Difference between revisions of "Embedded Help"
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== | == Ideas == | ||
* | * [http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.cgi/inkscape/user_manual/trunk/ Cedric and Kevin's manual] would be a nice base | ||
* kind of 3 levels of needs: instant help (already existing, but not for effects/extensions :( ); then a kind of embedded glossary, and finally a big user manual | |||
** short explanation text should be integrated in the inx file or the extension code and then displayed (in a tab for a dialog ?) with the effect... I don't know what would be the best display place for it (status bar at least) | |||
* The glossary could be section and subsections of the big manual, with its own menu item. | |||
* Context-sensitive help is one thing where I think they are spot-on. How hard would it be for us to provide "F1 Help"? If only to pop up a browser on a given html page and #anchor. (Bob Jamison in http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.graphics.inkscape.devel/16826) | |||
* kind of 3 levels of needs : instant help (already existing, but not for effects/extensions :( ); | |||
* | |||
* | |||
== MacOS X == | == MacOS X == | ||
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== See also == | == See also == | ||
[http://www.g2meyer.com/usablehelp/items.html Usable Help] A list of just under 250 links to articles on documentation and help systems for software and consumer products. | * [http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gdp/handbook/gdp-handbook/ar01s08.html "Writing Context Sensitive Help (coming in GNOME-3.0)"] | ||
* [http://www.g2meyer.com/usablehelp/items.html Usable Help] A list of just under 250 links to articles on documentation and help systems for software and consumer products. | |||
* [http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Report_on_c%27t_article_12/2006 Review from German c't magazine] pointing out the need of some embedded documentation/help | |||
== Open Questions == | == Open Questions == | ||
* | * Do we want to use something like [http://live.gnome.org/Yelp Yelp] in *nix? | ||
* | * Can we produce [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Compressed_HTML_Help CHM files] for Windows? | ||
[[Category:Developer Documentation]] | [[Category:Developer Documentation]] | ||
Revision as of 09:48, 21 June 2006
Ideas
- Cedric and Kevin's manual would be a nice base
- kind of 3 levels of needs: instant help (already existing, but not for effects/extensions :( ); then a kind of embedded glossary, and finally a big user manual
- short explanation text should be integrated in the inx file or the extension code and then displayed (in a tab for a dialog ?) with the effect... I don't know what would be the best display place for it (status bar at least)
- The glossary could be section and subsections of the big manual, with its own menu item.
- Context-sensitive help is one thing where I think they are spot-on. How hard would it be for us to provide "F1 Help"? If only to pop up a browser on a given html page and #anchor. (Bob Jamison in http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.graphics.inkscape.devel/16826)
MacOS X
The "User Assistance" technology or environment has evolved through several major stages, but has always been based upon a restricted HTML 3.2 markup and a lightweight "Help Viewer". See Help on Apple Help for a near illegible page that describes the making of the excellent help system for the pixel editor Pixen (not that many Inkscapers use pixel editors). Apple provides a comprehensive account of the Human Interface factors relating to its technology, but this may be just outside what we need to be thinking about for Inkscape right now,
See also
- "Writing Context Sensitive Help (coming in GNOME-3.0)"
- Usable Help A list of just under 250 links to articles on documentation and help systems for software and consumer products.
- Review from German c't magazine pointing out the need of some embedded documentation/help