Re: Variations on a task

[Harry Hager <hhager -at- dttus -dot- com>]

     Listers,
     
     Here's a variation on Melanie's method that I typically use and for 
     which I solicit your comments.
     
     
     4. Select and display help for the subtopic you want in the table of 
     contents by performing one of the following actions: 
      
       o Click the subtopic you want and click Display. 
     
         - or - 
     
         Double-click the subtopic you want to display. 
     
         The program xxx. 
     
     5. Next step.
     
     (Note: These are instructions for selecting a subtopic in Help 
     produced by Doc-To-Help. It's for a Web-based application I'm 
     documenting. All the terms have already been defined.) 
     
     (Note: I'm using a DOS-based internal Mail program to write this, so 
     the structure you see on your screen may not be the same as the 
     structure I wrote.)
     
     Notice a few things about this structure;
     1. It is only one step in a larger sequence of steps.
     2. The two equal options are separated by - or -.
     3. There is a space before and after the - or - so that it is not 
     missed.
     4. There is only one bullet, indicating there is only one step 
     involved here. That is, the second option does not have a bullet. 
     5. The second option, the one without the bullet, is indented so that 
     it lines up vertically with the words in the first option, indicating 
     an equality between the two.
     
     
     At a previous company, a group of about 7 writers/trainers came up 
     with this structure. 
     
     Any constructive criticisms for this format / structure?
     
     Thanks.
     
     Jim Hager
     hhager -at- dttus -dot- com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Variations on a task
Author:  mfielek -at- inri -dot- com at Internet-USA
Date:    4/12/00 7:02 PM


At 09:37 AM 04/12/2000 -0700, kanerb -at- concentric -dot- net wrote:
>The Help does contain one of my pet peeves -- the phrase "do one of the 
>following:" Yuck.
     
So, how do y'all deal with documenting several different ways of 
accomplishing the same task?
     
This simple example shows what I've been doing so far:
     
     1. Open a file using one of these methods:
     
        o From the File menu, select Open.
        o On the toolbar, click the Open button (pic of button).
     
     2-n. Next step(s) follow.
     
I'm not really pleased with this construction, but it's all I've thought of 
so far. More importantly, my cutomers haven't complained -- they're happy 
that I document all possible ways of doing something. (This being the 
reason I haven't spent a lot of time trying to fix it!)
     
Any other "methods" out there?
     
-- Melanie
     
Melanie Fielek, Technical Writer/Editor, mfielek -at- inri -dot- com 
Support Coast Guard Search and Rescue -- Get Lost!
All opinions are mine, _mine, MINE!