xLight User Manual Updating?

[algerdes]

The latest copy of the xLights Manual I can find is from version 2016.45. 
Considering the rate of improvements being made to xLights, I am wondering how far off ANY copy of a manual would be.  Trying to keep up with the development has got to be a nightmare.

With that said, where is the best place to get information that would normally be in a User Manual?

[Gilrock]

It takes volunteers.  There was one person who did a majority of the current manual who started focusing on other things.

Maybe you'd have more time to learn if you didn't have one foot in Vixen and another in xLights.

[algerdes]

Actually, it is having a "foot in each camp" that makes this sooo much fun. There are ideas on both sides of the fence that benefit both, when enacted.

The question actually was going in the direction of seeing if documentation was being done in another method.  Publishing a "manual" in a dynamic environment is sometimes (usually?) a frustrating experience.  Just as you get something down, it changes.  I'm finding that using other methods may be more appropriate.  As you guys are somehow keeping up with all the changes, one would think you already some mechanism in place to do so. It may just need someone, or a group, to translate and keep it current for the general populace. 

[Gilrock]

I've never looked at anything Vixen is doing.  I just figure whatever I create will end up in their program eventually...lol.

The only way I keep up with changes is I look at the code checkins and even then I don't always know what the other guys are doing.  There are plenty of features that I have no idea how they work like stuff in xSchedule and the new Jukebox mode for example.  I find it easy to just browse around and try stuff.

[keithsw1111]

Plus there are videos explaining all the changes every few releases.


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[kevinp]

Unless something changes, I don't see the manual being updated anytime soon.  Gerry left our group of three for personal reasons, and like Gil alluded to, he provided the vast majority of the updates.

Steve was going through personal stuff around that time too and I just don't have enough time myself any longer with 4 young kids running around and a wife.

I'm a Mac user, so if I started doing more of the updates I'm sure I'd drive Keith nuts with all of the Mac screen shots.   

There have been efforts to revive the manual a couple times in the last two years, but none of those have resulted in anything.

Anyone interested in helping out should contact Steve Giron and he can give you access to the master documents that are found on a Google Drive.

[algerdes]

Thanks to all of you.

I'm looking at my available time, and low and behold - there is 5 minutes each day that I haven't scheduled anything.  Thought I might throw my hat into the ring to assist - wherever I can.  My coding skills are ancient by today's standards, so writing may be the next best thing to contribute.

Take Care

[keithsw1111]

My personal view on the manual is that as long as the current approach continues where there is an attempt to get it “up to date” with a particular version it is never going to get done.

A better approach would be to approach things the way we approach writing the software. We work on something we publish it.  That way small incremental edits can be made. It’s never perfect but it is always improving.

As it is now it’s just out of date. So you couldn’t make it any worse.


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[Gilrock]

I wouldn't mind starting to create some sections myself if there was a good outline created and we just start filling it in.  But I'd want it in a format where I can do an edit and then it's live.  I don't like any of the behind the scenes write for a month and then publish.  I like a wiki type page where some of us would have permissions to edit.  I've lost track what form it's in right now.

[pixelpuppy]

Plus there are videos explaining all the changes every few releases.

Your xLights update videos are extremely helpful.  Thanks for doing them! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgBmjuJGGcs

[kevinp]

I wouldn't mind starting to create some sections myself if there was a good outline created and we just start filling it in.  But I'd want it in a format where I can do an edit and then it's live.  I don't like any of the behind the scenes write for a month and then publish.  I like a wiki type page where some of us would have permissions to edit.  I've lost track what form it's in right now.

The currently out of date manual is all done within Google Docs, and split into multiple sections due to its size.  Prior to publication, all of those sections need to be merged into a single PDF.  I was then manually adding the rudimentary navigation.  It's a cumbersome process.

At one point I was exploring Gitbooks for the manual but didn't get very far.  The FPP online manual uses that.  You basically make edits on your local computer and then checkin the changes into the repository, which then automatically goes live.  Almost like what you developers do now with the xLights code.

[algerdes]

OK.  I'll up the ante.
10  minutes a day. 

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Did you ever try to use the wiki system?  (I really don't remember if you did or not.)
If so, why did it fail?  If not, was there a reason?