RE: Documenting buttons with ellipses

Subject: RE: Documenting buttons with ellipses
From: "technicoid" <technicoid -at- cableone -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2004 07:54:24 -0600


>What is the correct way to document a command button with an ellipsis
(e.g.,
>"Save As ...")? I have always understood that the ellipsis should be
omitted
>in the written documentation, but my co-worker insists that the
documentation
>should be identical to what is seen on the screen. I find that
including the
>ellipsis tends to make a sentence harder to read, and I don't think
most people
>pay that much attention to ellipses anyway.

The last time I checked, the Microsoft MoS recommended omitting the
ellipses. I personally doubt many users would be confused by the
omission of the punctuation in that context. Omission of an actual word
would be a no-no.

Bill
technicoid -at- cableone -dot- net




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Follow-Ups:

References:
Documenting buttons with ellipses: From: Nina rogers

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