[Framers] Cross reference format (what do you use?)

[Lin Sims]

Our corporate template has about 10 or so xref formats. The ones I use most
are the three that provide both the section number  AND the section name,
or the table number AND table name, or the figure number AND figure name.

The number of people who prefer looking for numbers as a location
indication versus the number of people who scan for key words in titles are
about equal, so I provide both. For me when I'm working in the files, the
numbers can change depending on the condition setting and how recently I
updated the xrefs, but the names don't.

Also, we produce PDFs with the expectation that our customers will use the
PDFs about 50% of the time and printouts the other 50% of the time, so I
try to avoid using "the following table/figure" and use the full
cross-reference instead. It looks a bit more cluttered, but it means
there's no question at all what the user is supposed to be looking at, and
I consider that a win.

YMMV, and probably does. :)

On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 2:45 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert at lauriston.com>
wrote:

> I stopped using chapter numbers years ago. I don't use captions or
> figure numbers or any of that stuff, it all seems like print-era
> clutter to me.
>
> I cross-reference headings, so " For more information, see
> <$paratext>." In PDF output I add "on page #." If I need to
> cross-reference a table, I give it a heading.
>
> On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 7:19 AM, Bernard Aschwanden (Publishing
> Smarter) <bernard at publishingsmarter.com> wrote:
> > Here is a simple question that I'm sure will have a LOT of opinion. I
> > hope...
> >
> > Building some print-friendly xref formats, and I'm curious what people
> here
> > actually use. We're all familiar with the function (I think) or at
> least, we
> > should be.
> >
> > You may have text like this:
> >
> > Chapter 1. Canada
> > Blah blah
> > 1.A Alberta
> > Blah blah
> > 1.B New Brunswick
> > Blah blah
> >
> > Plus you have tables, figures, equations, sections, examples, steps, etc,
> > etc, etc.
> >
> > You link to stuff like "Canada" or "Chapter 1" or "Chapter 1. Canada" or
> > even "Canada on page 23" or whatever. Some xref content may be "See
> > <$paratext>" or "<$paranumonly>" or "step <$paranumonly>". You may also
> > choose to put in sentences like "For more information see section
> > <$paranumonly> on page\ <$pagenum>. " so that it is a self-contained
> > sentence.
> >
> > I don't know. There are a LOT of ways to xref to stuff though.
> >
> >
> > My question is this: What would be the top 3 or 4 ways *you* xref
> something?
> > Not the steps to insert an xref, but the way it looks in your output.
> >
> > What does the code or the xref look like? Do you put in full sentence
> xrefs?
> > Do you use words in them? Do you use quotes around content? I know that
> > there are a bizzilion ways to xref stuff, so input would be greatly
> > appreciated.
> >
> > Lastly, I'm not concerned about online as that can be changed at publish
> > time. What do you do though in the print materials? For example, if I use
> > "For more info see pg <$pagenum>. " as a sentence in the online I can
> just
> > replace it with <$paranumonly>, or <@paratext>, or whatever. The issue
> for
> > me is "what do people do for print" in regards to the numbering, text,
> > quotes, etc.
> >
> > Thanks to all.
> >
> > Bernard
> >
> >
> >
> > Bernard Aschwanden
> > bernard at publishingsmarter.com
> >
> > www.publishingsmarter.com
> >
> > Write Less. Write Better.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > This message is from the Framers mailing list
> >
> > Send messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com
> > Visit the list's homepage at  http://www.frameusers.com
> > Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/
> framers%40lists.frameusers.com/
> > Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/
> listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com
> > Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com
> _______________________________________________
>
> This message is from the Framers mailing list
>
> Send messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Visit the list's homepage at  http://www.frameusers.com
> Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/
> framers%40lists.frameusers.com/
> Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/
> listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com
> Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com
>



-- 
Lin Sims