Inside Macintosh: Apple Guide Complete / Part 1 - Designing Guide Files

Chapter 2 - Authoring Tips and Suggestions

The best guide files are those that provide the user with a consistent and clear interface. This chapter provides tips and suggestions on how to develop this consistent interface in your files. You should read this chapter if you need to plan, design, and write content for a guide file. If you are scripting a guide file or developing code for it, you should also be familiar with this chapter.

This chapter assumes that you are familiar with the Apple Guide features described in Chapter 1 of this book. You should also be familiar with the general guidelines for Macintosh products as described in the Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines.

The chapter describes the requirements for the different guide file types. It explains how to select an access window for your guide file and how to give it the proper look and content. It also shows how to design the guide file panels that contain your help instructions, including how to

• add required features to panels
• format text and graphics on panels
• use standard panel types for different categories of help instructions
• design panel sequences and branches
• design button for panels

In addition, this chapter describes how to use coachmarks to lead the user's attention to screen areas described in help instructions. It then explains how to use context checks to display help instructions more specific to the user's environment. Finally, it provides localization guidelines for translating your guide file into another language.

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Chapter Contents

Designing Guide Files

Using Guide File Types

Showing Guide Files in the Help Menu

Designing About Guide Files

Designing Help Guide Files

Designing Tutorial Guide Files

Designing Shortcuts Guide Files

Designing Other Guide Files

Designing a Mixin Guide File

Designing Access Windows

Designing a Full Access Window

Designing the Application Logo or Title Area

Features for a Full Access Window With Topics Selected

Features for a Full Access Window With Index Selected

Features for a Full Access Window With Look For Selected

Designing a Single List Access Window

Designing a Simple Access Window

Designing Howdy Text on Access Windows

Designing Topic Areas and Topics

Designing Topic Areas and Topics for a Full Access Window

Designing Topics for a Single List Access Window

Designing Topics for a Simple Access Window

Designing Headings

Designing Panels

Panel Features

Designing Panel Prompts

Designing a Default Prompt Set

Overriding Default Prompts

Using the Recommended Panel Formats

Designing Your Own Panel Format

Using Graphics in Panels

Formatting Panel Text

Providing Navigation Methods on Panels

Designing Panel Types

Designing an Introductory Panel

Designing a Decision Panel

Designing an Action Panel

Designing an Information Panel

Designing a Tip Panel

Designing a Definition Panel

Designing a Related Topics Panel

Designing a Transition Panel

Designing a Closure Panel

Designing a Panel Associated With a Huh? Button

Designing an Oops Panel

Designing a Continue Panel

Designing a Sequence

Designing Branches

Designing Branches for Mutually Exclusive and Related Tasks

Designing Branches for a Specific Condition

Designing Buttons

Designing Navigation Buttons

Designing Content Area Buttons

Using Standard Buttons

Using Three-Dimensional Buttons

Using Radio Buttons and Checkboxes

Designing Hot Text, Objects, and Rectangles

Designing Coachmarks

Using Coachmark Types

Using Coachmark Styles

Using Context Checks

Comparison of Oops and Continue Panels

Analyzing a Sequence for Context Checks

Evaluation of Context Checks

Designing for Localization

Planning for Expanded Text

Translations for Apple Guide Phrases

Formats

Graphics and Buttons

Sequence Display Titles

Coachmarks

Context Checks

AppleScript