[TYPO3-UG US] Documentation team volunteer and indexing question

[Alex Heizer]

Christopher wrote:

>On 24/10/05, Alex Heizer <alex at tekdevelopment.com> wrote (to the English List):
>
>  
>
>>The US documentation team is doing this, beginning with the extension
>>manuals, and will move on to all the documentation. We will also be
>>helping out with a "Learning TYPO3" package that will consolidate the
>>"GoLive", "MTB1&2", "FTB", "Getting Started", "TypoScript By Example"
>>manuals, and others into a single set of documentation that will lead a
>>new website developer through learning T3 using relevant examples and
>>processes.
>>    
>>
>
>In response to some of the posts to the English list in the last
>couple of weeks discussing the tone of the lists and the difficulties
>new Typo3 users can have a) figuring out the system, and b) getting
>help, I was thinking about suggesting that the community adopt
>somthing like a standard tutorial that new users could be directed to.
>  
>
It seems like the general sense is we're all thinking along the same 
lines in this regard, which is good. :)

>My theory was that, if new users (or a significant percentage of them)
>could be assumed to have had a broad and complete (if shallow)
>introduction to Typo3, it'd make it easier a) for them to ask
>questions in an intelligent way, and b) for more experienced users to
>help -- perhaps by building on a standard set of examples.
>  
>
It might be good to include in the Learning T3 project some "hints" 
about how to ask questions to receive the maximum amount of help. Once 
there is a solid guide/manual for people to learn the basics in one 
place, that should definitely make it easier for people to help out. 
Right now there are a lot of references, and everyone has their favorite 
to quote from. So you may get one question being responded to in 3 or 4 
different directions.

>What I had in mind was a tutorial -- hopefully < 75 pages or so in
>size -- that could provide a pretty complete introduction to the major
>areas of Typo3, from installation and interface, to templating, to
>more advanced TS, to TSconfig, to user groups and permissions and
>access. The idea would be to a) provide a sound basis for further
>learning and b) to include a select bibliography of available Typo3
>documentation, all while focussing on getting a complete website up
>and running.
>  
>
The biggest thing will be helping them get a foundation. Then, any 
questions and answers will (hopefully) make more sense to all involved. 
Then, if someone wants to know how to make something complicated for 
their site, all they'll need to learn are the particulars, not "what 
does 'allWrap' mean??" If they are asking this before they go through 
the Learning T3 project, we can have a single place to point them to 
learn to walk before trying to run.

>However, since Alex mentions consolidating various manuals and
>tutorials above, and talks as though the project has already started,
>I'd be pleased to volunteer for any part of laying out, writing,
>editing, testing or proofing such a document. Where can I find out
>more about what's going on with this project? 
>
For now, the latest news is just on the US list, but we've set up the 
forum and discussions should start there soon. Dimitri is coordinating 
the Learning T3 project, but the doc team will be helping out with the 
documentation part of it. We can always use volunteers, so I'll contact 
you offlist with the particulars of working with the documentation.

>It occurs to me that if
>we did a sufficiently good job with a document like this, it could
>form the basis for (or simply _be_) a study guide for the
>Association's ongoing certification project (not to mention a good
>training tool for Typo3 agencies' new staffers...)
>  
>
Good idea. Once we have something more concrete, we can present it to 
the Association.

>On a slightly different note, something I have thought that the Typo3
>documentation needed ever since I first encountered it was an INDEX --
>a _proper_ index, not just another table of contents. Is there anyone
>on this list with a background in library sciences who'd be willing to
>even entertain the idea of thinking about such a gargantuan job?
>  
>
That's a good idea, too. We want to avoid having to do a search through 
content in order to find what you need. An index would definitely help 
out a lot with that. There is a lot of duplication of content and ideas, 
it would be great to have it all indexed so that people can go to one 
place to look up something, even if it jumps them out to a half dozen 
referenced documents.

Alex