Advantages of glossary expanding text?

[gdavism2m]

I am using RH X5 and was just curious as to the advantages of using Glossary Designer (with expanding text entries in the help topics) over auto-sizing pop up glossary entries.

I have a glossary of about 200 terms that is currently in Glossary Designer and has peppered the help topics with expanding text. I personally like auto-size popup glossary entry boxes.

What is the most popular and easiest to maintain method of doing a glossary? Using Glossary Designer or Glossary auto-sizing pop up boxes?

I would be interested in getting opinions, preferences, and best practices on maintaining a glossary.

Thanks,
Greg Davis
Consona ERP, Inc.

[RoboColum_n_]

Personally I urge the authors here to use the glossary tab but not to add the expanding text entries. So the glossary tab is just a list of terms and their definitions. Personally I find too many hyperlinks on a page distracting and perfer to use them only when necessary. Just my 2p. I know of others who have a separate help file specifically for glossary entries that is merged into the TOC.

[Captiv8r]

Hi all

Personally, I'm not aware of any existing option to use auto-sizing popups for glossary entries. To my knowledge, this would require a custom solution.

Cheers... Rick

[gdavism2m]

I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear what I was asking. What I meant by auto-sizing pop up glossary entries was have one topic of glossary terms with bookmarks to individual terms. In a given topic having a hyperlink pointing back to the glossary topic to a specific term and then setting the Hyperlink options to Display in auto-sizing popup.

Greg

[Captiv8r]

Hi Greg

Okay, that makes better sense.

Personally, the Smart Glossary Wizard is pretty neat. But I'm also fond of the other approach and have used it as well. But in my case, I used it for phone numbers and not glossary terms.

Cheers... Rick

[Chet Zeshonski]

I'm with Colum: a large number of links is distracting. It likely confuses a new user, who will have a hard time determining the relative importance of each link. Sure, you can color-code the glossary links, but this makes the page even less readable, IMO.

[Captiv8r]

Hi Chet

Just for grins, although I'm not Catholic, I'll play the Devil's advocate here.

Why do glossaries exist? Isn't it to list terms that are unfamiliar? So let's say a user is scanning a topic and finds an unfamiliar term. BUT, the help author didn't think to include it in the Glossary. In the case of scouring the Glossary tab entries looking for the term, the user actually wastes time and effort, as the term and definition simply aren't there. While I would probably agree that links might become confusing, at least if a term exists it's linked and there is no question about it.

Just a thought... Rick

[RoboColum_n_]

Funny I didn't think catholics had a monopoly on matters to do with the devil but as a lapsed one (catholic that is) I guess I can give a particular spin I think the long and the short of it is that everyone is right and everyone is wrong! Too many links could appear confusing. Too many mouse clicks to gain information is off putting. The real skill is to get a balance to fit both camps. Yours signing off in an attempt to challenge Mr.Blair for Middle East Peace Envoy

[Fly_Molo]

Though it may not apply to your specific situation, but as expanding text glossary entries they can be included in your printed documentation. You may not ever use that layout option, just throwing it out there.

Lucas