template Wrangler, Mil-Spec Pharisee

Integrated Data for Maintenance

NG Corp

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+darren.butler.ctr=robins.af.mil at lists.techwr-l.com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+darren.butler.ctr=robins.af.mil at lists.techwr-l.com] On Behalf Of Butler, Darren J Ctr 584 CBSS/GBHAC
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 3:10 PM
To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
Subject: FW: software control terms -- To "choose" is passive?

On 4-Sep-07 @12:18:00 PM Darren J Butler wrote:

Blessings,

Darren

****************************************

Darren J. Butler

Sr. Technical Writer-Editor, Template Wrangler, Mil-Spec Pharisee

Integrated Data for Maintenance

NG Corp

-----Original Message-----

From: Butler, Darren J Ctr 584 CBSS/GBHAC 

Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 2:59 PM

To: 'Yves JEAUROND'

Subject: RE: software control terms -- To "choose" is passive?

So....entreators can't be selectors?

Hey, I did write "in my view" and "IMHO."

Even though our subject matter is usually scientific, the means of coveying the material is often an subjective art and that is driven by the undertanding of the audience or the prefferance of the author. This sort of thing drives my trainee crazy. I end up having to edit his work because I have more experience with the target audience and the writing style of the local office. Ocasionally, we've all had to choke-down being garmmatically correct in order to ensure a paying customer understood what-the-heck button they needed to push ;-).

Blessings,

Darren

****************************************

Darren J. Butler

Sr. Technical Writer-Editor, Template Wrangler, Mil-Spec Pharisee

Integrated Data for Maintenance

NG Corp

-----Original Message-----

From: Yves JEAUROND [mailto:jingting at rogers.com] 

Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 2:20 PM

To: Butler, Darren J Ctr 584 CBSS/GBHAC; Susan W Gallagher

Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com

Subject: RE: software control terms -- To "choose" is passive?

Darren you are right that choose and select convey the same idea.

Then you add that "to choose" is too passive? Huh?

choose. OED1, to pick out as being the best...

select. OED1, carefully choose as being the best...

If users can't just plain choose, what is this world coming to? :-)  

Cheers,

YJ

"Butler, Darren J Ctr 584 CBSS/GBHAC" <Darren.Butler.ctr at Robins.af.mil> a écrit :

      FWIW - I use "select" as my "go-to" verb whenever an action can be

      achieved by multiple methods [...] The word "choose" (in my

      view) conveys the same idea but is too passive. One can choose an option

      but not take any action regarding it - IMHO.

      Blessings,

      Darren

      ****************************************

      Darren J. Butler

      Sr. Technical Writer-Editor, FrameTemplate Wrangler, Mil-Spec Pharisee

      Integrated Data for Maintenance

      NG Corp

      -----Original Message-----

      From:

      techwr-l-bounces+darren.butler.ctr=robins.af.mil at lists.techwr-l.com

      [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+darren.butler.ctr=robins.af.mil at lists.techwr-l.

      com] On Behalf Of Susan W Gallagher

      Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 11:41 AM

      To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com

      Subject: Re: software control terms

      I have always had a problem saying "select" for anything but a menu or

      list

      items. My reasoning is that a check box, for example, can be selected

      without being checked. Picture the laptop user, or the fast

      touch-typist,

      who wants to navigate a dialog box without using the mouse. They tab

      through

      the fields until the appropriate check box item is ***selected*** (i.e.,

      has

      focus), then press the space bar to check or uncheck the box. Saying

      "select" for a check box just isn't accurate, and I don't care what the

      good

      folks at MS think.

      My two cents. Everyone else's mileage is sure to vary. 

      -Sue Gallagher

      On 9/10/07, Combs, Richard wrote:

      > 

      > Christine Leisgen

      > 

      > > I now realized that at least now, Microsoft uses a more "wordy"

      > > explanation of software terms, e. g. "activate the check-box

      > > for options x". I see that there is the advantage that it is

      > > clearer for the user where to look for the option (it is a

      > > check box, not a drop-down list).

      > 

      > Where did you see "activate the check-box"? MMOS has always said that

      > you _select_ and _clear_ check boxes (no hyphen). And here's what my

      > copy says about identifying interface elements:

      > 

      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

      Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats

      or 

      printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007

      Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.

      http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

      True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.

      Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical

      documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

      ---

      You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as

      Darren.Butler.ctr at robins.af.mil.

      To unsubscribe send a blank email to 

      techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com

      or visit

      http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/darren.butler.ctr%40r

      obins.af.mil

      To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com

      Send administrative questions to admin at techwr-l.com. Visit

      http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.

      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

      Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 

      printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 

      Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.

      http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

      True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.

      Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical

      documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

      ---

      You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as jingting at rogers.com.

      To unsubscribe send a blank email to 

      techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com

      or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/jingting%40rogers.com

      To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com

      Send administrative questions to admin at techwr-l.com. Visit

      http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 

printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 

Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.

http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.

Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical

documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---

You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as Darren.Butler.ctr at robins.af.mil.

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 

techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com

or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/darren.butler.ctr%40robins.af.mil

To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com

Send administrative questions to admin at techwr-l.com. Visit

http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.