In this MadCap Flare technical writing tutorial, we look at how to change the pane position and size in WebHelp. Changing the Pane Position and Size in Webhelp In Flare, you can change the width of the pane in your web help as well as its position. Open a Standard or HTML5 skin and select […]
How to Write Error Messages
September 14, 2015 By
Here’s a suggested approach to writing error messages: Create a spreadsheet. Give each error a number so you can track them. Add columns for the error message and the root cause. Establish an error message quality-control team. Create simple to follow writing guidelines for the error messages. Find best practices. Share with the team. Include […]
How to Write a Customization Guide
August 16, 2015 By
The first question is: who are you writing this customisation guide for? As a technical writer, the skill to developing a useful guide is to keep the reader in mind. Who will be reading this customisation guide? What’s the most important thing they need to know? How can I make this more helpful to them? […]
Installation Guide Checklist: Sample Template For Technical Writers
May 14, 2015 By
In the introduction section, identity the software you are about to install, steps to prepare for installation, running installation scripts, and post-installation tasks after the installation script has completed. In general, your installation guide will include most of the following: Introduction Choose the Installation Type Concepts Setup Pre-Installation Requirements Pre-Installation Checklist Installation and Configuring Procedure […]
Release Notes – How to Write ‘Known Issues’
May 10, 2015 By
This week we look at how to document known issues in release notes. The Release Notes web page on the NuGet site offers good examples of how to document known issues in release notes. We’re going to look at three common issues: Installation issues Known issues Workarounds Let’s see what we can learn from it. […]
Using AutoCorrect To Fix Mistakes In MS Word
August 21, 2011 By
Do you keep making the same mistakes when typing? Microsoft Word has a couple of built-in features that fixes your mistakes as you type. It takes a bit of tweaking to get it right, but worth the effort in the long run. Here are three ways to use AutoCorrect to fix errors in your technical documents: […]
Microsoft Word v Adobe Framemaker
August 19, 2011 By
This post needs an update as both Microsoft Word and FrameMaker have both improved in the past three years. So, bear with me as I work on the update. In the meantime, take out your red pen and see if you agree. Which is better for writing long technical documents? Adobe FrameMaker or MS Word? […]
How to Fix Errors in Technical Documents Automatically
August 17, 2011 By
Do you keep making the same mistakes when writing in Microsoft Word? One of the hidden features is that you can replace snippets of text with formatted text. In other words, say you typed, rpt1 You can setup Microsoft Word to change rpt1 to a specific sentence or sentences with formatting applied. You can save […]
Guidelines for Interviewing Technical Writers
August 11, 2011 By
What guidelines can you offer when interviewing writers? I’ve worked on both sides on the fence in the past, (i.e. interviewed and been interviewed) and picked up a few things in the process. Hopefully, these will be of some help. Guidelines for Interviewing Technical Writers How much time should be allotted to complete the test? I’d […]
