Re: [user-assistance-discuss] Thoughts on Graphical Callouts

[Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com>]

/ "Paul Prescod" <paul.prescod@xmetal.com> was heard to say:
| Examples of Callout Presentation Styles
| =======================================
|
| Integrated Annotations and Graphics:
|
| 	Lines, boxes and text:
| http://www.ballistix.com.au/Marketing_articles/Communications/ad_with_ca
| llouts.jpg
|
| 	Lines and text:
| http://docs.sun.com/source/806-4743/images/Audio.Play.callouts.hc.tif.gi
| f
|
| 	Lines, ovals and text:
| http://www.digi-net.com/newsletter/images/02.05/DCAV_callouts_small.gif
|
| Marks:
|
| 	Floating letters:
| http://www.scag.com/images/spindle-with-callouts.jpg
|
| 	Lines and numbers: http://www.walkerequip.com/images/silo.jpg
|
| 	Floating numbers:
| http://www.puc.org/files/leads/imagesl/callout/Page-1.gif

For what it's worth, DocBook "areaset" markup is designed to support
floating letters or numbers. The HTML stylesheets generate a client
side imagemap for the callout marks. I think it's possible with modern
CSS to put the callouts on as overlays, but I've never taken the time
to make that work. (Simple matter of stylesheet programming, though, I
think.)

A more robust drawing application might be able to generate the lines
and ovals of some of the other formats, though I've never heard of a
tool that I thought was capable.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

-- 
Norman Walsh
XML Standards Architect
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

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