[Geoserver-devel] Documentation issues: higher profile reference to the older docs

GeoServer GeoServer Developer
1

Hi,
I was looking into a place to insert the documentation about WMS service
configuration options added last week and noticed that a number of
the pages in the new user docs are provided just in skeleton form,
such as:
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/lines.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/polygons.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/extensions/wfsv.html

The content will come, but in the meantime, wouldn't it be better
to have a higher profile link to the old docs in _all_ the pages
of the new documentation?

For example, if someone looks into labeling options, he will
think there are none, since none are documented (not even
in skeleton form).

I would prefer to have some very visible link to the old
docs. "Can't find what you're looking for here? Have a look
into the old documentation".

Cheers
Andrea

--
Andrea Aime
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

2

Agreed, based on how much of the new documentation is actually there, deprecating the wiki was probably premature.

A link at the top of the page should it, similar to how the old docs now has a deprecation.

Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi,
I was looking into a place to insert the documentation about WMS service
configuration options added last week and noticed that a number of
the pages in the new user docs are provided just in skeleton form,
such as:
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/lines.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/polygons.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/extensions/wfsv.html

The content will come, but in the meantime, wouldn't it be better
to have a higher profile link to the old docs in _all_ the pages
of the new documentation?

For example, if someone looks into labeling options, he will
think there are none, since none are documented (not even
in skeleton form).

I would prefer to have some very visible link to the old
docs. "Can't find what you're looking for here? Have a look
into the old documentation".

Cheers
Andrea

--
Justin Deoliveira
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Enterprise support for open source geospatial.

3

Hey Chris. Does this seem like something that could be done easily? On the old site, we have a generilink to the new docs, but perhaps we should (for now) also have a generilink to the old docs from the new? What say you?

BTW, the theme is now in two places: 1.7.x branch, and trunk:

https://svn.codehaus.org/geoserver/branches/1.7.x/doc/theme/
https://svn.codehaus.org/geoserver/trunk/doc/theme/

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Agreed, based on how much of the new documentation is actually there, deprecating the wiki was probably premature.

A link at the top of the page should it, similar to how the old docs now has a deprecation.

Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi,
I was looking into a place to insert the documentation about WMS service
configuration options added last week and noticed that a number of
the pages in the new user docs are provided just in skeleton form,
such as:
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/lines.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/polygons.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/extensions/wfsv.html

The content will come, but in the meantime, wouldn't it be better
to have a higher profile link to the old docs in _all_ the pages
of the new documentation?

For example, if someone looks into labeling options, he will
think there are none, since none are documented (not even
in skeleton form).

I would prefer to have some very visible link to the old
docs. "Can't find what you're looking for here? Have a look
into the old documentation".

Cheers
Andrea

4

Yeah, this should be easy (and will go in the sidebar unless someone is strongly -1).

Mike, can you send me the text & links you want, and I'll add that in (probably this afternoon).

Chris

On Jun 5, 2009, at 2:28 PM, Mike Pumphrey wrote:

Hey Chris. Does this seem like something that could be done easily? On the old site, we have a generilink to the new docs, but perhaps we should (for now) also have a generilink to the old docs from the new? What say you?

BTW, the theme is now in two places: 1.7.x branch, and trunk:

https://svn.codehaus.org/geoserver/branches/1.7.x/doc/theme/
https://svn.codehaus.org/geoserver/trunk/doc/theme/

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Agreed, based on how much of the new documentation is actually there, deprecating the wiki was probably premature.
A link at the top of the page should it, similar to how the old docs now has a deprecation.
Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi,
I was looking into a place to insert the documentation about WMS service
configuration options added last week and noticed that a number of
the pages in the new user docs are provided just in skeleton form,
such as:
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/lines.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/polygons.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/extensions/wfsv.html

The content will come, but in the meantime, wouldn't it be better
to have a higher profile link to the old docs in _all_ the pages
of the new documentation?

For example, if someone looks into labeling options, he will
think there are none, since none are documented (not even
in skeleton form).

I would prefer to have some very visible link to the old
docs. "Can't find what you're looking for here? Have a look
into the old documentation".

Cheers
Andrea

5

Thanks, Chris. Here's my take:

Long version (in a box?):

"This documentation is a work in progress. While content is always being added, you may wish to refer to the _legacy documentation_ if the information you are looking for is not yet contained here."

Short version (as just a link):

_Legacy documentation_

You can pick which ever one fits with your idea of how it should look.

Link:

http://geoserver.org/display/GEOSDOC/Documentation

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Christopher Patterson wrote:

Yeah, this should be easy (and will go in the sidebar unless someone is strongly -1).

Mike, can you send me the text & links you want, and I'll add that in (probably this afternoon).

Chris

On Jun 5, 2009, at 2:28 PM, Mike Pumphrey wrote:

Hey Chris. Does this seem like something that could be done easily? On the old site, we have a generilink to the new docs, but perhaps we should (for now) also have a generilink to the old docs from the new? What say you?

BTW, the theme is now in two places: 1.7.x branch, and trunk:

https://svn.codehaus.org/geoserver/branches/1.7.x/doc/theme/
https://svn.codehaus.org/geoserver/trunk/doc/theme/

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Agreed, based on how much of the new documentation is actually there, deprecating the wiki was probably premature.
A link at the top of the page should it, similar to how the old docs now has a deprecation.
Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi,
I was looking into a place to insert the documentation about WMS service
configuration options added last week and noticed that a number of
the pages in the new user docs are provided just in skeleton form,
such as:
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/lines.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/styling/sld-cookbook/polygons.html
http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/extensions/wfsv.html

The content will come, but in the meantime, wouldn't it be better
to have a higher profile link to the old docs in _all_ the pages
of the new documentation?

For example, if someone looks into labeling options, he will
think there are none, since none are documented (not even
in skeleton form).

I would prefer to have some very visible link to the old
docs. "Can't find what you're looking for here? Have a look
into the old documentation".

Cheers
Andrea