Document Content 7. Text editing, DTP and Word Meaning, grammar, - PDF document

Document • Content 7. Text editing, DTP and Word – Meaning, grammar, spelling, emphasis Processing – Footnotes, illustrations, diagrams, references • Structure – Title, abstract, chapters, appendices, sections, sub(…)sections, conclusions • Navigation – Table-of-contents (TOC), index, page numbers CL1 2002/3-7 1 CL1 2002/3-7 2 Document Text Editor / Word Processor (Callouts) • Fonts • Content • Read file • T e xt & graphic effects – Original material graphic • Type text – Imported material • Styles • Style • Cut & paste text • Indexing & references – Fonts, margins, embellishments, shading • Search & replace Graphics tables – White space • Change tracking • Quote,bracket matching • Hypertext, multimedia • Spell, grammar checkang – Media clips • Undo! • Print preview – Links (non-linear features) • Write file (+ Save as) • Specialised features • Import/export with other apps – Mathematical formulæ, symbols, names/addresses (mail merge) • Macros • Import from e.g. scanner CL1 2002/3-7 3 CL1 2002/3-7 4 Fonts Raster representation of characters • Fixed pitch (e.g. Courier font family ): column layout preserved – Suitable for programs, data • Variable pitch: (e.g. virtually everything else) – Sans Serif, e.g. Arial,Helvetica: modern, uncluttered – Serif (e.g. Times Roman) – more elegant • Computer typesetting can be quite subtle especially at small fonts Grids of dots. These don’t scale up – the 72 point ‘a’ is not just the 11 point ‘a’ drawn larger; also proportions • Font selection is an artistic/design discipline change subtly as sizes change through the font series . • Beware font substitution when printing • Use fonts sparingly CL1 2002/3-7 5 CL1 2002/3-7 6

Font metrics:vector representation Antialiasing • If characters are stored as • Blends foreground and background colour at edge descriptions of line of graphical object segments then it is possible to scale the • Gives smoother appearance but ties graphical character over a wide object to background colour range of sizes; hinting may still be required to cope with special cases, especially at very small sizes where the pixel is a significant fraction of the character size. Francesco Torniello ‘S’, 1517 CL1 2002/3-7 7 CL1 2002/3-7 8 Stages to writing Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662 • A word processor makes it too easy to write Je n’ai fait cell-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai without organised thinking; It all looks great but pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. has no substance. An organised approach helps. • Gather material & establish structure (I have made this letter longer than usual, only • Free writing (just content) because I have not had the time to make it shorter.) • Rewrite/Restructure; don’t be afraid to discard junk – You can always make it shorter and simpler • Lettres Provincales (1657) or … • Check details (proofread, spell check) • Adjust layout, apply style, preview, print • K.I.S.S. - K eep I t S mall and S imple • Check again! CL1 2002/3-7 9 CL1 2002/3-7 10 Writing Tools Task support • Import of material from Web or databases • Indexing, cross-referencing • ‘pro forma’ documents merged with address • Bibliography lists • ‘FOG’ and equivalent indices • Cross-application support e.g. Excel table or • Thesaurus maps in document • Spelling & grammar checker, word count • Support for collaborative writing • Layout tools (styles) – Change tracking • Support for PDAs – handwriting and speech • MS Word document auto-trasher CL1 2002/3-7 11 CL1 2002/3-7 12

