When will help and docs be updated to match features?

Help & Support
1

I'm very frustrated with the help system. I'm running v 9.1.1.5.3222.x86 (you're kidding having a version # this long, right? A copy function for it would be nice!)

When I look up certain features, like sorting info for folder options, the info is incomplete or outdated. I wanted to find out what "Keep folders sorted alphabetically" meant, so I looked it up in the help system under Folder Options - Display - Sorting. There's nothing in help about this. Then I looked in the manual - again nothing!

This happens periodically. Either there simply is no help on the topic I need help or I find it in a place I wasn't expecting. I use the help's search feature most of the time.

Another help shortcoming I keep running into is a lack of basics information or sometimes the obvious. Example: I couldn't remember how to start the File Type Editor. I typed File Type Editor in the help's search tab, and got about 15 topics listed. Topic #2, File Type Editor, seemed the obvious choice.

I read this topic, which actually had quite a bit of information on it, but could not find out how to open it, run it, execute it, whatever. In fairness it may have been somewhere on the page, but I was getting so frustrated about half-way through it that I had a hard time concentrating on the help.

A consistent format would be helpful - like a Title, Brief Desc, When/Where you use the function/feature, where it's executed from, parameters, details, etc. Also, many topics start out assuming that the user has a high level of specific knowledge about Directory Opus.

I've been a programmer and db designer for many years. Unfortunately, I don't have the time nor inclination to research how to use a specific application's features.

I bought Directory Opus to help me do a better job of file management and save me time doing it. I find that I'm spending more time trying to figure out how to use specific features because they're complicated enough and I don't use them frequently enough to justify committing them to memory. If the help/documentation were more useful and up-to-date, I may have a chance!

2

The main version number is the 9.1.1.5 part (normal 4-part Windows version). The extra two numbers on the end are a build number (3222) and platform (x86 or x64). You can normally just tell us the 9.1.1.5 part and skip off the extra 8 characters, though sometimes the platform is important.

I've sent GPSoftware a suggestion about adding a "copy version number to clipboard" button to the About dialog as it'd be easy to add and make typos less of an issue.

It's inevitable that some things will be missed when the manual is updated. I've reported the example you gave to GPSoftware so they can add it to their list.

Since GPSoftware are a small company, and the manual is long, I think it tends to get updated for major releases and then lags behind as features are added in free updates. I imagine there's a trade-off between time spent adding features & fixing bugs and time spent on the manual.

It means that folders will always be sorted alphabetically regardless of the other settings in the same window. In other words, you can apply some kind of sort order which only affects files while leaving the folders sorted by name.

To save you time, just look in the Help file. The PDF file and the Help file have the same contents as they're both generated from the same source document. So if you can't find information in one then it won't be in the other either. (Assuming they're both the latest versions, of course.) The PDF version is just for printing out really.

You use Settings -> File Types in the menu or File Types in the tray icon's menu.

Fair point though, it should be said in the manual's page on the File Type Editor. I have also sent a note about that to GPSoftware.

I think those are good ideas. Suggestions about the style of the manual are probably best sent to GPSoftware directly, though (or to them as well as the forum, if you like). This is primarily a user-to-user forum and while GPSoftware do read it there's no guarantee that they'll see or respond to a particular post like there is if you contact them directly.

That's why this forum is here. If you get stuck just ask here and you'll usually get an answer within a few minutes or hours.

3

Thank you for your replies - I really appreciate the quick response and helpful answers.

I will contact GPSoftware direct, too. I thought this forum was one of their "official" support venues.

I understand that there will always be documentation problems. Over the years I've learned that technical people don't like to document or put it off as long as they can. I also learned that if you don't have a system in place that makes it easy to update documentation and allows you to identify what needs to be documented, you'll always be behind the eight-ball. This is especially true for a small company.

Anyway, I really do appreciate the help and follow-up!

