Xara X documentation

[will]

this forum is better than any help file and alot more entertaining!!

[gwpriester]

A voice from the past posts

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I always groan when I ask an application for help and it fires up a web browser (or worse, some custom help interface). I've asked for help - the last thing I need is a non-standard user interface that I've got to learn my way around....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I totally agree David. I have never had a problem with the Windows Help menus, and Xara's context-sensitive help menus are terrific.

Call me retro or whatever you want, but I much prefer the Windows approach.

Whenever I click on Help in Flash and then have to wait for IE to fire up and then am presented with a full list of options that by the time they have presented themselves, I've totally forgotten the question. Klaus must be seeing something that I am missing here. But for my 2 cents, context sensitive, on-demand Help is the only way to go.

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Every So Humble...

[traceyp]

I can't agree more regarding the advantages of the Windows help system. Its so much faster and you can actually find things using it. I have very few programs which use HTML help thank goodness and several programs I've purchased recently have had Windows help rather than HTML. Glad to hear that Xara are sticking to tried and tested systems. Why Microsoft ever changed to HTML I don't suppose we shall ever know but in my view, and obviously those of many others, I think HTML help leaves an awful lot to be desired.

Incidentally I echo a previous message which welcomed the voice of common sense and dare I say Wisdom, namely David Matthewman. Nice to hear from you again David.

Trace

[James Loudon]

No problem with that. A good context sensitive help system is v. useful. However, a user book is still a must, I reckon. Do it in PDF so we can print it out and peruse at leisure. The less I have to stare at printed words on a screen, the happier my eyes are.

[Sean Sedwards]

Stability with Flash might explain why Macromedia went with raw HTML, but I've found MS HTML Help (i.e. .CHM compiled help files) to be rock solid with the sort of text, graphics and hyperlinks found in ordinary help files. Other advantages are greatly reduced file size, not including the blank space at the bottom of short pages when printing out entire sections and plug-in versions for use on web pages. Although finding words is almost instant with standard help, this is because it has created a substantial permanent look-up file (*.FTS). HH does this on-the-fly, yet the time it takes is still insignificant.

Hmm... tightly packed and doing things on-the-fly to avoid wasting resources. Now what does that remind me of?

Regards - Sean

[shreeit]

I am one of very few people who like manual.
If printed manual add cost then PDF manual fine.
I think Xara will have ample space on CD to accomodate PDF manual. You can have separate
downloads for program and manual to restrict the size of downlaod.

[jriemerm]

Has anyone received the "boxed version" of Xara X1 yet? Can you describe the manual? # of pages, illustrations, etc?

thanks

[James Loudon]

Its back. It lives! My thread from 4 years ago - its alive! The chemicals work!
<its back to the lab for me>

[raynerj]

Hello James,

Not I, Anybody recieve it yet? I Have the original xara docs for version 1, and the Html Manual for xara x. Still winging it with x1 though. The movies are very, very informative, and the lady narrator has a sexy voice.

[AntonyF]

I was reading this thread... and most of it made sense even four years later. It wasn't until I saw Mark Goodall supposedly make a post (who doesn't even work here anymore) that I realised something was up.

James R.. why oh why have you brought this topic up?

But in answer to your question, no products are being phyiscally shipped yet. We generally wait for two weeks before getting the CDs pressed, just to be sure any problems are ironed out before it gets committed to the CD.

There won't be a manual, and it'll be pretty much like Xara X in the sense of two CDs in a jewel case. Don't know what the box will be like yet, it's being worked on now. I've seen the CD design, which is simple yet effective (as long as the CD printers can cope with plenty of black).

There will be one new thing though... a keyboard shortcut card to keep on your desk.