[APBeta] Help system

[Richard Hendrix]

Paul

I think a Help system for AP2 would be a welcome "feature" to add. Neat
idea about having the Help system do the actual task with you. Whether
implemented in 2 or 3 I think it's a good idea.

My 2 cents

--richard

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman -
or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." 

George Burns



-----Original Message-----
From: apbeta-bounces at lists.astroplanner.net
[mailto:apbeta-bounces at lists.astroplanner.net] On Behalf Of Paul Rodman
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:40 PM
To: AstroPlanner Beta Testers
Subject: [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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