[Bf-docboard] Blender 2.5 documentation first proposal

[mindrones]

Hello,

I noticed that someone already started to document 2.5 features in the current Manual, so I feel it is the time to explain what is my proposal  about 2.5 docs.

VERSIONING
-----------

Basically I think 2.4x manual should remain untouched, and we should branch into a 2.5 Manual, letting people choose between the two manuals usign an appropriate banner in the wiki.

There is a sandbox page for 2.5 here:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Meta:Sandbox/Doc:2.5/Manual

As stated in the page itself, the plan is to use the sandbox to write down things and keep Doc:Manual for 2.4 until 2.5.1.

When we feel it's time to show Meta:Sandbox/Doc:2.5/Manual to the public, we can COPY Doc:Manual/* to Doc:2.4x/Manual/* and COPY contents from Meta:Sandbox/Doc:2.5/Manual/* to Doc:Manual, so that we keep a 2.4 version of the manual
Moving is not an option because it deletes old content and redirects in general.

Same applies to all folders "below" Doc: (Doc:Reference/* Doc:Tutorials/* etc) and Extensions (Extensions:2.5/Py/Scripts/Catalog/*)


When 2.5x will become 2.6 we basically won't do anything because 2.6 is the  2.5 stable if I get it correctly, so Doc:Manual will be 2.6 already.

I'd like to hear some opinions about versioning different blender version too, like having Doc:2.5.1/Manual Doc:2.5.2/Manual and so on, see also shortcuts, below.


WARNING BANNER
---------------

I'm going to put a big warning in the wiki to explain this, if there are disagreement just let me know here or online.


AUTOMATIC REFERENCE and SHORTCUTS
----------------------------------

We're working with Campbell in order to have an automatic reference for buttons, panels, etc in order to let authors and editors in general to use contents from it.

Also, I'll propose a new way to put shortcut in the text: I'd like to create a "command" template to be used like this

{{command|2.5.1|parent}}

shows

{{shortcut|ctrl|P}}

so that if for some reason the default parent command in 2.5.2 change to shift-ctrl-P we just change Template:Command so that:

{{command|2.5.2|parent}}

shows

{{shortcut|shift|ctrl|P}}

This commands would be updated automatic with a script.

This way the whole 2.5.2 manual will change in a second at release time.
I still have to elaborate on this though...

SKIN UPDATE
------------

- There are some broken things in it (i.e. footer for unlogged users)
- Francesco Siddi (fsiddi) is working on some css and js to make things easier to navigate, we talked live at the conference, but help would be needed of course, I'll mail about these things in a separate mail when things will be more clear
- Bastien (Mont29) has proposed a very big change to do to manage Glossary in a cool way, but as for now it is quite big and doens't work properly in all cases
- later I'll propose some Quiz stuff to be added in pages

==> We need to discuss some design in order to find the appropriate js framework working for all the new stuff.


I'll write more mails laters, but I'd like to discuss these things as a start :)


Regards, Luca






_____________

http://www.mindrones.com