Technical communication tips and tutorials by a Fortune 100 Sr. Technical Writer and instructor. Visit www.tcc6.com and subscribe to free Tech Writing newsletter for weekly tips and tutorials.
You saved me today! I tried to insert a tag directly into the HTML page and it disappeared when I closed the page. I went to the .htt file (master page) and inserted the tag there, but it didn't appear automatically and it still wouldn't accept it manually... That's when I saw your video teaching how to associate the master page on the page, in Properties and it worked. 😃😃😃 Thank you very, very much!!
Having used Microsoft Word extensively for technical documents, I would have to agree that Word is inherently unstable with all my documents having Heading Styles changing their settings without input? Also, the Master/Sub document fiasco makes documents unsteady & requiring constant monitoring. Just now, due to a job change, I'll have an opportunity to use Framemaker hoping it will solve my issues, we'll see?
I’ve always loved writing but didn’t know of technical writing until today. I’m a perfectionist who obsesses over details. Maybe this is a perfect career for me!
I have fond memories of learning to use FrameMaker back in 1992... these days I am becoming a software developer, but I am glad FM is still being used....
Thanks for the great video! Hi! I am in the field of tech content writing for now and wanna switch to core tech writing like in the software documentation field. So, I have a couple of related questions, please. 1. Regarding Git and GitHub - Do tech writers need to work only with GitHub for writing documentation or does s/she need to know basic Git, too? Is Git also required for documentation writers for some basic functions? Or, is Git optional or even not required to learn and work with for this purpose? 2. Do beginners need to learn API documentation, too, to enhance their usability and maximize the chances of getting hired. Or is API documentation something to be learned only after having some experience in software documentation? 3. Please also tell me if a DITA XML author tool is good to learn for this purpose. How does it relate to GitHub? Thanks in advance for your valuable insight.
Git is not required but it's a matter of office culture. If all the develoopers are using Git or GitHUb you'll be forced to use it as well. Beginners do not need to learn API documentation. Try Oxygen and FrameMaker for DITA XML tool. They are both good.
In Affinity Publisher (V1) it seems to be impossible to (simply...) apply both a black background and also apply page numbers to all pages. CRAZY & FRUSTRATING!! I've tried everything & nothing works.:( :( :( I have wasted WAAY to much time to get something so simple to just work that I have finally given up. Enough :(. My document will have to be without page numbers now. INSANE. Can such simple things be sooo much easier in InDesign?... *If I use ONE master page for BOTH the black rectangle (the black background "canvas" for all pages), AND for the page numbers, it doesn't work because the black rectangle has to be applied to all the pages at the lowest layer in order to be the background, while the page numbers have to be in the top layer so they can be visible above the images that take up the entire pages. And there's no way to move the page number element out of the applied master layer group in the regular pages so that I can move the page numbers to the top layer. So that's a fail. *If I use TWO master pages (one with the black rectangle for the backgrounds, and another with the page numbers on the default white canvas) so that I can apply both masters to all the pages - the applied black rectangle master layer moved to the bottom layer of all pages so it is the background "canvas" for all pages, and the page number master to the top layer of all the pages so that the page numbers will be visible above all the images in the pages - that doesn't work either because when the page number master layer is placed on the top layer of all pages, EVERYTHING on the pages gets hidden behind the default WHITE background of the master page (which is ALSO carried over to the all the pages when this master is applied to them!... And there doesn't seem to be a way to make the default white background transparent so that the white canvas is applied to the pages as well... So that's another fail. If there's some "secret" lol way of doing what I need pls let me know, OTW I'll just leave the document without page numbers. Thank you! :)
Hi Three very quick questions please 🙏(well, the required replies are short/quick lol!): 1) If I want to apply a black background to all pages of my document via a master page, the only way to do this is to create a rectangle with a black fill and drag it to cover the entire master page's white canvas (and apply this master page to all the pages), correct? (*ie. There's no way to just set black as the default canvas color for this document, or for the master page which will be applied to all pages.) 2) If I want to apply different elements to the document's pages (eg. page numbers / black background rectangle / shape), for EACH element I want to apply to the rest of the pages, I should create a SEPARATE master page for it, right? (*ie. I should not create ONE master page which contains ALL the different elements I want to apply throughout the document, and just apply this master to all the pages - because if the master has a black rectangle background, and a page number, in it, I would want the black rectangle to be the lowest layer on each page, while the page number on the top of the list..) 3) How do I "tell" the app on what LAYER LEVEL to apply the master page in the pages that it's applied to (given that the master page, as opposed to the rest of the pages, only contains ONE layer: the element that will be applied throughout the document - eg. a page-number layer on its own)? (*eg. if all the pages have photos that take up the entire page - so each page has multiple layers of photos - if I want to apply a page number to all these pages, this applied layer needs to be ABOVE all the pages' layers so that the page numbers are visible. But, by default, AP applies this page-number layer on the master to the BOTTOM of the layers' list of each page, making the page number invisible as it's hidden behind the all photos' layers which cover each page! So to fix this, the only way I see possible, is to MANUALLY drag the page-number layer to the top of the layers' list for EACH of the 100+ pages... : 🙄 Which of course beats the purpose of master page instant global application lol) THANK YOU!!
I am interested in one of your course " Writing in Plain language" but the pricing seems to be fitting it properly in my budget. Can you give me special discount coupon code for this course. I like the course curriculum and want to learn more about it. I will be highly obliged if the price can be reduced to 449. Thank-you Waiting for your reply.
