[APBeta] Help system

[Victor van Wulfen]

Procrastinator, perfectionist, savior & inspirator. Pick any or all.

 Victor van Wulfen


 www.clearskies.eu


> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: apbeta-bounces at lists.astroplanner.net [mailto:apbeta-
> bounces at lists.astroplanner.net] Namens Paul Rodman
> Verzonden: dinsdag 26 januari 2010 18:40
> Aan: AstroPlanner Beta Testers
> Onderwerp: [APBeta] Help system
> 
> Just when you thought it was safe to assume V2 was feature complete...
> 
> After a lot of soul-searching I have decided to create a Help system
> for AP V2. This will work in a similar fashion to a typical Help system
> (i.e. Help->AstroPlanner Help produces a table of contents, index and
> pages of help info). I'm using a commercial product to do this, so it
> didn't take long to add it to the app. Other advantages of this over
> just a PDF manual:
> 
> a. It will also allow context sensitive help. e.g. if you have a dialog
> open and select help, then the help system will open to the correct
> page. This might take a bit of time to get right, but isn't rocket
> science.
> b. I can produce a PDF manual directly from the help file, so those who
> like dead trees will remain at peace.
> c. I can add active links into the help that will perform functions
> within the app. i.e. Rather than describing how to open a dialog, or
> add a new object, a click on a help link will do it for you. This
> might, or might not get implemented for V2.0. We'll see.
> d. I really hate writing manuals, and updating them when features
> change. This should make my life easier.
> e. The help is integrated into the app, so I won't have the common
> support request from users who didn't download the manual in the first
> place.
> 
> That being said, I will have to have a Getting Started manual as a PDF,
> since the Help system is only accessible from within the app.
> 
> As usual, feel free to tell me I'm an
> idiot/saviour/procrastinator/hero/moron.
> 
> Paul R.
> 
> 
> 
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