Help needs help
This issue was created automatically from an original Mantis Issue. Further discussion may take place here.
The ParaView help system is a major step forward (from nothing), but still needs lots of work. I don't know how to be specific with such a general topic, so shall give some thoughts and then specifics.
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We need a "getting started, or ParaView 101, or somesuch. This could be as simple as "Open a file from the included data. Turn on a filter. Spin stuff. Here is the Pipeline Browser. Here is the object Inspector. Here is how they play together.
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Somewhere under contents, there should be an entry for every item at the top menu of ParaView - including what it is. For instance, File (obvious) / Save State (not obvious). What state? Animation state? My data file? etc. The following enries, under File, have no help: Open, Recent Files, Load State, Save State, Save Data, Save Screenshot, Connect and Disconnect. Save Animation and Save Geometry are found at the bottom of the animation tab.
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Although fabulously important, we have Readers (attached to file extensions), Sources (a menu item), Filters (Another menu item) and Writers (I don't really know what this is - for developers?) as the bottom four items of the Contents. Use a user-centric approach, and go through Menus, then icons, then Pipeline Browser, then Object Inspector, etc. Put reference stuff at the bottom, for instance writers. Use more sub-menus (as is used for the Display Panel).
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We are missing stuff out of the Index - in fact it is almost non existant. For instance, Filters - and all specific types of Filters - are missing.
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Search state is very anemic. For instance, Load State doesn't exist. Almost everything under "File" doesn't exist. If two words are used, search is often wrong, giving me every instance of each word individually.
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General statement: Every word (or at least label) in every menu should be findable by doing a search.
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General statement: Every sub menu item should be findable by going to the index.
By the way, the general statement that the Help system needs lots of work comes from one of our first users.
Alan