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+---- Thread: XBMC Official Online Manual (Wiki) (/showthread.php?tid=3528)
- jmarshall - 2005-04-05
the music settings don't need to be there.
the screen calibration thing is somewhat useful being there, but is more advanced than what the casual user needs.
perhaps have a final step in the install/configuration process (after all shares are setup etc.):
what to do next...
which takes you to a screen covering the most important settings to look at (screen calibration and the hardware settings (audio settings in both music + videos) are imo the most important)
cheers,
jonathan
- sho - 2005-04-06
where can i upload a zip with pics for use in the manual?
http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/upload
doesn´t seem to work anymore, and
http://manual.xboxmediacenter.de/imgs/index.php?dir=
fails uploading
- kzr1y2 - 2005-07-07
hi folks,
xbmc is a great development initiative; i also enjoy seeing all of the new features that come about in each new build.
however, the user manual is falling behind at a rapid rate. i was tempted to offer some of my time to help bring it up to date but with the volley of new features that come about, it looks too overwhelming ... and frustrating.
is there any value in putting the perverbial "stake in the sand" ;-) and focusing on stabilising efforts only? i feel it would go a long ways in moving towards an xbmc 1.2.0 initiative.
anyway, my 2c worth,
kz
- jmarshall - 2005-07-07
yes, i agree the manual is falling behind.
i suggest getting in contact with lossol93 who has also suggested he may be available to help work on the manual in the near future.
the main thing imo is getting it organised so that others can join in and write notes on specifics. once it's organised in a logical manner, with pages created (not filled with content) for what is needed, then it becomes much easier for people to contribute, as all they need to do is edit the one page.
there was some work a while back into reorganising the manual which might be a place to start - there's a link down the bottom of the main page to the new organisation. not sure if this is better or not - there is also a thread on these forums regarding it.
the main thing we need is a couple of people who are good at organisation to sit down and plan it out, then create page stubs for each needed section. once that is done, we then can appeal for people to help submit/cleanup/do page layout/add screenshots and so on.
ceasing new feature development while this occurs is imo not all that beneficial at this stage, although when the team decides that it's time for v1.2 or whatever comes next, there will be a period of a month or so for bugbashing only.
i'm more than happy to help with the manual project, but my time is ofcourse limited.
it is encouraging to see a post like this - i will do everything i can to support you if you decide to take a crack at the manual stuff.
cheers,
jonathan
- los93sol - 2005-07-07
as jmarshall said i am planning on getting a start on this on tuesday. if i have some time before then i will go ahead and start planning the layout. anyone who is interested in getting involved and doing something for the good of the project and supporting the xbmc community please get in contact with me. if you can't write code, make graphics, skins, etc. and want to contribute to the project in a big way, this is an opportunity for you to get involved.
regards,
los93sol
- los93sol - 2005-07-08
alright, i have received a bit of positive feedback from people wanting to contribute. i have spent some time figuring out an outline, and figured out that in order to keep from intimidating new users and actually making the manual more effective at answering questions and helping people, we need a new system so i scrapped my work on the outline. i have made a new page on the current online manual wiki for us to work from here:
http://manual.xboxmediacenter.de/wakka.p....&v=16j7
on that page i have explained in more detail the plan for the re-write/update. feel free to start planning an outline for the guides on the wiki. we don't want to start making pages until we have a good outline to follow as a template though.
regards,
los93sol
- jmarshall - 2005-07-08
looking good. a couple of points.
1. i suggest in section 2 we have a single page entitled "so where do i get xbmc from" explaining the various avenues and pointing out the legalities of each one etc. let's not kid ourselves - most people come to xbmc via builds they download off the web. they need to be aware of the pros and cons of this, and that in particular that any build they download may contain extra 3rd party add-ons that may or may not work.
2. i suggest having a page (or section) in section 3 that just explains navigation and the common buttons (such as white for context menu, right thumbstick push for button menu, volume control etc.)
