#13723
Editing Macros for Word and WordPerfect
Useful resources on a variety of relevant topics, including a collection of macros for Microsoft Word and links to a selection of Word resources.
#29380
An Effective PowerPoint Presentation Requires More Skill than Clipart 
PowerPoint is the jacks-or-better of the corporate world--you've got to have it in order to stay in the game. Just try giving a seminar without PowerPoint or showing up at a meeting with, gasp, paper handouts. I live in mortal fear that my eulogy will be delivered as a broken PowerPoint stack.
TechRepublic (2007). Articles>Presentations>Software>Microsoft PowerPoint
#29313
Efficiency: It's Not Just for Production Monkeys
With a few free tools from software companies and other users, you can carve out more time for what you really love -- creativity.
Ashcroft, Sean. Creative Pro (2007). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign
#20974
Eight Ways to Use Authoring Tools to Improve Your Productivity with Drafting
Most authoring tools have features that can help you improve your productivity. You might be able to benefit from some of these suggestions now; keep the others in mind for future projects.
Carliner, Saul. Saul Carliner Studio (2003). Articles>Writing>Software
#23650
Electronic Resources and Aids for Writing, Editing, and Translation 
The popularity of online dictionaries is growing, so new criteria for evaluating these reference works should be established to help technical communicators evaluate their choices. These criteria could come from the following sources: (1) the criteria that have been used for the evaluation of printed dictionaries, (2) the criteria derived from the characteristics of the electronic form of the online dictionaries, and (3) the studies of the ways technical communicators use online dictionaries. This paper addresses all three of these issues.
Menagarishvili, Olga and William O. Coggin. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Language>Software>Assessment
#22136
Electronically Indicating Approvals or Rejections of Editorial Changes
This technique (involving two macros) works in Word97, but not in Word6 or 7/95. The requirement is to indicate (for audit purposes) whether an editorial change was accepted or rejected by the author or other authority.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Editing>Software>Microsoft Word
#14489
Embedding Indexes in FrameMaker
FrameMaker provides you with the ability to enter individual index headings using index markers. Once entered, you can automatically generate the index with the correct page numbers.
Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2002). Articles>Indexing>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#24009
An Empirical Study Comparing Denim and Visio
An ethnographic observation and controlled experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of Denim and MS Visio in terms of supporting user creativity.
Zhao, Haixia. University of Maryland (2002). Articles>User Interface>Software>Visio
#26117
This section will show you how to insert text, symbols, and special characters; select characters, words, and paragraphs; and copy and paste text. This section also covers methods of automatic text entry, including AutoCorrect and AutoText.
Glenn, Walter. O'Reilly and Associates (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#13053
Essential Resources for FrameMaker Users 
FrameMaker may be the current standard for technical publication, but that doesn't mean it's a perfect program. Many writers who've used FrameMaker find that it's complex and quirky, with a lot functionality hidden in its now somewhat dated interface. So where do you go when you need help? This article will give you some suggestions.
Soltys, Keith. TECHWR-L (2001). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#29126
Evaluating the Effect of Iconic Linkage on the Usability of Software User Guides 
This study investigates whether Iconic Linkage--the use of the identical wording to present the same information recurring in a text--can improve the usability of user guides. Iconic Linkage is a writing strategy that potentially allows users to work more quickly and effectively and which promotes better retention of information. The usefulness of Iconic Linkage was tested in a laboratory-based usability study that combined: 1) objective task-based evaluation; and 2) users' subjective evaluations of a software program used in recording parliamentary debates. A post-test survey designed to test subjects' retention of information contained in the user guides was also administered. The study shows that Iconic Linkage significantly improved usability of the user guide: in all tasks, subjects worked more effectively and made fewer mistakes; while in the three timed tasks, subjects completed the tasks much more quickly. Subjects also gave higher ratings for the software and their retention of information was noticeably improved.
Byrne, Jody. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2005). Articles>Documentation>Software>Usability
#21677
Extending an Existing Word Template
In certain situations, you might want to extend an existing Word template, and add on new styles. Rather than create a RFP template from scratch, we modify the existing one—retaining all the styles and formatting that we want—and adding new styles where required.
#18497
Facets of Software Localization
That information technology has revolutionized the translator's working environment is a fact so obvious that it no longer even bears mentioning. For the vast majority of translators and their clients, computers have long since replaced typewriters and reams of paper. Modems and e-mail have replaced manila envelopes, mass storage devices have replaced drawers full of folders, CD-ROMs supplement dictionaries and encyclopedias, and more recently the Internet and its resources more and more often save us a trip to the library, while various online communities have brought many translators out of their isolation. But information technology not only offers us tools. It is itself a field in which more and more translation work is actually executed. As in other fields, this is certainly true of marketing materials, packaging materials, advertising copy, and manuals. But in the case of information technology products, it is frequently the products themselves that need to be translated. Whenever a program or process displays a word or a phrase on the screen, this means potential work for one or many translators.
