Re: MS Manual of Style, disagreements with

Subject: Re: MS Manual of Style, disagreements with
From: "Parks, Beverly" <ParksB -at- EMH1 -dot- HQISEC -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL>
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 08:59:27 -0700

Yvonne DeGraw wrote:
>>
>I now use the MS Manual of Style for most things. But I've found several
>places where I disagree. Here's my pet disagreement...
>MS says for menu commands, use one of these (File & Open are bold):
> On the File menu, click Open.
> From the File menu, choose Open.
>An alternative I've used and gotten excellent user feedback on is:
> Choose File-->Open.
<<

Yup, I use that style, too, Yvonne. I don't even use a wingding, just
the right angle (greater than sign), like this

Choose File > Open.

Like yours, File > Open is bold. There is a space on both sides of the
>.

>>>
>P.P.S. My other disagreements the MS Manual of Style are "email" vs.
>"e-mail" and "Select the XXX check box." I prefer to spend a few extra words
to "Put a check mark in the XXX box."
<<

So which way does the MS Manual of Style say to write email? (As you
have guessed, I use email.)

The reason I don't say "put a check mark in the XXX check box" is that
not all systems display check marks. Some display X's. Just found this
out last week! I'm updating a manual I wrote last year. When I wrote it,
I was using Windows NT 3.51. All my screen shots with check boxes have
X's in them! Now I'm using Windows NT 4.0 and the new screen shots have
check marks in them. Winows 95 also uses check marks. So now I just tell
them to "mark the check box" without indicating what kind of mark to
expect.


>Bev Parks
>parksb -at- emh1 -dot- hqisec -dot- army -dot- mil
>The Friendly Faces of TECHWR-L -
>http://www.bayside.net/users/cbsites/techwr-l/
>

TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html


Previous by Author: Re: Abbreviation of measures
Next by Author: Re: Byte, Initialisms, and others]
Previous by Thread: MS Manual of Style, disagreements with
Next by Thread: Re: MS Manual of Style, disagreements with


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


Sponsored Ads