An online glossary is an important part of a well designed HTML Help project. Use the Glossary Designer to create a glossary containing terms and definitions. Then, use the Smart Glossary Wizard to search through your topics for terms that are in the glossary. After the Smart Glossary Wizard finds the terms, it can transform them into expanding glossary hotspots. Expanding glossary hotspots are text that, when clicked, display additional text.
Following are several strategies to consider when creating an online glossary:
If you are creating a large glossary with many terms and definitions, make full use of copy and paste. In the WYSIWYG Editor, find terms and definition text within the content of your topics. Then, copy and paste directly into the Glossary Designer. This can save you hours of typing.
If you have created a glossary for one project, you can import the glossary into another project. This is another way to save time.
When you are working in the Glossary Designer, look for glossary terms that are bolded — they have no corresponding definition. Select the term and type a definition in the definition pane. This will keep your glossary updated.
Try to keep your definitions concise, especially if you plan to use the Smart Glossary Wizard to transform terms from your topics into expanding glossary hotspots. A long expanding glossary hotspot in a topic can be distracting for users.
Don't limit yourself to one-word terms in your glossary. Include short phrases that are relevant to your project as well.
You can obtain a good overview of your online glossary by printing a copy of the Glossary Report. A hard copy of your online glossary can be useful for editing or for sharing with other members of your team. Choose overview to show just your terms, or select detailed to show your terms and their definitions. For more information, see Glossary Report.
A good way to explain the work environment for your application or product is by including information about it in the glossary. For example, you might want to list (and describe) the actions that users perform in your application, such as clicking, dragging, pointing, double-clicking, and right-clicking. Often, users are familiar with performing these actions, so you won't need to provide lessons about using them in your topics, but referencing them in your glossary can increase the usability of your product.
Include synonyms in your
glossary so if users recognize one term, but not another, they can still
find a definition.
Use a consistent method to manage synonyms in your glossary, such as
these:
Use "See also" references for entries that are phrases, to point to the main entry. For example:
Include multiple definitions for terms that are commonly used in several ways. Design a format for multiple definitions and use it consistently throughout your glossary. For example:
Note: The Definition for box does not support formatted text, including tabs and returns.