User assistance thought pioneer, Joe Welinske, has authored a valuable White Paper that addresses an important issue: how to use a flexible interaction language scheme with User Defined Variables. This blog touches on key concepts contained in the White Paper; you may download the White Paper “Interactions with User Defined Variables” by clicking here.
Adobe has scheduled a November 15th webinar in which Joe Welinske will illustrate many of the tools and methods recommended in the White Paper. You may register for “Employing a Flexible Interaction Language Scheme with User Defined Variables (UDVs)” by clicking here. (Note: after the webinar, this blog will be updated with a link to the recording.)
Anyone who authors Help or documentation for software or apps faces a new challenge these days. An app or software (SW) may run on multiple devices that use very different actions, from mouse clicks on a laptop, to finger swipes on a table or smart phone, to hand and body gestures on a home entertainment “box.” Single-source publishing becomes more challenging as multiple verbs or definitions are needed whereas older products merely required “select File->Save As with the left mouse button.”
As Welinske states on page one of the White Paper:
There is an emerging environment where software applications need to support every computing device, every input device, and every human interaction at the same time. This means the majority of mainstream customers are going to need help from us to learn the language of touch, hand gestures, voice, and more.
The illustration Welinske uses in his White Paper makes the range of gestures and devices used quite apparent:
https://blogsimages.adobe.com/techcomm/files/2012/10/02-diagram-of-gestures1.jpg
User Defined Variables (UDVs) in RoboHelp are a huge time saver
When authoring or modifying imported text with RoboHelp 10, the author may employ User Defined Variables, which can globally update new text to match the device being addressed in single-source publishing.
The following examples show three alternate interaction verbs (generic)(mouse)(touch) for three different commands.
- To change the widget setting, (select)(click)(tap) Preferences.
- (Scroll)(Click the scroll bar)(Flick)_ to view additional items._
- (Move)(Click and drag)(Press and slide)_ the unused items to the trash._
The bold, red text in the steps above indicates where three different definitions would be used for a UDV inserted at that point in RoboHelp source text.
Carefully defining your UDVs
As Welinske indicates, a sensible strategy is to carefully define your various definitions for UDVs ahead of time. The table below (pulled from the White Paper) gives an excellent example how different the UDV definitions can be:
