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<html><head><meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"><title>The GNOME Documentation System</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.40"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The GNOME Handbook of Writing Software Documentation"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="The GNOME Handbook of Writing Software Documentation"><link rel="previous" href="indexs02.html" title="Getting Started Writing GNOME Documentation"><link rel="next" href="indexs04.html" title="DocBook Basics "></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">The GNOME Documentation System</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a href="indexs02.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a href="indexs04.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="sect1"><a name="gnomedocsystem"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="gnomedocsystem"></a>The GNOME Documentation System</h2></div></div><div class="sect2"><a name="gnomehelpbrowser"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h3 class="title"><a name="gnomehelpbrowser"></a>The GNOME Help Browser</h3></div></div><p>
At the core of the GNOME help system is the GNOME
Help Browser. The Help
Browser provides a unified interface to several
distinct documentation systems on Linux/Unix systems: man
pages, texinfo pages, Linux Documentation Project(LDP)
documents, GNOME application documentation, and other GNOME
documents.
</p><p>
The GNOME Help Browser works by
searching standard directories for documents which are to be
presented. Thus, the documentation that appears in the GHB is
specific to each computer and will typically only represent
software that is installed on the computer.
</p></div><div class="sect2"><a name="gnomehelpbrowser2"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h3 class="title"><a name="gnomehelpbrowser2"></a>The GNOME Help Browser (GNOME-2.0)</h3></div></div><p> In
GNOME 2.0, the GNOME Help Browser
will be replaced by Nautilus.
Nautilus will be the file manager/graphical shell for GNOME 2.0
and will also implement a more sophisticated help system than
that used by the GNOME Help Browser
used in GNOME 1.0. It will read and display DocBook files
directly, avoiding the need for duplicating documents in both
DocBook and HTML formats. Its display engine for DocBook will
be much faster than running jade to
convert to HTML for rendering. Because it uses the original
DocBook source for documentation, it will be possible to do more
sophisticated searching using the meta information included in
the documents. And since Nautilus is a virtual file system
layer which is Internet-capable, it will be able to find and
display documents which are on the web as well as those on the
local file system. For more information on
Nautilus, visit the #nautilus IRC
channel on irc.gnome.org. </p></div><div class="sect2"><a name="gnomehelponthefly"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h3 class="title"><a name="gnomehelponthefly"></a>Dynamic Document Synthesis(GNOME-2.0)</h3></div></div><p>
GNOME uses the documentation presented by all the various
GNOME components and applications installed on the system to
present a complete and customized documentation environment
describing only components which are currently installed on a
users system. Some of this documentation, such as the manuals
for applets, will be combined in such a way that it appears to
be a single document.
</p><p>
By using such a system, you can be sure that any GNOME app you
install that has documentation will show up in the index,
table of contents, any search you do in the help browser.
</p></div><div class="sect2"><a name="gnomehelpcomponents"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h3 class="title"><a name="gnomehelpcomponents"></a>The GNOME Documentation Components</h3></div></div><div class="sect3"><a name="applicationmanualsintro"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="applicationmanualsintro"></a>Application Manuals</h4></div></div><p>
Every GNOME application should have an application manual.
An application manual is a document specific to the
particular application which explains the various windows
and features of the application. Application Manuals
typically use screenshots (PNG format) for clarity. Writing
application manuals is discussed in more detail in <a href="indexs06.html" title="Writing Application and Applet Manuals">the section called “Writing Application and Applet Manuals”</a> below.
</p></div><div class="sect3"><a name="applicationhelpintro"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="applicationhelpintro"></a>Application Help</h4></div></div><p>
Applications should have a Help
button on screens on which users may need help. These
Help buttons should pull up the
default help browser, determined by the
<tt>ghelp</tt> URL Handler (configured using the
Control Center), typically the
GNOME Help Browser. The help
browser should show either the first page of the application
manual, or else the relevant page thereof. Application help
is described in more detail in <a href="indexs08.html" title="Application Help Buttons">the section called “Application Help Buttons”</a> below.
</p></div><div class="sect3"><a name="contextsensitivehelpintro"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="contextsensitivehelpintro"></a>Application Context Sensitive Help (coming in
GNOME-2.0)</h4></div></div><p>
Context sensitive help is a system which will allow the user
to query any part (button, widget, etc.) of an application
window. This is done by either entering a CS Help mode by
clicking on an icon or by right clicking on the application
part and selecting "What's This" or whatever is decided on
at the time. Context sensitive help is described in more
detail in <a href="indexs10.html" title="Writing Context Sensitive Help (coming in GNOME-2.0)">the section called “Writing Context Sensitive Help (coming in GNOME-2.0)”</a>
below.
</p></div><div class="sect3"><a name="userguide"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="userguide"></a>The GNOME User Guide</h4></div></div><p>
The <i>GNOME User Guide</i> describes the
GNOME desktop environment and core components of GNOME such
as the panel and
control center. In GNOME 1.x this
was the main and only source of documentation. In GNOME 2.0
this will become a document for the web and for printing
that is derived from various parts chosen in the system that
are necessary for the new user to understand.
</p></div><div class="sect3"><a name="userdocs"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="userdocs"></a>User Documents</h4></div></div><p>
Aside from the <i>GNOME User Guide</i>,
there are several other documents to help GNOME users learn
GNOME, including the <i>GNOME FAQ</i>,
<i>GNOME Installation and Configuration
Guide</i>, and the <i>GNOME Administrators
Guide</i>.
</p></div><div class="sect3"><a name="developerdocs"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="developerdocs"></a>Developer Documents</h4></div></div><p>
There are many White Papers, Tutorials, HOWTO's and FAQ's to
make programming GNOME and GNOME applications as easy as
possible.
</p><p>
API documentation is also available for the GNOME libraries. This is
detailed documentation of the code that is used to build GNOME
apps. You can keep up with the GNOME API docs on the <a href="http://developer.gnome.org/doc/API/" target="_top">GNOME API
Reference</a> page.
</p></div><div class="sect3"><a name="projectdocs"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h4 class="title"><a name="projectdocs"></a>Project Documents</h4></div></div><p>
Some GNOME projects have documentation to maintain
consistency in their product and to help new contributors
get up to speed quickly. Among these are the GDP documents,
such as the one you are reading now.
</p></div></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a href="indexs02.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a href="indexs04.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left">Getting Started Writing GNOME Documentation </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a href="index.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> DocBook Basics </td></tr></table></div></body></html>