Hello,
Personnaly I like the actual Help and FAQ html documents available
from Overbyte's web site, they just need to be improved with some
missing methods/properties/events explanations and samples and could
be linked into single .CHM
Wiki has a big problem : you must be connected to Internet to access
it ! Not all programmers have Internet access 100% time (for example
if you develop during train or airplane travels between two
customers).
To go further with Paul's idea for producing html help files from .pas
sources, I use a lot KOL&MCK libs, and all help is based on this kind
of help generation, you just have to take care about adding right tags
in your source and there is an help generator application that compile
html from the .pas reading.
But personnaly I like the actual help and faq html documents :-)
Regards.
PTAT> Hello all,
PTAT> It's good to see the idea of an ICS Help File gaining momentum. I'm
indebted
PTAT> to Francois for the number of years that I have used his components and
PTAT> would love to give something back. It will be a long-term project and
PTAT> keeping up the momentum I suspect will be the problem.
PTAT> Personally, I much prefer a well-indexed CHM file to any other form. One
of
PTAT> my big concerns with a free form wiki solution is that I fear the lack of
PTAT> any form of uniformity will render the final document somewhat confusing
to
PTAT> new ICS users; the very ones who need a help file the most.
PTAT> Here is my 2 cent suggestion:
PTAT> STEP 1
PTAT> I'm reasonably sure there are one or two share/free-ware tools that will
PTAT> take a .PAS component file and produce a standard skeleton in a format
like
PTAT> the Delphi help file(s). I.e. producing a section for each component with
PTAT> links to "Properties", "Methods", "Events" and "Examples".
PTAT> STEP 2
PTAT> Having semi-automatically produced an 'empty' help file for each
component,
PTAT> we make the latest (read live) version available online. Users are invited
PTAT> to then use the wiki system (or something else) to submit their
PTAT> contributions to fill in one or more of the 'blanks'. For example, I am
PTAT> (becoming) quite familiar with UDP multi-casting usage of the TWSocket. I
PTAT> might therefore contribute entries for each of the multi-casting related
PTAT> properties as well as a few basic examples. A guru on a particular
PTAT> component, say the HTTP client, might want to contribute more generalised
PTAT> info, which could go into a notes section etc. I'm sure you get the idea.
PTAT> STEP 3
PTAT> Some kind sole updates the skeleton help file periodically 'pasting' in
the
PTAT> contributed text, recompiling the help file and uploading it to the
PTAT> web-site.
PTAT> Ah what the heck, let's make it a nickel; here is another 3 cents worth...
PTAT> What I like about the above is that firstly users are being asked to
PTAT> contribute 'very small segments', in a format that everybody is familiar
PTAT> with. This not just looks, but is quick and easy to contribute.
PTAT> Not being familiar with what would be involved in the wiki to CHM
PTAT> conversion, I am happy to look at writing a "Delphi" tool which
would/could
PTAT> act as a pop3 client and 'paste' incoming e-mail contributions directly
into
PTAT> the .CHM source. I.e. the contributor simply sends an e-mail to
PTAT> [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the help text in the body and a somewhat simple
PTAT> predefined subject:
PTAT> Subject Examples:
PTAT> "component=TWSocket, property=MultiCastIpTTL"
PTAT> "comp=smtpcli event=onresponse"
PTAT> "component := thttpcli example"
PTAT> "component=thttpcli notes"
PTAT> Other more fancy options could be specified like on the first line etc:
PTAT> "CONTRIBUTER=Fred Smith"
PTAT> "contributor=Tom Jones {tom at jones dot com}
PTAT> Literally, someone can shoot off an entry in three or four minutes. No
PTAT> learning how to drive some wiki wacky web program <grin>. Seriously, I
think
PTAT> very few non waki people would bother. I say this mainly due to the "Round
PTAT> Tuit" problem we all encounter from time to time.
PTAT> Like a few others, I can also contribute web hosting, space is not a
PTAT> problem, but I'd have to look and see how much of my traffic allowance I
am
PTAT> using.
PTAT> Regardless of implementation method, I hope we can persuade Francois to
put
PTAT> a message and http address into the source files like "For help file on
this
PTAT> component, go to http://somewhere.com/icshelp";
PTAT> If there is positive feedback on the POP3 suggestion and someone has a
help
PTAT> tool like I've described and can send me an empty skeleton for an ICS (or
PTAT> other) component, I will seriously look into the feasibility of writing
the
PTAT> POP3 tool. (If you can produce the skeleton, let me know here and I'll
post
PTAT> a temporary e-mail address).
PTAT> Regards,
PTAT> Paul Taylor {Affordable Technology - Perth}
PTAT> p.s. I have done my damndest to send this as plain text, M$ Outlook says
it
PTAT> is at the top yet I can format text like it was html - thanks Bill?
PTAT> --
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