[PATCH] Adding "forum.kde.org" and "UserBase" to the help menu

[Torsten Rahn]

On Monday 08 December 2008 18:52:57 Anne Wilson wrote:
> On Monday 08 December 2008 17:03:51 Friedrich W. H. Kossebau wrote:
> > IMHO we should add two entries to each program's help menu, even for 4.2:
> > * for UserBase
> > * for forum.kde.org

The feature sounds like a good one. 

However looking at the Help menu of my KDE 4.1 I realize that for several 
applications the Help menu becomes already quite longish. 
After all "Aunt Tilly" should feel that she is being helped and not struck by 
a ton of different options. Especially with regard to the help menu it's 
important that it conveys the message of "easy understanding".

So what has the input of the usability team been with regard to the addition 
of these two options (and what if we'd add more online resources in the 
future)? 
I think that the way and location of a feature that affects all applications 
requires the review and input of the usability team before the patch gets 
applied to SVN. 

Regards,

Torsten

 



> >
> > [Why for 4.2?]
> > Fixes two missing but important links between our products and the newest
> > social services. Would be sad to have six more month without them,
> > especially now with everybody jumping to KDE4. And wasn't the leading
> > idea from this year's Akademy to improve community structures? [KCW]
> > Let's do it! :)
> >
> > Would be also sad because such a lot of work has been put into these both
> > services.
> > But how should Aunt Lilly and all the other users know about it? She
> > might use $searchservice, but we should help her and tell what we, the
> > KDE creators, do recommend. Especially because e.g. UserBase is not in
> > the results for some random search terms of Aunt Lilly (besides userbase)
> > I tried.
> >
> > It also adds to ways to give back (UserBase content, knowledge exchange
> > at forum) and might help to increase the community, as it is a (okay,
> > two) click away from every menu, which also means discoveribility!
>
> Total agreement.
>
> > [Please look at the patch attached]
> > It basically adds two more entries to the help menu: One for a link to
> > some online docs (UserBase as default) and one for a link to a forum
> > (forum.kde.org as default). The basic features are:
> > f1) supports KAuthorized::authorizeKAction (with XMLGUI)
> > f2) links can be controlled by distributions/admins via KConfig
> >     (if they really think they need to provide their own support center)
> > f3) general url or parameterized url for program specific pages
> >
> > [Questions (especially to Anne, Rob, Jayant):]
> > a) How can we support f3 with the services?
> > forum.kde.org:
> > Can there be a service call/url for forum.kde.org which takes the appName
> > from KAboutData [KAD] ("kwrite", "okteta", etc.) as parameter and then
> > jumps to the proper forum? Something
> > like "http://forum.kde.org/forum.php?tag=$appName"?
> > UserBase:
> > By tradition the program specific pages are to be found at
> > http://userbase.kde.org/$UntranslatedProgramName[_(langcode)]. But
> > $UntranslatedProgramName ("KWrite", "Okteta", etc.) is not available from
> > KAboutData or elsewhere in the code, only the appname or the translated
> > ProgramName. So without changing KAboutData, could there be some support
> > on UserBase to redirect from http://userbase.kde.org/$appName to
> > http://userbase.kde.org/$UntranslatedProgramName? Like adding such
> > redirect pages manually?
>
> Since I'm not a developer, I'd need a little help to get started, to ensure
> that what I'm doing is absolutely correct, but I'm willing to help with
> redirects.  Once we have a clear plan of action it shouldn't take too long
> to do.
>
> > b) What would be proper names for the menu entries and the config keys?
> > The patch contains:
> > menu entries: "Online &Documentation", "Discussion &Forum"
> > Group: "Help",
> > Keys: "WebDocsGeneral", "WebDocsAppSpecific", "WebForumGeneral",
> > "WebForumAppSpecific" c) What about 3-party/non-core KDE programs? Their
> > developers might want to use their own forums and wikis. E.g. KOffice and
> > Amarok? Where should they control the links? By adding the urls as
> > properties to KAboutData, like it is done with the homepage url?
>
> For consistency I'd like the links to be to UserBase.  It is our intention
> that a clear link would exist to the home pages and forums for any
> application where the devs want to keep their own site.  My reasoning is
> simply that a single jumping-off place is preferable, and the devs in
> question keep full control of what goes on their site.
>
> > d) What do you think?
> >
> > [KCW]
> > http://akademy2008.kde.org/conference/presentation/40.php
> > [KAD]
> > http://api.kde.org/4.x-api/kdelibs-apidocs/kdecore/html/classKAboutData.h
> >tm l
> >
> > Adds two strings to translate.
>
> Technical questions are best left to others :-)  but count me in for the
> labour.
>
> Anne