4

I also agree that for some topics a wiki is a good idea. But if you think that the success of wikipedia can be transferred to Dopus, I think you overlook one important thing: The success of wikipedia is because everyone can share her/his knowledge because its about everyones life. But for Dopus only a few really understand enough of this software to tell others. Also please remember the percentage of real authors in the wikipedia is around 10 % of all users.

I myself use Dopus for three years now, read the forum BUT I never dared to try to tell someone how to use Dopus except things I already tried and understand. And most users I know just want to use the software the same way. The ask here and get the answer very quickly.

Of course sometimes I wish someone could grab all the information in this forum and compile it into FAQs, HowTos and similar things but where to find someone like that? I think the admins and gpsoft and especially leo do their best.

PROPOSAL: User send in suggestions about FAQs, HowTos about issues they see some need for? Maybe combined with a vote system like an FAQ of the month. How about that?

5

I couldn't agree more. Without Leo, many folks would be up sh*t creek with the proverbial. I don't know how he manages it.

I just wondered about the issue you raised, hoovering everything up into a format that is easier to use.

Wiki may not be a good idea. It is the only option my simple mind can dredge up. We might not need it if the search features of places like this were better. (And if people bothered to use them.) I am spoilt by having a search toy that finds just about anything I have on my PC in seconds.

Makes sense. But my guess is that the work would all fall on one pair of shoulders. I leave it to you to guess which pair, and hope that he does not feel the need to respond to me when he should be doing something more productive.

6

Well, the upshot is that if you look at the "views" it does seem like ppl regularly look at the FAQ entries. If either of them feel like such a user FAQ submission (or FAQ request) system could be beneficial, we could float the idea amongst the BBT crew...?

I've been ridiculously busy with work for several months now, having changed position and dealing with the aftermath of wall streets antics, but I'd be willing to review or crank out 4 or 5 FAQ's a week, and feel I have the know-how in many areas of the product to do so... I just hope it WOULD be useful. People still ask here on the forums how to create a toolbar button or any of the various other things are already covered on the forums in FAQs or other posts.

One thing that hurts is that the search function of the forums sometimes seems frustratingly disfunctional. I'd love to see more focus put on having ppl search the FAQs first (maybe put a big bold 'please search FAQ first notice on the search page) if theres a big effort to convert alot of other 'discussion' in general forum topics into FAQ entries... but if the search facility doesn't work the way ppl expect it to, what use is the effort? I don't know if anything can be done about, as I imagine it's a part of the forum package being used. Or maybe I just don't "use" it right... do we need a FAQ on using the search function - LOL?

Let's see what Steve, Leo and the rest of the BBT's think...

7

You can search using Google with site:resource.dopus.com as part of the query, although with Google you don't get the post previews so it's not always better.

If people want to submit FAQs they can post them to Help & Support and we'll move them over and add them to the list.

8

I hope this is good news. At least it means that you are not one of those bankers with days to fill now that they have been "let go" by their employers, or whose job evaporated when the business went bust.

You have put your finger on what strikes me as an important issue, the constant appearance of related questions about things like buttons. I look at all of these questions and answers with great interest so that I can learn to do things with this complicated, oops make that "highly configurable," software. So I see lots of stuff that is a variation on a theme.

Assembling everything in these discussions on, say, handling compressed files or buttons might help folks.

One approach that appeals to me on finding things is to have tags that can guide people to relevant posts. This is almost certainly another stupid idea for something like a software resource, but I have found it useful in other areas.

Tags can work better than a blanket search, where a word can crop up with little relevance to the subject you are chasing. Maybe they are a way of dealing with the poor search facilities in most forum software.

I am also finally learning to make more and more use of Google to search sites, as Leo suggests. It works better than the "native" search engine on many sites, especially those at academic institutions.

Or even an FAQ on FAQs.

9

People would just ignore it, as they do with the "PLEASE CHECK THE FAQ OR SEARCH BEFORE POSTING NEW QUESTIONS" line at the top of the new posts form.

