Courier for filenames etc.

[Thomas Michanek <tmi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is partly a typographical question, partly a Frame question.

We write software manuals in which the body text is set with a
proportional, serif font, like Times. In the body text, we often
have to insert the names of files, variables, command-line tools,
functions, etc. Examples (made up, not actual):

"This information is stored in a file called license.dat ..."
"Set the path variable ..."
"At the OS prompt, use the command stat ..."
"In the source code, the function SetCommunication ..."

In all such cases, we set the filename, variable, etc. in a
fixed-width font, like Courier, to make it stand out and be more
easily spotted. We think this is motivated in many cases, especially
if the word is small or similar/identical to a normal English word.
We use a fixed-width font for it's common use when listing source
code, textual input/output, files, etc. (I mean that both in the
general sense and how we actually format such listings.) We use
italic and bold formatting for other purposes.

The small problem is that the surrounding, proportional Times text
often gets too close or "tight" to the more spread-out Courier text,
thereby making the text harder to read, both on-screen and printed.
This can be solved by also setting the surrounding spaces in Courier,
thereby increasing the distance between the two text types (fonts).
The problem with this is that it's difficult to get the writers to
do it consistently, and it's much more easy to simply double-click
a word (without the spaces) and change the formatting.

Is this use of Courier "standard" and recommended?
What other type setting method would you use for this?
If you use Courier, do you also include the surrounding spaces,
or do you think it's unnecessary?
How do you enforce/check this formatting and make it easier
to apply in FrameMaker?

Please reply to me in private, and I'll summarize to the list.


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Thomas Michanek, Documentation Manager, Telelogic Tau
Telelogic AB, Teknikringen 9, SE-58330 Linkoping, SWEDEN
PHONE/FAX:  +46 (0)13 200656/212166
EMAIL:  mailto:Thomas.Michanek@telelogic.com
WWW 1:  http://www.telelogic.com
WWW 2:  http://hem1.passagen.se/framers
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See you at the Telelogic User Conference '99, May 19-21, in
Barcelona, Spain: http://www.telelogic.com/news/userconf.asp


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