FOG (readability) Index FOG example - 1 • Choose a sample of at least 100 words and calculate the Fog Index as “The last three or four years have seen an explosion in the range and scope of outlined below. The "ideal" Fog Index level is 7 or 8. A level above electronic business activity. It is the belief of all major commentators in the field 12 indicates the writing sample is too hard for most people to read. and of most business leaders that this will continue and that as soon as the current technologies reach a critical point it will be accompanied by a vast increase in the volume of business carried out over e-business technology. A 1. Consider big words to be 3 or more syllables. certain amount of hype accompanies all pronouncements but the underlying 2. average sentence length = (number of words / number of sentences) picture is that the next few years will see a major transformation in the way the 3. percentage of big words = (number of big words / total number of majority of business transactions are carried out.“ words) * 100 4. Add the average sentence length to the percentage of big words Words = 103; sentences = 3; >=3 syllables = 15; sentence length = 103/3 = 34; big words = 15/103 = 14%; av sentence + % big words = 48; * .4 FOG = 19.2 5. Multiply the result by .4 = Fog Index (author = JHB; oops). Splitting the long sentence reduces it to CL1 2002/3-7 13 CL1 2002/3-7 14 FOG example - 2 A few notes on writing • Read any instructions you have been given “The last three or four years have seen a huge increase in the range and scope of electronic business. It is the belief of all major writers in the field and of most • Observe conventions on style business leaders that this will carry on. They believe that as soon as current technology reaches a certain point the result will be a vast increase in the • Your document should have structure (if not, why volume of business carried out electronically. A certain amount of hype has to not?). Express that structure in layout be assumed but the picture is that the next few years will see major changes in – What goes in the beginning? middle? end? the way most business is carried out.” – Use paragraphs; long stretches of unbroken text are hard to Words = 97; sentences = 4; >=3 syllables = 6; sentence length = 97/4 = 24; big read and may indicate muddled thought words = 3/97 = 3%; avg. sentence + % big words = 27; * .4 FOG = 10.8 – What are your conclusions? If none, why? – Use sectioning and lists, though don’t go overboard • Consider your audience CL1 2002/3-7 15 CL1 2002/3-7 16 Application categories Application categories • Desktop Publishing system • Text editor – Pagemaker, Quark Xpress – Wordpad, notepad, emacs(Unix); implicit in mailers etc. – Style is paramount; may want to edit text elsewhere – For plain text, e.g. programs, data files etc. – Aimed at specialist users – Little or no style • Web editor • Word Processor – HoTMetaL, Dreamweaver – Word, Lotus […] … • Full control of structure and style – Richer style, indexing aids; support for large documents – Frontpage, Word(etc.) extensions – Support for collaboration, standard tasks • More aimed at putting paper document on Web – Acrobat and related products (produce PDF files) • Good Web rendition of documents but large with limitations CL1 2002/3-7 17 CL1 2002/3-7 18

Document Preparation Document Preparation • Visual Formatting • Logical Formatting – a.k.a. WYSIWYG – uses textual commands embedded in the document text • What You See Is What You Get – [YWIYGI: You Wanted It, You Got It …] – a.k.a markup language – Document is prepared graphically – Use subsequent processing to lay out document – Use GUI tools to adjust format on screen – E.g. SGML family (including HTML) , LaTeX – e.g. MS Word, Quark Xpress, Pagemaker – Often generated from WYSIWYG editor – Set of instructions for laying out document CL1 2002/3-7 19 CL1 2002/3-7 20 Logical formatting HTML example (Web) • Becomes this � Can create and define new commands • This HTML seen as raw or plain ASCII text: � Layout is automated and “expert” <html><head></head> • Plain � Layout adjusts automatically to page/screen size � Visible record of layout <body bgcolor=“blue”><ul> • Bold � Source is plain text <li>Plain • Italics <li><b>Bold</b> � can be generated by program � Can be mailed easily • .. When viewed <li><I>Italics</I> � Output has to be run through formatter through a web browser </ul></body></html> CL1 2002/3-7 21 CL1 2002/3-7 22 Visual Formatting Key Points � What you see is (sort-of) what you get • Functions of: - Screen and printer have different aspects & resolution – text editor, word processor - Fonts may differ – DTP system, Web page editor � Can end up mixing style and content • Content vs. style � Mailed as attachments and requires same software • Allows possibility of ’active’ documents • Fonts, sizing, anti-aliasing � (more like Web pages) • Visual and logical formatting � But can harbour viruses – mark-up languages vs. WYSIWYG Both have their place CL1 2002/3-7 23 CL1 2002/3-7 24