10

Really the last warning. Lose the giant chip on the shoulder.

11

Amen to Riteguy's opening message - especially his observation that "Also, many topics start out assuming that the user has a high level of specific knowledge about Directory Opus." How true.

I've just been gnashing my teeth at the quality of the documentation, and decided to try to analyse why it doesn't do the product justice - by a long chalk. So I looked in the PDF manual and found the definition of 'Go - Predefined'. It begins:

Go - Predefined
The Go commands are commands to do with (sic) the current folder displayed in a Lister. They let you change between folders, move to a specific folder or the parent of the current folder, and access the History, Recent and favorites lists.

If you then read the section, you find that 'Go' can be used to:

  1. Change the contents and appearance of your toolbars
  2. Update background tables, such as your favourites and ftp sites
  3. Change which folders appear in your lister
    etc.

(Which do you think is clearer?)

I'm not sure if other commands have the same variety of effects.

It would be nice if this section (and how many others?) gave you this type of information clearly in their intro, rather than you having to plough all the way through the section before you get the picture. Then the section could then be subdivided into these different types of function, instead of the conventional technical way of sequencing them in alphabetic sequence of the command name (i.e. largely random) :smiley:

12

I think the real problem there is that the Go - Predefined part of the manual is badly named. It shouldn't mention the Go command in the title as many of the command lines in that section use other commands.

Look under the Opus Raw Commands section rather than the Predefined Commands section for a better description of what the Go command does. That's true in general: If you want to know what a command does and how to modify it, look it up under Opus Raw Commands. The Predefined Commands section just describes the pre-made command lines that people can use to do some of the most common tasks without having to understand how to build their own command lines.

(e.g. Your #2 example (modifying Favourites and FTP bookmarks) isn't actually done by the Go command. I don't think there is a command to add an FTP bookmark (it has to be done via the GUI, unless I'm mistaken) and adding an FTP bookmark is done by the Favorites command, rather than Go.)

Not sure what you mean by your #1 example, either. All commands can modify what's displayed in toolbars/menus so there's nothing special about Go doing it. The Go command can turn into one or more toolbar/menu items which go to different folders.

13

You can add the current FTP site to the address book with : Prefs ADDFTPSITE

Although that doesn't seem to work for me.

It may be an old command left over from when the ftp address book was built into prefs.

14

Hi guys,

I think your responses to my message demonstrate exactly the point that I was making.

  1. I read the documentation about 'Go - Predefined ' in order to use it as an example. I arrived at 3 understandings, 2 of which were apparently incorrect. Either I'm thick (no comment!) or there's a problem with the documentation.

  2. Steve, who I guess would be classed as a guru, can't figure stuff out.

This message thread is about how good the documentation is.

I won't tell you how much I know about computers, or anything like that, but I assure you that I have used them for about 10 hours a day for many years, and Dopus is the one and only product with which I struggle.

Like all software products, if it was well-documented the mystique about it being so complex would rapidly fall away, despite its obviously rich functionality.

But then I guess your lives wouldn't be so much fun. :smiley:

15

The Go - Predefined refers to the predefined Go category of commands in Customize, not the raw Go command itself (which has its own section in a later chapter).

16

[quote="steve"]You can add the current FTP site to the address book with : Prefs ADDFTPSITE

Although that doesn't seem to work for me.

It may be an old command left over from when the ftp address book was built into prefs.[/quote]

If the current FTP site is already in the address book then the command is disabled (it's actually in the default FTP menu already). If you go to an FTP site manually using Quick Connect or by typing the path in, then the command works fine (as is intended).

17

Ah ok, I wondered if that was it - I didn't have an FTP site which wasn't in my address book to test with. :slight_smile:

18

I used the manual to find the command in question - no problem there.

It just didn't work - for reasons that Jon points out.

Guru? Nah - just able to read and reason. :slight_smile: