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<html><head><meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"><title>Writing Application and Applet Manuals</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="indexs05.html" title="GDP Documentation Conventions "><link rel="next" href="indexs07.html" title="Listing Documents in the Help Menu"></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">Writing Application and Applet Manuals</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a href="indexs05.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a href="indexs07.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="sect1"><a name="writingapplicationmanuals"></a><div class="titlepage"><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="writingapplicationmanuals"></a>Writing Application and Applet Manuals</h2></div></div><p>
Every GNOME application or applet should have a manual specific
to that particular application. This manual should be a complete
and authoritative guide. The manual should describe what the
program does and how to use it. Manuals will typically describe
each window or panel presented to the user using screenshots (in
PNG format only) when appropriate. They should also describe
each feature and preference option available.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a name="id2909692"></a>Documentation Availability</h3><p>
Applications and applets should not rely on documentation
which is only available on the internet. All manuals and
other documentation should be packaged with the application or
applet and be made available to the user through the standard
GNOME help system methods described below.
</p></div><p> Application manuals should be based on the template in
<a href="apa.html#template1" title="Template 1: Application Manual">the section called “Template 1: Application Manual”</a>. Applet manuals should be based on
the templates in <a href="apas02.html" title="Template 2: Applet Manual For GNOME 1.x">the section called “Template 2: Applet Manual For GNOME 1.x”</a> for GNOME
versions 1.x and the templates in <a href="apas03.html" title="Template 2: Applet Manual For GNOME 2.x">the section called “Template 2: Applet Manual For GNOME 2.x”</a>
for GNOME versions 2.x.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a name="id2909732"></a>Manuals For Large Applications</h3><p>
Manuals for very large applications, such as GNOME Workshop
components should be a <tt><book></tt> (and thus
use <tt><chapter></tt> for each primary section)
, instead of <tt><article></tt> which most
applications use(with each primary section being a
<tt><sect1></tt>).
</p></div><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a name="id2909847"></a>Applet Manuals in GNOME 2.0</h3><p>
Note that applet manuals in GNOME 2.0 are treated in a special
way. The manuals for all applets are merged into a single
virtual document by Nautilus. For this reason, the header
information for applet manuals is omitted and the first
section of each applet is
<tt><sect1></tt>. Applet manuals will typically
have several sections, each of which is
<tt><sect2></tt>.
</p></div><p>
Application manuals should be made available by having a
"Manual" entry in the Help pull-down menu
at the top of the
application, as described in <a href="indexs07.html" title="Listing Documents in the Help Menu">the section called “Listing Documents in the Help Menu”</a>.
Applets should make their manuals available by
right-clicking on the applet.
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