Textpattern FAQs

gaekwad · 2014-09-09 16:20:40

The current Textpattern FAQs range from useful to embarrassingly outdated and everything in between.

Let’s fix that situation and improve the FAQs.

We use this software regularly, and frequent visitors that help out with support on this forum know what’s considered a frequently asked question. The list linked above is not, in my opinion, an accurate view of the current FAQs.

I’m volunteering to co-ordinate and work on the textpattern.com FAQs, with a view to merging them into the site at an appropriate time.

I’m looking for some collaborators to help with comments on existing FAQ, rewrites, organisation, updates and other word-related things to make the website more useful.

Textpattern has a small, 4-person development team. They’re all busy, and we can write — so let’s fix the FAQs. FAQs are something that many people around here can have some input on, whether you’re a Textpattern end user, administrator, plugin author or involved in supporting people asking questions around here. The better the FAQs, the more value the website has.

I’ve created textpattern-faq on GitHub. Please note: there is no requirement to use GitHub; if you have anything to add or comment on, you can do so on GitHub or leave a reply here.

Feedback on existing FAQs? Great. Ideas for new FAQs? Even better. Comments on how this process should take place? Fantastic.

I’m going to start by migrating the existing FAQs into the linked GH repo above while I ~~watch~~ throw in the towel trying to watch the Apple keynote live stream tonight. If you can help out in any way, leave a reply here and we can start formulating an action plan.

Last edited by gaekwad (2014-09-09 17:06:06)

philwareham · 2014-09-09 16:36:40

Thanks Pete – just remember that we’ll probably merge the FAQs into the documentation part of the website eventually. Will be handy to have them on GitHub anyway to help that process.

gaekwad · 2014-09-09 16:37:34

Absolutely – this is a precursor.

michaelkpate · 2014-09-09 17:06:40

gaekwad wrote #283604:

I’m looking for some collaborators to help with comments on existing FAQ, rewrites, organisation, updates and other word-related things to make the website more useful.

I would be happy to contribute to the effort.

Bloke · 2014-09-09 21:34:30

gaekwad wrote #283604:

Let’s fix that situation and improve the FAQs.

Yay, thanks Pete.

Although it probably doesn’t need stating, here lie some reasonably sensible guidelines on FAQs, and tip number 1 Use Them As A Last Resort really is the most important. We’ve got 130 of the buggers, which is about 120 too many! Prune, prune, prune. Please.

What I consider the troubleshooting FAQs went to the wiki. Currently it has only two:

How to reset your password.
How to access and interpret a tag trace for debugging.

Seriously, they were the only useful ones. Those could no doubt be improved and folded back into whatever format the documentation eventually takes. Destry did some preliminary work somewhere (probably a Google doc but I can’t find it) on analysing the textpattern.com content, which I think included the FAQs. If so, perhaps he might be able to share that to save repeating work.

gaekwad · 2014-09-10 07:26:16

michaelkpate wrote #283607:

I would be happy to contribute to the effort.

Excellent -thank you. What skill set do you have that can help the cause, Mr Pate?

gaekwad · 2014-09-10 07:28:47

Bloke wrote #283611:

We’ve got 130 of the buggers, which is about 120 too many! Prune, prune, prune. Please.

I’ve started the initial pass of the FAQs and they are, as you say, legion. One that I found even refers to 4.0.7, which is quite something. It’s going to be a gradual process to import them all into GH, especially when there are so many nested spans (and lots more) to strip out, but I think it’s a good initial step.

michaelkpate · 2014-09-10 14:06:50

gaekwad wrote #283627:

Excellent -thank you. What skill set do you have that can help the cause, Mr Pate?

I’ve been using Textile for a decade and I have a background in Libraries and Education so I have written my fair share of instructions. Oh, and I have a Github account.

gaekwad · 2014-09-14 19:03:25

Haven’t forgotten about this; had a crazy few days dealing with emergency stuff offline, will be back very soon.

michaelkpate · 2014-09-15 01:11:58

gaekwad wrote #283743:

Haven’t forgotten about this; had a crazy few days dealing with emergency stuff offline, will be back very soon.

No problem. The important thing is that we do it right.

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