Re: suggestions for documentation integration
Re: suggestions for documentation integration
- Subject: Re: suggestions for documentation integration
- From: Matt Neuburg <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:50:39 -0800
- Thread-topic: suggestions for documentation integration
Sorry to keep harping on this, but I've now come to the second side of this
issue, which is Interface Builder. Here I was all looking forward to the
spanking new IB, and once again I'm just flat out disappointed at the
failure to move forward to usability with respect to integration of the
docs. Interface Builder has all these little checkboxes and things where you
specify configuration settings for interface objects (such as the Deferred
checkbox in Window Attributes, for instance). And every single one of these
corresponds to something you can say in code. Well, wouldn't you think that
by now we'd actually be able to get some info in IB as to *what* it
corresponds to that you can say in code? Like, the tooltip might say the
actual AppKit name of the setting, or maybe even (get this wild idea) there
might be a way to jump from the checkbox directly to the documentation in
Xcode for the corresponding method? As it is, I'm usually left *guessing*
what the correspondence is between an IB setting and what I'd have to say in
code to achieve the same effect (and, therefore, what the setting actually
does). m.
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:14:45 -0800, Matt Neuburg <email@hidden> said:
>What I was hoping for hasn't come to pass in Xcode 3, so let me try to
>describe what it would be like. I haven't actually got an exact spec in
>mind, but here's the problem for me: the documentation is (1) too darned
>clicky / scrolly, and (2) not integrated with the code you're actually
>working on. The talk of a "research assistant" had raised my hopes, but my
>experience so far is that working with the documentation is no better than
>before.
>
>As an example of (1): Let's say you want to look up something about
>NSString. So you type NSString in the Find field. Good, NSString shows up in
>the list below. But to display the documentation for it, you've got to take
>your hands off the keyboard and click on it in the list; there's no way (as
>far as I can work out) to do it with just the keyboard. I'd like to see a
>much slicker, keyboard driven browser that takes you from the search to the
>desired doc more directly (rather like AppKiDo does it, perhaps).
>
>As an example of (2): Why are you here (in the documentation)? It's usually
>because you're looking for some method that you're thinking of using in your
>code. Okay, so you've found it. Now how do you get it *into* your code? What
>I was expecting by now is that every method listing would have a little
>"paste" button next to it (or even some less clicky device) that would
>transfer the template for this method right to the selection point in the
>frontmost code window.
>
>Basically what I'm suggesting is that the designers of the documentation
>window should be studying actual use cases among developers. Watching me
>struggle with Xcode for five minutes would certainly provide a clue!
>
>m.
--
matt neuburg, phd = email@hidden, <http://www.tidbits.com/matt/>
A fool + a tool + an autorelease pool = cool!
One of the 2007 MacTech Top 25: <http://tinyurl.com/2rh4pf>
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<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596102119>
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