Topics

A Topic is something to talk about, the object of discussion or examination, not an agent of action or function. Topics are nouns, not verbs or gerunds.

Typical information types that fall into the Topic category are:

• Buttons, lights, input fields, dials, gauges
• Concepts, axioms, principles, rules
• Cautions, warnings, errors, dangers
• Syntax, commands, vocabulary
• Definitions, labels, physical characteristics

The common notions underlying Topic information types are that they are:

• small, usually one sentence will do, never more than a single paragraph
• standalone, isolated, easily listed, shuffled, put on flashcards
• good candidates for memorization
• fundamental, must-have components of the subject area

A Tour would go over a list of Topic names, but not the content of any one Topic. Topics may be learned in isolation, like learning the vocabulary or terminology of a field before getting into the meat of the subject, or learned as-needed, which is usually the case in studying something like mathematics or biology.

Topics are the stuff indexes point to, glossaries list, and tables of contents assume you already know.