Dohler, Per N. SDL International. Articles>Language>Localization>Software
#20830
Features for the Next Generation of Web Browsers
The future is not what it used to be, especially regarding WWW browsers. They used to come in two flavors: text and Mosaic, but now there is a profusion of choices. Netscape has shown that it is possible to dominate the Internet almost overnight, going from less than one percent to about 70% market share during the last two months of 1994. Such rapid changes may be a unique characteristic of the Internet since most other markets award more permanence and slower erosion of market share to their leaders. On the Internet, news and customer testimonials spread immediately world-wide and 'shelf space' is limited only by the vendor's server capacity and connection bandwidth (indeed, Netscape would probably have spread faster if only people could get through to their FTP site!).
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (1995). Articles>Software>Hypertext>Web Browsers
#28506
A Few Good RSVP Tools: Online Registration Options for Free Events
When you're planning a free event, it's hard to justify paying a lot of money for online registration software--but email or Evite can be frustrating. Happily, other choices exist. We talked to seven nonprofit technology experts about useful and affordable (or free!) options for collecting RSVPs for free events.
IdealWare (2006). Articles>Project Management>Software
#10172
Finally: Progress in Internet Client Design
There has been no progress in client software for the last seven years: Mosaic defined the Web feature set in 1993, and since then there has only been more fancy page layouts, no better user interfaces. This sorry picture is finally changing. Several recent software products have introduced specialized applications with better user interfaces for special-purpose use. And there is even a new browser out with improved user control.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2000). Articles>Usability>Software>Web Browsers
#27204
Finding and Replacing Characters Using Wildcards
Wildcards are like the blank pieces in Scrabble, or like the Jokers you can use in some card games to stand in for any card.
Mayor, Graham. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#27203
Finding and Replacing Non-Printing Characters (such as Paragraph Marks) and Text Formatting
How to find text that has particular formatting and replace it with different text, but without changing the formatting.
Rado, Dave. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#31727
Customer support costs account for as much as 60 percent of a high-tech company’s total costs. Documentation is the first line of support for most customers, and customers usually use documentation to find the answer to a problem they’re having. The inevitable result of poor or nonexistent documentation is that more people try calling the customer support lines for help.
Butow, Eric. Software Development Times (2006). Articles>Documentation>Software>Technical Writing
#21678
Five Steps to Update Word Templates
You can customize the templates that come with Word in a few easy steps. In this exercise, we will change the Memo template's font type and size.
#28030
Flare 5: Adding Advanced HTMLHelp Features
Flare current provides the majority of HTMLHelp settings, and does this in a much more flexible way that HTMLHelp workshop does. Particularly useful are the WYSIWYG help window size and potitioning. However, there are some advanced HTMLHelp settings (such as advanced help, or remembering the users last help settings) that are not currently available.
Tech Write Tips (2006). Articles>Documentation>Software>Madcap Flare
#27234
Floating Objects in Word 2000 Table Cells are Vertically Aligned Wrongly
Whenever I insert a graphical object (picture, drawing object, etc.) into a Word 2000 table cell I lose the vertical formatting. The text is always aligned at the top of the cell, instead of being centered or at the bottom of the cell. Why, and what can I do about it?
Meister, Cindy. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#19998
Foolproof Your Files, Part 1: Proofing
After weeks or months of preparation, review, and production, it can be cathartic to package up a job and send it to the print shop. If files have been too quickly or carelessly assembled, however, sending that final disk to print means crossing your fingers and hoping that nothing goes wrong.
Lenihan, Amy. Editorial Eye, The (1999). Articles>Software>Prepress
#30364
These are some formatting/word processing tips for Microsoft Word.
Leigh, Heather. Crazy for Words (2007). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#14927
FrameMaker Batch Processing and Automation Using MIF
Have you ever wanted to check a large set of FrameMaker files to make sure all the borders, text- symbols, and rulers are turned off? What about hyperlinks? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to automatically validate all the hypertext links within a large set of FrameMaker files? Did you ever wish there was a way to automatically convert a set of data into FrameMaker tables? You can do all these things, and more, using the Maker Interchange Format (MIF). This article presents some of the main features of MIF and gives an overview of some of the ways you can make use of MIF. Additional articles will delve deeper into using Perl to process MIF, providing details on specific applications.
Larsen, Seraphim. Silicon Valley Connection (2002). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
