Icons in procedures

Subject: Icons in procedures
From: Robert Heath <rheath -at- eGain -dot- com>
To: "'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 16:50:42 -0800

Eve'nin', folks,

I'm editing a large number of procedures that involve the user clicking
icons on a GUI. The icons are small, fitting in an anchored frame of 0.324"
by 0.304" in FrameMaker. The document I am working on was converted from
RoboHelp to Word to FrameMaker. In the help files, the author originally
placed the icons in the line which discussed them. For example, "Click the
Delete Category icon <icon here>."

As you know if you work in FrameMaker, placing graphics at an insertion
point works if the graphic is small; otherwise, it lies over text in the
line above it. So, I have been placing the icons next to the procedures in
anchored frames set to Run Into Paragraph. I thought it looked OK, but some
reviewers had reservations.

I have thought about making full screenshots of the the windows where the
user performs the procedures and placing callouts that point to the various
icons. I am under a tight deadline, however, and have to finish editing six
of these 15 to 142 page docs by 2/7. Does anyone have advice for displaying
icons for procedures?

Nearing the end of my first year as a tech writer and still very much a
rookie,

Robert Heath

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Publications Specialist (Hah!)
eGain Communications Corp.
(408) 212-3558
rheath -at- egain -dot- com




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