2.1-8 Availability of Information

Information necessary to accomplish a specific entry (e.g., labels, annotations, prompts, or options lists) should be available to the user when that transaction action is appropriate.

Additional Information:
Required annotation will vary with the application. Some annotation may be so commonly needed that it should be continuously displayed, e.g., document name, page number, and indication of control mode (if any). Other annotation might be displayed only at user request, such as document status (date last changed or last printed), which might be displayed in an optional window overlay, and format control characters, which might be visible in an optional display mode. For example, the user might wish to see format control characters, such as tab and margin settings.