Re: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"

Subject: Re: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"
From: "Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- net -dot- au>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 08:45:45 +1100





> * A recommendation that seems to *contradict* a
> requirement -- that you omit some headings at the chosen hierarchical
> level from the TOC. I was always taught that you included all headings
> at whatever level you chose. The only exception is maybe if the section
> is short enough that they'd all be on one or two pages, or if there is
> only one heading under a given heading at the next level up.



I don't see a real contradiction there.

It is not hard to think of cases where omitting a
group of minor headings would help make the TOC
more concise and useful. However, before doing that
I would take a good look at the material itself to
see if there is a structural problem with the headings
hierarchy that is the root problem.

The TOC should be a roadmap. Mapmakers often omit
or generalize details in order to show major features
("major" being subjective and relative to intent). The
goal is to help people find what they are looking for,
and sometimes that may mean "altering" the picture
somewhat in order to make the real terrain easier to
recognize and navigate.

--
Mike W
Melbourne





^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Order RoboHelp X3 in December and receive $100 mail in rebate, FREE WebHelp
Merge Module and the new RoboPDF - add powerful PDF output functionality
to RoboHelp X3. Order online today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

Check out SnagIt - The Screen Capture Standard!
Download a free 30-day trial from http://www.techsmith.com/rdr/txt/twr
Find out what all the other tech writers, including Dan, already know!

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


Follow-Ups:

References:
TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??": From: David Downing

Previous by Author: Re: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"
Next by Author: Re: Font Selection Process (Was: Fonts used in print)
Previous by Thread: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"
Next by Thread: Re: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads