From 16ad63effd475dd6327312e11f35962d6b3a1590 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Paul W. Frields" Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 17:30:32 +0000 Subject: Clean up and improve screenshot guidelines --- en_US/writing-guidelines.xml | 131 +++++++++++++++++++++---------------------- 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+), 68 deletions(-) diff --git a/en_US/writing-guidelines.xml b/en_US/writing-guidelines.xml index 0691825..0eaf2e7 100644 --- a/en_US/writing-guidelines.xml +++ b/en_US/writing-guidelines.xml @@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ Any time the file is committed to CVS, the line is updated automatically to include information about the file. For example: - ]]> + ]]>
@@ -463,19 +463,22 @@ screenshots - There are two types of screenshots: graphical and textual. - The philosophy on using these two types is rely on text - over graphics. This means, if you can say it in - text instead of showing a graphic, do so. A graphical screenshot - of a GUI can create a good setting of objects to then describe - textually, but you don't want to create a screenshot for each - graphical step. - The main reason for this preference is that a block of text - can usually convey more meaning than the same physical space of - graphics. This is highly dependent on the graphic; obviously, a - photographic image of a scene can convey more than 1000 words can. - A GUI screenshot is usually full of blank space with a few - elements that can just as easily be described or listed. + Screenshots are illustrations that show the state of a display + the user may encounter. Screenshots can be either graphical or + textual. However, screenshots use a great deal of space in a text + document to convey relatively small amounts of information. The + same space in the document can hold a greater amount of more + descriptive and helpful information. Therefore, authors should + avoid screenshots whenever possible in favor of descriptive + text. + One of the isolated instances in which screenshots are useful + is to demonstrate a physical screen layout that is unfamiliar to a + reader. This does not mean that illustrations of dialog + boxes are good uses of screenshots. On the contrary, + dialogs are simply instances of a user interface element with + which a reader is already familiar. An annotated diagram in + certain cases, however, explains to the reader where to find + functional landmarks on the screen such as menu bars. The steps for taking a graphical screenshot illustrate how using text to describe a procedure is more concise than a series of screenshots. @@ -485,70 +488,62 @@ - Set the theme to Bluecurve defaults. This gives a look - that is familiar to most readers, and makes &FDP; - documents consistent. From the panel menu, choose - Preferences, - Theme and select - Bluecurve from the theme - list. + Create a new user account to make screenshots. The + new account uses the distribution default theme, fonts, + and element sizes. The resulting screenshot has an + appearance familiar to the largest number of readers, + and makes &FDP; documents consistent. - Set fonts to Bluecurve defaults as well. From the - panel menu, choose Preferences, - Fonts. Set the - Application font and the - Desktop font to Sans Regular 10. - Set the Window Title font to Sans - Bold 10. Set the Terminal font to - Monospace Regular 10. - - - Before taking the screenshot, try to resize the - targeted GUI element(s) to the smallest possible size - they can be. Your target is an image of 500 pixels or - less. If you are doing a screenshot of more than one - GUI element, you may need to resize the screenshot in a + Before taking the screenshot, if possible, resize + the targeted GUI element(s) to the smallest possible + size. The target image should be 500 pixels wide or + less. If the screenshot includes more than one GUI + element, you may need to resize the screenshot in a following step. To take the screenshot, select the GUI element with - your mouse, bringing it to the forefront, or otherwise - arranging the elements. Press + the mouse to bring it to the forefront, or otherwise + arrange the elements. Press Alt - Print Screen to capture a + Print Screen to capture a single GUI window. For capturing the entire desktop use - Print Screen. If you are taking a shot - of multiple elements and have grouped them closely - together, you can crop the resulting image in - The GIMP. The image will be - in the PNG format. + Print Screen. If the shot includes + multiple elements grouped closely together, crop the + resulting PNG format image in The + GIMP. - If you need to, you can resize using - The GIMP. With the image - open, right-click on it and choose - Image -> Scale - Image.... With the chain symbol intact, - set the New Width to 500 + If necessary, resize the image using + The GIMP. Open the image, + then right-click on it and choose + + Image + Scale Image... + . With the chain symbol intact, set the + New Width to 500 px, and click OK. - Be sure to - Ctrl s - to save your changes to your PNG before converting to - EPS. + Choose + File + Save + to save changes to the image before + converting it. With the image open in The - GIMP, right-click on the image, - selecting File -> - Save As.... Under - Determine File Type:, select + GIMP, right-click the image, and select + + File + Save As... + . Under Determine File + Type:, select PostScript, then click OK. Allow flattening of the image by clicking Export. - In the Save as PostScript - window, select Encapsulated + A Save as PostScript window + appears. Select Encapsulated PostScript, and click OK. @@ -567,16 +562,16 @@ Follow these guidelines for textual screenshots: - If you use a graphical screenshot to illustrate a - function, and the textual mode has identical functions, - do not include both, unless omitting either would make - your description unclear. + If a graphical screenshot illustrates a function, + and the textual mode has identical functions, do not + include both, unless omitting either would make your + description unclear. - Make your information generic over specific, and - omit any username and machine information if possible. - Do not include the shell prompt unless it is vital to - the demonstration. + Make the information generic over specific, and omit + any username and machine information if possible. Do not + include the shell prompt unless it is vital to the + demonstration. Separate what the user types from sample command -- cgit