Xara X documentation

I've been using Xara since v2, and am quite familiar with it, but have still got lots to learn. With the launch of X and the departure from Corel, Xara will be looking for lots of new customers, and a positive reaction from the press. So many good programs are let down by having badly written, or very slim documentation. (hello Micrografx) I'm sure that even experienced users of Xara would welcome a good manual, and book of tips - ideas of things to do. Programs like this encourage the user to think laterally sometimes, and its always good to get someone elses perspective. What are the plans, Xara? Even if it is in PDF format, a really good users book would have a profound effect on sales, and user productivity. You could always employ Gary to take care of it for you!

I've been using Xara since v2, and am quite familiar with it, but have still got lots to learn. With the launch of X and the departure from Corel, Xara will be looking for lots of new customers, and a positive reaction from the press. So many good programs are let down by having badly written, or very slim documentation. (hello Micrografx) I'm sure that even experienced users of Xara would welcome a good manual, and book of tips - ideas of things to do. Programs like this encourage the user to think laterally sometimes, and its always good to get someone elses perspective. What are the plans, Xara? Even if it is in PDF format, a really good users book would have a profound effect on sales, and user productivity. You could always employ Gary to take care of it for you!

The Xara people are pretty good with documentation, but I really DETEST that they are STILL using the arcaic and ugly Windows "Help" system. Why not move all this material to HTML files? There won't be ANY users of this product which don't have a browser installed. Get with the times, Xara!

KN

I agreee with Klaus on this matter. I suppose it's a matter of keeping costs down when it comes to printed documentation. I purchased Xara 1.5 from a retail outfit, when Corel were still "selling" Xara, and this came with an excellent manual, which I still occasionally refer to today.

However, having recently purchased Flash 4, and paid 17.5 % VAT (European Tax) to get a manual version, I was greatly let down, on discovering the manual was just an exact reproduction of the on disc HTML version.

So I would go with Klaus, no manual but move the help files to HTML.

Egg

Ah, Klaus, you never were one to mince words, eh? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Every So Humble...

Sexless Gary Person: Minced words are wasted words.

Be it ever so unhumble,

Klaus Man
www.pixpush.com/klaus

I'm sure there must be someone who's produced an HTML help system with substance. So far, I haven't found one. The HTML systems I've encountered to date are all flash and minimal content. [I'm sure that's not HTML's fault... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]]

Poysonally, I'm perfectly happy with the archaic Windows help system so long as it supplies the info I need.

Motto for help systems: More help, less hype! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

HTML help may be newfangled and cutting edge, but it's also slow, inflexible, and horribly inefficient. The 'archaic, ugly' Windows help system is actually a fairly efficient way of delivering indexed, searchable, cross-referenced information.

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, which can't do pop-up glossary-style windows easily and which takes an age to search. I know how the Widows help system operates, and I know how to find information with it.

Ollie tried converting all the Xara help pages to HTML around the time of 1.5, when Microsoft was making noises about HTML help being the thing of the future. It was a nightmare. It sucked. Many features of Windows help simply couldn't be replicated properly. It still would suck today - all that's happened is that we've found new and creative ways to crash MSIE using JavaScript and Flash.

Sometimes, the original ways are the best.

David

Now there's a name I haven't seen in a while. Thanks for stopping by and clearing that up, David!

Dennis [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

<a href=http://www.inconnect.com/~dennisco/>Carillus Design</a>

Just to confirm David's posting, we deliberately do not use the latest HTML help technology because of the feature and performance issues, and what is more I predict that in future other software will shun the clumsy, pedestrian help currently fashionable.

Mark Goodall
Xara Ltd

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

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...

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

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.

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

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.

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

thanks

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

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.

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.

Here is the latest The CD contents. All of Gary's tutorials, workbooks and webxelots.
The version that comes with the boxed set is a little different.