Re: [Audacity-devel] Local Help files

[Martyn S. <mar...@go...>]

Hi Gale

Thanks for testing...

Gale Andrews wrote:
> | From Martyn Shaw <mar...@go...> 
> | Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:31:47 +0100
> | Subject: [Audacity-devel] Local Help files
>> Please try this windows installer with local help
>> http://files.getdropbox.com/u/1327769/audacity-1.3.8-win-unicode-helpTest.exe
>> (and I haven't tried using dropbox before today)
>> as a first go at getting local help going as an install item.  You may 
>> have to try and eliminate prefs first (I can't give you guidance on that).
>>
>> You should see:
>> Welcome Message giving you an extra link at the top to 'play local 
>> html' which should open a file from your local machine in your 
>> selected browser (very much a draft page).
>>
>> Help -> Quick Help... taking you to a placeholder, again on your local 
>> machine.
>>
>> Help -> Manual... taking you to the homepage of the wiki manual dump, 
>> now of your local machine.
>>
>> Prefs->Interface has 'Manual location' now 'Local' or 'From Internet'. 
>> You may need to change this to get things working.  I am having 
>> trouble removing the 'InBrowser' pref.
> 
> When I just ran the app. without modifying the cfg file, Help > 
> Manual opened in the internal browser.

That's not good.  I now have in place (locally) a catch for previous 
cfg values in /GUI/Help of "Standard" or "InBrowser" to change them to 
"Local".

When I exited, removed all
> except "NewPrefsInitialized=1" from cfg and restarted, the "Manual
> location" Preference defaults to "Local", and the local content now
> opens in the web browser. Changing to "From Internet" brings up the 
> live page in the web browser.

Good, working as intended.  Good for you?

So is the internal browser not used now,
> but people will see it if they install 2.0 having had 1.3 previously? 

See above.  That needed addressing, and I have done so (locally).

> "Location of Manual" would be less ambiguous. 

True, and changed locally.  Will commit with the rest if everything is 
in place.

> When the Manual opened in the Help browser the Sidebar was at the 
> bottom of the page.

Probably irrelevant, and a shortcoming of the built-in browser? 
Another reason not to use it.

> Help > Quick Help... went straight to the external browser before 
> changing .cfg.

Good!

If this is our decision I'm coming to the opinion that
> Welcome Message should not even have links to individual Quick
> Help pages. Why bother? I think it would be less confusing it just 
> said "Hello" and explained the support options we have:
> 
> * Manual + FAQ (Help > Manual)
> * Quick Help (Help > Quick Help) 
> * Wiki (link opens in browser)
> * Forum (link opens in browser)

I agree.  I have committed 2 sample pages that need work. 
\audacity\help\quick\index.html needs to link to them as the Welcome 
screen does, /audacity/help/quick/play.html is an example of Quick Help.

I figure we need to convert to xhtlm/css most of the pages in 
HelpTextBuiltIn, like:
	play
	record
	inputdevice
	inputsource
	inputlevel
	edit
	save
	export
	wma-proprietary
	burncd
	remotehelp, which may be a special case.

can you do that?

> Take Welcome Message out of the Help menu to unclutter it a bit, 
> and just let it be turned back on in Preferences if anyone wants it
> after dismissing it with the check box.  

I'm not sure about that.  We could call it 'Splash Screen' and leave 
it in the menu.  I suppose it depends what it looks like (and it will 
need some work anyway).

> I also think this waters down the Quick Help distinction sufficiently 
> far that it makes more sense to have it as an integral part of the 
> Manual (ultimately less confusing - we're often criticised for having 
> help resources split up too much between different locations). 

We will need a link in the sidebar to 'Quick Help', possibly the first 
one?  That may need some work from Andre.  I haven't thought that through.

I still don't know how we are going to handle these pages.  In the CVS 
or on the manual wiki???  I'm assuming they are in the CVS, for now 
(\audacity\help\quick).

TTFN
Martyn

> 
> 
> Gale 
> 
> 
>   
> 
> 
> 
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