MSTP

1. Style Guides
Course code- CMTEU - 003

2. What is a Style Guide?
Astyle guideorstyle manualis a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. The implementation of a style guide provides uniformity in style and formatting of a document.
Commit Internal Training Session- Course code CMTED -003
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3. Commit Internal Training Session- Course code CMTED -003
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4. Why Style Guides?
Time Saving
Cost Saving
Consistency
Professionalism
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5. Topics in MSTP
Document user interface
Content Formatting and Layout
Global Content
Content for Software Developers
Web Content
Indexing and Attributing
Tone and Rhetoric
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6. Document user interface
Screen Terminology
Dialog Boxes and Property Sheets
Menus and Commands
Mouse Terminology
Messages
Key Names
Command Syntax
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Icon
Open window
Start menu
Start menu
Desktop
Notification area
Taskbar
Quick Launch bar
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Dialog Box
Properties Sheet
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Menus and Commands
10. Dialog Boxes And Property Sheets
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Square box that is selected or cleared to turn on or off an option. More than one check box can be selected.
Check box
Text box with a list box attached. The list is always visible. Because users can either type or select their choice, you can use enter
to describe the action. Follow your project style sheet.
Combo box
Rectangular button that initiates an action. A command button label ending with ellipses indicates that another dialog
box will appear: More information is needed before
the action can be completed.
Command button
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Arrow associated with a drop-down combo or list box or some toolbar buttons, indicating a list the user can view by clicking the arrow.
Drop-down arrow
Closed version of a combo box with an arrow next to it. Clicking the arrow opens the list.
Drop-down combo box
Closed version of a list box with an arrow next to it. Clicking the arrow opens the list. Depending on the type of list, use either list or box, whichever is
Clearer.
Drop-down list box
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Frame or box that encloses a set of related options. In Windows XP, a group box can be indicated by a single line that unifies the options below it. The group box is a visual device only.
Group box
Label
(do not usecaption)
Text attached to any option, box,
command, and so On.
Any type of box containing a list of items the user can select. The user cannot type a selection in a list box.
List box
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Round button used to select one
of a group of mutually exclusive options.
Option button
(avoid radio button)
Indicator on a gauge that displays
and sets a value from acontinuous range, such as speed, brightness, or volume.
Slider
Text box with up and down arrows that the user clicks to move through a set of fixed values. The user can also type a valid value in the box.
Spin box
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Tab
On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the View tab.
Title of the dialog box. It usually, but
not always, matches the title of
the command name.
Text box
Command button with two greater
than signs (>>) that enlarges a secondary window to reveal more options or information.
Unfold button
If you refer to unnamed buttons that appear in the interface, use
the syntax as
Unnamed buttons
15. Menus and Commands
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Menus contain commands. Dialog boxes contain command buttons and options. Do not refer to a command as a menu item.
Users click menu items. If you must refer to the user action of opening a menu, use click.
Example -
On the File menu, click Open.
On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Formatting.
Refer to unavailable commands and options as unavailable, not as dimmed, disabled, or greyed.
Example -
There are several unavailable commands on the Edit menu.
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Mouse Terminology
Do not use cursor or mouse cursor to refer to the pointer.
Use pointer or mouse pointer instead.
Use click, not click on.
Example -
Using the mouse, click the Minimize button.
Howeveruse in to refer to clicking in a general area within a window or dialog box,
not click the window or click the Styles box.
Example
Click in the window to make it active.
Use drag, not click and drag
Use drag, not drag and drop
Always hyphenate double-click and right-click as verbs
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Messages
Avoid vague wording, eg: unexpected error.
Avoid please. It can be interpreted to mean that a required action is optional.
Avoid uppercase text and exclamation points.
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Command Syntax
19. Content Formatting and Layout
Art, Captions, and Callouts
Cross References
Heading and Subheadings
Line Breaks
Page Breaks
Tables
Notes and Tips
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20. Global Art
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I am an Africanequidsbest known for mydistinctive stripes. My stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. We are generally social animals who live in smallharemsto largeherds. I am a close relative to donkey.
21. Cross Reference
Try to write and edit so that you use cross-references only for material that is not essential to the task at hand. For example, users should not have to look up material to complete a procedure.
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22. Document Conventions
Consistent text formatting helps users locate and
interpret information easily.
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23. Headings and Subheadings
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Heading style varies among groups. The guidelines in this section are widely used and can make it easier to share files across groups. If your group follows a different practice, however, use your groups style consistently.
Group C
Getting Started with Visio
Group B
About Visio
Group A
Introduction to Visio
24. Line Breaks
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Avoid very short lines that leaves large amounts of white space at the end of a line.
Do not break a word if it leaves a single letter at the end of the line.
Do not break a word if it leaves fewer than three letters at the beginning of the next line.
Do not end a page with the first part of a hyphenated word.
Do not hyphenate the product names.
Try to keep the heading in one line.
avoid breaking function names and parameters.
25. Lists
Depending on the type of material that you have to present, you can choose among several types of lists: bulleted, numbered, unnumbered single-column, unnumbered multicolumn, or a term list.
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To log on to a database
1. On the File menu, click Open Database.
2. In User Name, type your name.
3. In Password, type your password, and then click OK.
Reports
Forms
Tables
Modules
Reports,
Forms,
Tables, and
Modules.
26. Page Breaks
Leave at least two lines of a paragraph at the bottom or top of a page. Do not break a word over a page.
Avoid separating notes, tips, important notes, cautions, and warnings from the material that they concern.
Try to have at least five or six lines on the last page of a chapter.
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27. Tables
Place information that identifies the contents of a row in the leftmost column of the table.
Make entries in a table parallelfor example, in a description column, be consistent in your use of beginning the entries with a verb or noun.
Do not leave a blank column entry. That is, if the information doesnt apply, use Not applicable or None.
Avoid dividing a table between pages.
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28. Notes and Tips
Cautions
A caution is a type of note that advises users that failure to take or avoid a specified action could result in loss of data.
Important notes
Positive information that emphasizes or supplements important points of the main text.
Tips
A tip is a type of note that helps users apply the techniques and procedures described in the text to their specific needs.
Warnings
A warning is a type of note that advises users that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in physical harm to the user or the hardware.
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29. Global Content
Word Choice
Foreign Words and Phrases
Time and Place
Fonts
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30. Word Choice
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Always use the simplest and most specific word possible.

31. Avoid surprising or humorous word choices, slang, and sarcasm. 32. Spell out geographical names, abbreviationsare often ambiguous. 33. For example CST is always not ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminal 34. Follow the rules of capitalization for standard written English..Noun vs Proper Noun.

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MSTP