Standards for pop-up definitions in online help

Subject: Standards for pop-up definitions in online help
From: Megan Shult <Megan_Shult -at- HYSOFT -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 10:45:27 -0400

What, if any, are the standards for using pop-up definitions in an online
help system? Specifically, if a term is repeated in multiple topics, do
you use the pop-up in each topic where it occurs? Only in the first topic
within a particular browse sequence? I know I should only use it on the
first instance within a topic, but beyond that I'm unsure of the
approach since there is no real linear flow through a help system -- you
don't know the user's exact entry point, so it's hard to determine the first
instance of anything.

Also, is there a maximum of popups one should use per
topic (for different terms)? I've heard with regular jumps that one should
try to stay below five to seven jumps in a topic.

Thank you in advance!

- Megan Shult
Senior Technical Writer, Hyperion Software
Megan_Shult -at- hysoft -dot- com


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