RE: Information Mapping Formatting Template

["Hedley Finger (EPA)" <Hedley.Finger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mario:

Why not roll your own?  And, whatever you do, get rid of those dopey tables
for procedures because they break up the natural left-right eye-scanning for
reading prose.  Instead they turn eye-scanning from a flat line to a
sawtooth wave as the reader reads down to the bottom of a table cell then up
to the top of the next cell.  Ditch the 'Result' and 'Note' labels and just
add outcome descriptions and further explanations after each action step as
straight prose.  (But mentally note whether you adding results or whatever,
and use the IM checklists to ensure  blocks contain a single information
type, etc.)

Keep tables for the information type they best represent -- classifications.
Information [m]Mapping (oooops! nearly copped a $lebenty billion trademark
infringement suit there!) is really no more than a codification of technical
writing best practice since documentation began.  But you can't patent that
so the IM people trick it up with all sorts of layout frippery so that they
can claim some kind of uniqueness.

[FrameMaker 5.5.6, Acrobat 3.02, Windows 98, HP OmniBook 2100]

Regards,
Hedley Finger   Technical Writer


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Ericsson Australia Pty Ltd
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Hand Holding Projects Pty Ltd
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>>>>>
>      I am writing in reference to using FrameMaker Software in conjunction
> 
>      with the Information Mapping Formatting Solution template.
>      
>      Information Mapping, Inc. distributes a formatting solution template 
>      with their Structuring User Documentation manual, which can be 
>      obtained in their training seminars.  The formatting template is 
>      available in many formats, including FrameMaker.  ...  .
>      
>      QUESTION: Has anyone ever encountered any problems when using the 
>      Information Mapping Formatting Solutions template in FrameMaker?
<<<<<
>  

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