Salahuddin, thanks for your interest. Here is a $50 off coupon for you, good for 5 days. Best regards, Ugur www.udemy.com/course/plain-writing/?couponCode=03CE1E5A10D37669361C
@@salahuddin6266 Sorry, that's more than I offer to my other students. I suggest you search my web site tcc6.com where there is plenty of articles on plain writing, for free technicalcommunicationcenter.com/?s=plain+writing
Should I use FrameMaker if I am producing scientific reports? I have multiple researchers creating these scientific report documents and giving them some me for editing. I use word now, but formatting is always an issue. As they are over 30 different customer projects the requirement for formatting is different. Most of these documents aren't longer than 20 pages or so. Is there something better suited for my task?
Alan, thanks for the question. I would use any text editing and page layout software that uses MASTER PAGES. That way you can design and assign different master pages to different clients. You can't do that with Word. My favorite master-page apps are FrameMaker, InDesign, and Affinity Publisher. In terms of technical indented text, lists, tables, footnotes etc. I'd go with FrameMaker. For more aesthetically pleasing and sophisticated layout and look, I'd recommend ID or Aff Publisher. I hope this helps. Good luck!
I wish someone would do a video that explained how or whether high expertise in InDesign is or is not transferrable to FrameMaker. Does knowing ID really well give you ANY leg up on learning FM, compared to someone who doesn't know ID at all?
I've been a technical writer since 1988. Microsoft Word will not do any of the particulars you mention such as TOCs, indexes, numbered lists, etc. that can update simply from a book file. Are you afraid of hurting Gates' feelings? How about some reality? I came from UNIX to Windows and the crash happy BSOD world of the Microsoft pseudo operating system was bad enough. Bad as the fake OS Windows is, Microsoft Word on Windows is even worse, like a virus. Before Microsoft bought Word it was a decent word processor running on DOS, but now Word is not even an "also ran" compared to FrameMaker and InDesign. I was forced to use Microsoft bugware Word for technical writing at SVG in San Jose in the mid 1990s. I thought it was just another documentation tool along with Ventura and Frame but I quickly discovered Word is NOT a documentation tool. Using Word for writing manuals is next to impossible at best, forget callouts and illustrations, but it's also like walking through a minefield. You never know when it is going to crash and take all the files with it. It's usefulness is limited to writing form letters for mass mailing, 1980s style. It does absolutely nothing that WordStar didn't do for free. Word doesn't even compare with old Ventura Publisher for DOS. Actually Ventura's downfall (Corel will you ever learn?) is restricting it to Windows. If Corel would port Ventura to Linux and actually develop it a bit to catch up with FrameMaker it too could be very useful for writing manuals, the way it once was when it was the only GUI system available.
You are correct, Word is not a tech documentation app for sure but it can still generate decent TOC, Index, numbered lists (but you have to watch out for sudden corruption if the list has indented sublevels). I wouldn't use Word for documentation if Framemaker is available.
I've been watching your videos, and I'm wondering if you know software in food manufacturing, food, or nutrition? I come from that field with a background as a nutrition columnist, magazine writer, and I have a food blog
Sir I am currently pursuing my post graduation in English language and literature but lack technical knowledge. Could you recommend me some ways to get technical knowledge.
There are millions of ways to "get technical knowledge." It's impossible for me to answer this question. You have to narrow it down and think in terms of specific technology fields to get into. But you can start with learning things like how Internet works, what is HTML or Javascript, and get up to speed on the basics of our Internet culture.
Im so happy for you and Im proud of you because of that I know that you are Turkish and you are extremly helping me about tecnical writing .Thank you so much sir.I want to write that subscribe in English so everyone should understand what Im telling .
That would be wonderful isn't it? But unfortunately I don't think it's possible to do that programmatically. The only way is to check each link and manually remove it if it's broken.
@@TechWrite there is one way we can convert word to pdf and then in one shot we can delete all broken links and covert back to word. But there is risk of formatting
@@DharmoRakshatiRakshitah23 Yes, that may work but formatting (when converting back to Word) might be a problem, as you've correctly pointed out. I wouldn't try the PDF method for any Word document longer than a single page.
@@UgurAkinci I don't have one. I thought Junior Technical writers were within reach but that's definitely not the case. I'm looking to do some grant writing volunteering in order to gain experience. Do you think that will help land me a job?
@@ELgeneral-pl9yg Portfolio is important. Volunteering for grant writing should help you get a paid position in the grant-writing sector. Every time you help someone make money, you'll make money too. Try non-profits -- they apply for a lot of grants every year. Good luck.
@@UgurAkinci Ok so please answer me this. If I want to get into technical writing does it make sense to do grant writing volunteer work, get a job in grant writing and then transfer into technical writing? I'm a complete beginner.
@@ELgeneral-pl9yg Grant writing is an important specialization in itself. I wouldn't recommend it as a stop-over on your way to tech writing (i.e., documenting software products). I'd recommend you going into grant writing to make a career, a lucrative one too. However, if your heart is in software documentation, why lose time by doing something totally different? Remember, your grant writing experience will be of little use when you're applying to a software documentation job. So it's better to intern for a software company and then climb your way up than interning for grant writing and then switching over to software documentation. My 2 cents.
It feels like I've searched the whole internet to find this exact video:) I'm writing business, not technical guides, but the principles stay the same. I'm off to buy the Udemy course!
Thank God I found this channel. Technical writing is an essential skill in my field of work and I've been trying to improve on it. Can you create a video where you tell us what goes through your mind when writing technical documents? I would really appreciate it.
Thank you very much for your feedback. I'd recommend you watch the following video which is a webinar where I explain what it feels like to work as a tech writer at a software company. I hope you'll like it and find it useful. Best regards. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QfK6vTJs35M.html
