Author Topic: Where the heck is the documentation???  (Read 4636 times)

GrantRobertson

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Where the heck is the documentation???
« on: May 01, 2007, 10:59:29 pm »
I just spent the last hour searching for any kind of decent documentation for Code::Blocks and can't find a thing. The installation instructions don't do much more than just list files to download. Should I just unarchive the files somewhere? Where? Do I need to add any folders to the path? Should I set any environment variables? What does the  - now obsolete - automated installer do that simply unarchiving a nightly build does not do? Not to mention the debugger, how to integrate various debuggers to work with various compilers, What do all the menu items do, what the heck do all the options mean, how are those options tied to the compilers, ...

I know the developers are working for free and I don't mean to sound ungrateful for their efforts but...

Do you want people to actually be able to use the software or do you just want to be able to say that you wrote it? If the former then it is vitally important to create at least some kind of documentation for users to start with. If the latter then you might as well just close your eyes and type randomly all night. Even if I had the time and energy to write a whole set of documentation for this project, I would have no idea where to start because there isn't even bad documentation for over 99% of the program. There is just nothing at all. I am left just totally guessing here!

Offline dje

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Re: Where the heck is the documentation???
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2007, 11:05:56 pm »
Hi !

There is a pretty good wiki.

Concerning installation, you may have a look at this for windows or that to have links on other OSs.

You forgot to tell if you're interested in using the latest nightly or build C::B from sources.

Dje

Offline BCCISProf

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Re: Where the heck is the documentation???
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2007, 11:11:36 pm »
You might also want to look at the following which is intended for students who are getting started with CodeBlocks
http://www.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~goetz/codeblocks/

Offline troels

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Re: Where the heck is the documentation???
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2007, 11:17:53 pm »
You might also want to look at the following which is intended for students who are getting started with CodeBlocks
http://www.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~goetz/codeblocks/

The pdf looks brillant. This link deserves a prominent place on codeblocks.org I think!

/Troels

GrantRobertson

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Re: Where the heck is the documentation???
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2007, 05:31:25 am »
There is a pretty good wiki.

Concerning installation, you may have a look at this for windows or that to have links on other OSs.

I'm sorry, but I have already read what little there is in the wiki. There are a few really good articles about certain things. But there is no general overview or basic documentation. The installation documentation for Windows is particularly lacking. Basically, all it says is that the automated installation is obsolete and sends the reader on a wild goose chase that ends in not much more than a list of files to download. I finally got the program installed by guessing my way through based on the few clues spread throughout all the different web pages I found.

I'm sure the IDE is great. But it is going to be very difficult to learn how to use it with such little documentation.

GrantRobertson

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Re: Where the heck is the documentation???
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2007, 05:51:12 am »
You might also want to look at the following which is intended for students who are getting started with CodeBlocks
http://www.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~goetz/codeblocks/

My web browser has been sitting for over an hour trying to connect to that site. Every link I try that goes anywhere on www.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu just dies. I have even tried going to CUNY Brooklyn's home page and clicking on links on their own web site. It still just dies. Oddly, it takes my browser (both IE and Firefox) almost an hour before it gives up. If anyone has any clue what is up or any other way to get to this documentation I would appreciate it.

Offline stahta01

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Offline killerbot

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Re: Where the heck is the documentation???
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2007, 09:36:51 am »
some other install info :

http://forums.codeblocks.org/index.php/topic,3232.0.html

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