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Guide Steps

Overview

Learn how to add text, photos, and edit bullets to make your step-by-step guide a complete documentation experience.

Images

Images are an incredibly important aspect of a guide that sets your documentation apart from the others. Use the Media Manager to add the desired image(s) to each step. Each step may have up to three images.

Adding a Title

The "Add a Title" field allows you to give each step a unique title. Choose a title that helps users understand what will be explained to them in this step. When editing a step, this field is located directly above the images. Click in the "Add a Title" field and type in the step title.

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Bullets

Guide bullets are customizable icons that make your steps easy to follow. By default the bullets in a guide appear black, but you can change their color or shape by clicking on them.

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Colored Bullets

If you have added markers to an image, and a particular bullet corresponds to a marker on the image, change the bullet color to match that marker.

Caution, Note, and Reminder Bullets

In addition to colored bullets, there are also special icon bullets—each with its own purpose.

  • Use a caution bullet whenever someone attempting the procedure may injure themselves or damage their equipment.
  • Note bullets are useful bits of information that complement the instructions.
  • The reminder bullet is used to provide information for after the procedure is completed, such as tips for reassembly.
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View our step by step guide that explains how to format and use bullet points within a guide step.

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How to Format and Use Bullet Points

Adding and Editing Steps

Steps are the building blocks for a solid set of documentation. The Guide Creator makes adding and editing steps easy and efficient.

Adding Guide Steps

There are two ways to add a new step to a guide.

To add a step to the end of a guide, click on the "+ Add Step" button on the right side of the Guide Creator.

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To add a step immediately after the step that you are currently working on, click "+ Insert Step" under the bullets in the Guide Creator.

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Editing Guide Steps

To edit a Guide Step, click on the "Edit" button in the top-right corner of the guide. This directs you to the Guide Introduction edit page. From the guide step thumbnails on the right side of the page, select the step you want to edit. You can also edit a specific step by viewing a guide and selecting "Edit" to the right of the step title.

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Click the text for the particular bullet that you want to edit. Type in the information you want to add. Once you are done editing a step, click "Save" to save your changes.

Edit Step Icons

When editing a bullet on a Guide Step, you'll see four icons below the bullet you are editing: a left arrow, a right arrow, a plus sign, and an X. The arrows shift a bullet left or right, allowing you to indent certain lines; the plus sign adds a bullet below the one you're working on; and the X deletes the bullet you are working on. You cannot delete the only line of a guide step. Instead, you must select "delete step."

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Deleting Guide Steps

To delete a guide step, edit that step and click on the "Delete Step" button in the lower-left corner.

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Rearranging Guide Steps

From any page in the Guide Creator, click "Rearrange Steps" above the list of steps in the guide. Then click-hold and drag the thumbnail of the step you want to move. Drag it to where you want it to be, and click "Save."

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Keyboard Shortcuts

You're a busy person. You know what's great for that? Shortcuts. Instead of clicking all those buttons, save time by using these keyboard shortcuts while editing a guide step. All shortcuts can use 'ctrl' or 'alt' interchangeably:

  • escape: Stop editing the current bullet
  • ctrl+n: Stop editing the current bullet and move to the next one
  • ctrl+p: Stop editing the current bullet and move to the previous one
  • ctrl+shift+n: Stop editing the current bullet and insert and move to new line below
  • ctrl+shift+p: Stop editing the current bullet and insert and move to new line above
  • tab: Indent current bullet
  • shift + tab: Dedent current bullet
  • ctrl+d: Delete current bullet
  • Hit Enter to move to the next line, or create a new line if you're at the bottom
    • If you hit enter while on an unmodified, fresh line, it'll be removed.
    • So, if you're on the last line, you can hit enter twice to stop editing.
  • shift-enter: Will behave like enter, but in reverse (going up the list of lines).

When viewing a guide:

  • J: Jump to the next step
  • K: Jump to the previous step

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