> -----Original Message----- > From: Ian Skinner [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 1:15 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: How might one abbreviate "Create | Created"? > > It is nothing too exotic. I have a dense table with three column names > "Goal" "Expected" "Created" The space these column names needs to fit in, > does not really support more then three or four characters. > "Goal" is fine, "Exp." Seems to work, but the best I've come up with for > Created is "Crt" and that just seems a bit fuzzy. But is "Cre" any > better?
This might be a place to do some information design... you don't necessarily NEED separate columns to get your point across. Just off the top of my head (in a rambling, crazy-old-man kind of way): Might it not be clear enough if the "Created" date was just prepended or appended to the "Goal" itself and shared its column? Something like: Goal Exp. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (10/20/2005) Become President of the United States! 10/2008 I'm assuming "Created" is a date... which is weird since the column name should have at least as much as the data and three digit dates are just plain strange. But still, even if "Created" was a user ID or somesuch this should still work. You might also work around ambiguity by bolstering your column names with each other. What I mean is that even a bad abbreviation can be understood if a related name is clear and clearly associated. For example "Expected" is a good word and has the good abbreviation you mention. Going with a positionally and semantically related label for the other field could reinforce its meaning. "Expected" has a natural counterpart in "Requested", for example. So redubbing your "Create" into a "request" (if sensible of course) might make things clearer since you'd then have a request and an expectation. The two phrases compliment each other and enhance the understanding of the entire display: Goal Req. Exp. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Become President of the United States! 8/2005 10/2008 If a picture is worth a 1,000 words an icon has to be worth just one (maybe two). If you can come up with a valid iconic representation of the concept Icons can make wonderfully concise column headers. To use the "Create" metaphor existent in most systems today you present a "blank" sheet of paper, perhaps with a pencil (if going this way you could also get cute and change "Exp." to a piece of paper with writing on it indicating work has been done.... but that might be pushing things.) If the "requested" concept holds true an inbox is pretty universal (with an outbox as its opposite of course). Not truly an icon, but a graphical header can also be used to present vertical or slanted text easily allowing you add the full label without sacrificing horizontal space (although you must sacrifice vertical space). Graphical headers may also be legible at smaller sizes that text-based headers in some circumstances. Lastly, there are also HTML tricks that can be used. For example you might find that a bad abbreviation can be alleviated somewhat by placing a graphical watermark of the whole label in the data column itself (this can also help immensely at those times when the header of a table can't be seen with the data). Something very subtle but legible wouldn't detract from the data markedly and would provide multi-layered information. Tool tips and the like can also explicitly help those that bother mousing over the tagged area. More dramatically using DTML columns can expand or contract or headers can expand to unabbreviated forms based on mouse positions. Since I don't know any detail about the display these ideas could be just plain retarded when applied to your specific need... but I like to think they could lead in a good direction. ;^) Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:168835 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