3. link from each of the main screens to their settings pages (and explain you can get there quickly with the context menu) - we'll look at adding context menu to kai, weather + programs before the next release i think.
other than that, it's looking good (though you forgot my music
cheers,
jonathan
- los93sol - 2005-07-09
updates: well, i have been talking with a few people about how to organize everything and listened to different opinions. it seems most agree with two manuals so that is the structure the outline is being built on.
i think the beginners manual is complete, need a few people to take a look and see if anything is missing that would be considered beginner information.
i started on the advanced manual, haven't gotten very far with it yet, but went ahead and posted the very beginning of it to give and idea how i plan on organizing it and the structure it will most likely follow. basically, i have made categories to fit the "advanced" features into. this will hopefully encapsulate many future advancements to xbmc very easily.
hopefully you guys like where this is going so far. i am hoping to have the outlines ready for tuesday so i can go ahead and layout what will be the official rewrite so it will be easy for people to contribute to and help out with the effort. i am planning on starting actually writing on wednesday. i hate setting a schedule for it because it is always subject to change, but that gets everyone up to date on the gameplan so if you want to get involved please get in contact with me.
regards,
los93sol
- jmarshall - 2005-07-09
looking great
only thing really is that i'd move settings, kai + thumbstick panel down to the bottom - better to have the main categories first.
like the way individual settings are in each of the categories.
cheers,
jonathan
- los93sol - 2005-07-09
just made several updates and changes to the outline. i made the change to xlink, i agree it makes more sense that way.
regards,
los93sol
- XBLgamertag - 2005-07-11
hi,
looks great - i'll help where i can
i don't think compiling a build should be in the beginners manual :idea:
- kzr1y2 - 2005-07-11
the outline is looking great; i had originally envisionned a more "retail" approach - kind of like when you buy a product off the store shelf.
because of the nature of xbmc, i would suggest incorporating a audio/video component guide structure along with a software application guide structure.
for example;
- user's guide
- customization guide
- compilation/programming guide
user's guide
=========
the user's guide would contain general "functionality" type information broken into sections for each feature on the home page.
1. welcome
product information & features
menu button
shut down button
joypad/keyboard/remote functionality on main screen
2. my programs
overview
joypad/keyboard/remote functionality
<breakdown of left side menu features into subsections>
<"how do i" tips in a subsection when possible>
3. my pictures
...
4. my videos
...
5. my files
...
6. weather
...
7. settings
overview
<subsections for each setting button>
<breakdown of left side menu features into subsections>
<"how do i" tips in a subsection when possible>
<"reason's" for using the feature>
8. advanced networking
- shoutcast
- xlink-kai
- itunes
- remote share connectivity
9. 3rd party "add-ons" for xbmc
10. troubleshooting
additionally, the user guide should cover the default xbmc build - i.e. not include additional "add-on's" or "subscription" type services. these should be covered in separate product guides; this would help keep the xbmc guide in a manageable form.
customization guide
===============
the customization guide would contain information on how to customized the xbmc "default" build. this guide would assist deployment/installers in configuring xbmc for their "customers" - i.e. tayloring xbmc for your environment.
for example,
1. welcome
purpose of the guide
overview of things that can be changed
best practices (i.e. making backups)
2. explanation of xbmc
- section on directory structure
- section on udata/tdata
- section on typical xbmc behavior
3. xbmc startup/shutdown
- section on customizing startup
- section on customizing shutdown
4. customizing .xml files
<subsection for each .xml file in question>
overview of .xml file in question
description of .xml entries & possible values for entry
5. screen savers
- adding/removing/editing screen savers
6. scripts
- adding/removing/editing scripts
7. skins
- adding/removing/editing screen savers
compilation/programming guide
=======================
the compilation/programming guide would assist users who wish to contribute to the xbmc project.
for example,
1. welcome
purpose of the guide
overview of things that can be changed
base development tools required
location of files
project team guidelines, etc.
best practices
4. using .xml files
- adding/changing/extending functionality
- additional development environment configurations/tools
5. screen savers
- additional development environment configurations/tools
6. scripts
- additional development environment configurations/tools
7. skins
- additional development environment configurations/tools
8. compiling xbmc
- procedure
- tools required
- configuration requirements
some of the sections/subsections - and points - need be properly organized from a "information flow" perspective.
anyway, my 2c worth.
kz
- los93sol - 2005-07-12
hmm...i like your ideas...i just laid out a bunch of pages to start writing...but i would like to see what you have in mind a bit more in detail. register at the wiki and lay something out and i will try to work from it instead of what i laid out if its better, a few revisions on the layout before writing would be good anyway. :thumbsup:
regards,
los93sol
- kzr1y2 - 2005-07-12
hi los93sol,
ok, will do ... i'll take a moment to register with wikki. i have a few documentation deadlines to finish this week so i may only get around to building an outline on the weekend.
cheers,
kz
- kzr1y2 - 2005-07-18
hi los93sol,
let me know if you received the email i sent ... haven't had time to get acquainted with wikki as of yet but wanted to send you a revised ug outline for you to look at/post.
cheers,
kz