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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : help.bas

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markboston36
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Joined: 27/10/2020
Location: United States
Posts: 76
Posted: 02:37am 21 Nov 2020
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  CircuitGizmos said  I hope that the help files will be on the SD card. This lets the help information get updated without the need for recompiling the source. Can you imagine how many times people will find little things to ask for?

Plus this lets the help file be a lot richer than just a simple bit of text. It would have syntax usage, example code, notes, pitfalls, and links to other help files and pictures.

I had this started, but when the displayed code needed to be scrolled, I decided on a different approach - and had to set that aside.


Now we might have a reason to have a maximite with wifi. although the ones already sold that don't have it aren't going to add wifi just to be able to get access to the help system.

i guess you could periodically check and see if theres an update similar to firmware updates. in fact firmware updates could also update the help files then you wouldn't need any type of connection.
 
Volhout
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Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 5090
Posted: 05:08pm 21 Nov 2020
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TassyJim, matherp,

If you implement the help, I hope you include (either in the help text, or via a link) an example. I generally find that more educative than can be explained by the help text itself. Such as "a picture says more than a thousand words".

Marvelous idea, including searchable help in the firmware.!!

Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
 
elk1984

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Joined: 11/07/2020
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 228
Posted: 07:07pm 21 Nov 2020
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  vegipete said  
  TassyJim said  The next stage will be to convert the HTML to text files so I can offer a more complete help system.

Unless some enterprising programmer steps forward with a rudimentary HTML renderer...


An idle thought, and only a mockup (well, it's hardcoded to give an idea rather than reading a file etc.)
 
matherp
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Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: 07:16pm 21 Nov 2020
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Guys

Don't get your hopes up too far. Anything that is included in the firmware will be a simple lookup to give you command syntax - nothing more.

It would be completely wrong to build in any function that relied on a particular file residing on a SDcard so that isn't going to happen
 
elk1984

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Posted: 07:18pm 21 Nov 2020
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  matherp said  Don't get your hopes up too far. Anything that is included in the firmware will be a simple lookup to give you command syntax - nothing more.


Absolutely - I was having a bit of retro fun  
 
CircuitGizmos

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Joined: 08/09/2011
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Posted: 07:25pm 21 Nov 2020
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  elk1984 said  
An idle thought, and only a mockup (well, it's hardcoded to give an idea rather than reading a file etc.)



I REALLY like this.
Edited 2020-11-22 05:26 by CircuitGizmos
Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite
 
elk1984

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Posted: 07:49pm 21 Nov 2020
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  CircuitGizmos said  I REALLY like this.


I'll give it some thought.  Essentially the left pane is an index, the top is a header and the content is the main pane.  With some work to split text across rows correctly and some controls to navigate, to would be an interesting distraction.

At best it would be something for the welcome tape (?), could never replace the printed documentation and would need to be easily maintainable from the published documentation.  It could help other language translations potentially though...
Edited 2020-11-22 05:51 by elk1984
 
TassyJim

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Joined: 07/08/2011
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Posts: 6283
Posted: 08:08pm 21 Nov 2020
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  Volhout said  TassyJim, matherp,

If you implement the help, I hope you include (either in the help text, or via a link) an example. I generally find that more educative than can be explained by the help text itself. Such as "a picture says more than a thousand words".

Marvelous idea, including searchable help in the firmware.!!

Volhout


I have been slowly adding examples to the on-line help resource.
https://www.c-com.com.au/mmhelp/

It is my goal to keep adding and making sure that you can copy and paste reliably without any strange formatting codes that plague printed text at times.

I will continue with translating the html to text and produce a very basic man page viewer.

What anyone else does with it is up to you. I look forward to seeing the results.

It's spring time here so not as much time for inside at the keyboard.

Jim
VK7JH
MMedit
 
vegipete

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Joined: 29/01/2013
Location: Canada
Posts: 1132
Posted: 08:54pm 21 Nov 2020
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Elk1984's idea looks very nice. Now, if that were a function key away in the editor, and a selected command could be pasted in at the cursor...

Add an effective search, especially one that can find words in the command description...
Visit Vegipete's *Mite Library for cool programs.
 
elk1984

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Joined: 11/07/2020
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 228
Posted: 09:25pm 21 Nov 2020
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  vegipete said  Elk1984's idea looks very nice. Now, if that were a function key away in the editor, and a selected command could be pasted in at the cursor...

Add an effective search, especially one that can find words in the command description...


That would be cool, but I think it's beyond the scope of what is reasonable to build into the firmware (I'd wouldn't want to exchange a 3D library for a helptext system).

That said, I'll keep plugging away because my interest is piqued now.

@TassyJim.  Any problems with me using your work linked here as input for this?  I can't see complex items (like tables) making it in the first few cuts, but who knows where it will end up.





A slightly reworked look, with compatibility indicated in Green and function group (Type Conversion etc) in Blue.

I'm thinking a way of Tabbing between "Keyword Help", "Functions", "Commands", "Function Group", "Compatibility" etc.  The selected version would be shown top left as above.
Edited 2020-11-22 11:14 by elk1984
 
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