atw: Re: Pages and frames

MSTP may not be up to date with regards to Portals etc. 
John, my suggestion would be to ensure each frame or window of the portal 
has a title bar coded into the page itself. Just like a 'Print' or 'Save 
As' dialogue or window might have a title.  Each frame, dialogue or 
window, with it's own title will reduce your terminology problem 
dramatically. I instigated a similar solution in a Java based application 
while doing documentation tasks last year. I also used terms like 
dialogues and windows because really, a portal is just a 'web 
application,' it is software based around the structure of a web browser 
and internet technologies, employing the principles of traditional 
software applications more flexibly. Consequently each section is a form 
of dialogue or window, embedded in a browser. 

Terms like "frame" for example, are great to use for people who know html 
or web design, but I think they fall under the jargon banner - i.e. 
industry specific. People using portals also use windows software so have 
a grasp of software terminology. Terminology can be a special problem with 
a real portal, because they can be modified to suit people, departments, 
industries or divisions of corporations, so you never know how each window 
will be used. 

So you have to start at the application design, obviously setting up your 
terminology's in the doco and being consistent during the authoring 
processes from there. Its a real advert for style guide use too, but thats 
another thing.

If the developers get precious about giving each page, frame, window a 
title bar, stomp on them with an Oliphaunt foot. It is not that hard, 
unless they are REALLY bad developers...

I really HTH.
Warren Lewington
Technical Writer
Metso Minerals
Arndell Park, Sydney.
NSW, Australia.

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