You are viewing a plain text version of this content. The canonical link for it is here.
Posted to dev@ant.apache.org by bu...@apache.org on 2001/06/26 15:56:47 UTC

[Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

http://nagoya.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=2328

*** shadow/2328	Tue Jun 26 06:56:46 2001
--- shadow/2328.tmp.25060	Tue Jun 26 06:56:46 2001
***************
*** 0 ****
--- 1,30 ----
+ +============================================================================+
+ | easy change to ant doc make much more browsable                            |
+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ |        Bug #: 2328                        Product: Ant                     |
+ |       Status: NEW                         Version: 1.3                     |
+ |   Resolution:                            Platform: Other                   |
+ |     Severity: Enhancement              OS/Version: Other                   |
+ |     Priority: Other                     Component: Documentation           |
+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ |  Assigned To: ant-dev@jakarta.apache.org                                   |
+ |  Reported By: pklein@lehman.com                                            |
+ |      CC list: Cc:                                                          |
+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ |          URL:                                                              |
+ +============================================================================+
+ |                              DESCRIPTION                                   |
+ The ant documentation is not bad, but the format 
+ is not good for someone getting aquainted with Ant,
+ and leads people to believe Ant is complex.
+ 
+ Specifically, having the Ant tasks presented one 
+ per html page is not conducive to introducing the 
+ new ant user to what ant's built in capabilities are.
+ 
+ I suggest either 
+ 1) a intro page with an 2-3 sentence description of each 
+ Ant command. 
+ 2) gluing all of the pages together in a pdf, so that 
+ that tree killers (incl. myself) can easily download and 
+ print out a physically browsable menu.
\ No newline at end of file

Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by Steve Loughran <st...@iseran.com>.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Donald" <do...@apache.org>
To: <an...@jakarta.apache.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2001 09:46
Subject: Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more
browsable


> On Wed, 27 Jun 2001 01:52, Steve Loughran wrote:

> > What might be useful is a single page listing tasks by category:
> >
> > Java Compilation
> >  javac, depends
> >
> > File Management
> >  copy, delete, replace, crlf
> >
> > archives
> >  zip, jar, tar, war, ejbjar
> >
> > deployment
> >  -ftp, telnet, SQL
> >
> > SCM
> >  -CVS, clearcase, perforce, VSS
> >
> > Testing and code quality
> >  -junit, jprobe, icontract, ...
> >
> > ant control
> >  available, taskdef, ant, antcall, property
> >
> > The aim would be to point people at the likely ant tasks based on user
> > tasks. Making the list isnt too hard, apart from deciding where some
tasks
> > go.
> >
> > Comments?
>
> +1 and these same categories would be good categories to base ant2 .tsk
files
> on aswell ;)
>
> BTW are you volunteering? ;)

If I wasnt knee deep in deployment hell I'd consider it (indeed, there may
be a special level in hell full of nothing but win2K/IIS boxes needing
configuration). If nobody makes a start on this in a few days I'll give it a
go.

-steve




Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by Peter Donald <do...@apache.org>.
On Wed, 27 Jun 2001 01:52, Steve Loughran wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- >
>
> > + Specifically, having the Ant tasks presented one
> > + per html page is not conducive to introducing the
> > + new ant user to what ant's built in capabilities are.
> > +
> > + I suggest either
> > + 1) a intro page with an 2-3 sentence description of each
> > + Ant command.
> > + 2) gluing all of the pages together in a pdf, so that
> > + that tree killers (incl. myself) can easily download and
> > + print out a physically browsable menu.
> > \ No newline at end of file
>
> The problem seems valid to me, but there may be alternate solutions.
>
> One of the problems of the current layout is that it groups stuff in two
> alphabetical lists -one for optional, one for core.
>
> What might be useful is a single page listing tasks by category:
>
> Java Compilation
>  javac, depends
>
> File Management
>  copy, delete, replace, crlf
>
> archives
>  zip, jar, tar, war, ejbjar
>
> deployment
>  -ftp, telnet, SQL
>
> SCM
>  -CVS, clearcase, perforce, VSS
>
> Testing and code quality
>  -junit, jprobe, icontract, ...
>
> ant control
>  available, taskdef, ant, antcall, property
>
> The aim would be to point people at the likely ant tasks based on user
> tasks. Making the list isnt too hard, apart from deciding where some tasks
> go.
>
> Comments?

+1 and these same categories would be good categories to base ant2 .tsk files 
on aswell ;)

BTW are you volunteering? ;)

Cheers,

Pete

*-----------------------------------------------------*
| "Faced with the choice between changing one's mind, |
| and proving that there is no need to do so - almost |
| everyone gets busy on the proof."                   |
|              - John Kenneth Galbraith               |
*-----------------------------------------------------*

Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>.
Conor MacNeill wrote:

> OK,
> 
> I see. My confusion came from the fact that this has already been done :-)
> 
> Conor


Conor,

That will do it. Sorry for not checking, and thanks also to Diane Holt for pointing this out.

Peter

> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>
> To: <an...@jakarta.apache.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2001 11:28 PM
> Subject: Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more
> browsable
> 
> 
> 
>>Conor,
>>
>>Because running ant is not something done once for each installation.
>>When I look at the manual to check some detail of the invocation on ant
>>in normal usage, where am I likely to look?  This has been my experience
>>(as a new user of ant) already, when I was checking to see how to
>>specify a different build file.  In fact, I would like to see a `Running
>>Ant' entry in the index frame.
>>
>>Peter


-- 
Peter B. West  pbwest@powerup.com.au  http://powerup.com.au/~pbwest
"Lord, to whom shall we go?"


Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by Conor MacNeill <co...@cortexebusiness.com.au>.
OK,

I see. My confusion came from the fact that this has already been done :-)

Conor

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>
To: <an...@jakarta.apache.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2001 11:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more
browsable


> Conor,
>
> Because running ant is not something done once for each installation.
> When I look at the manual to check some detail of the invocation on ant
> in normal usage, where am I likely to look?  This has been my experience
> (as a new user of ant) already, when I was checking to see how to
> specify a different build file.  In fact, I would like to see a `Running
> Ant' entry in the index frame.
>
> Peter
>
> Conor MacNeill wrote:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>
> >
> >>
> >>No direct comments on these suggestions, but one other.  `Running Ant'
> >>should be under `Using Ant' rather than, as until recently, under
> >>`Installing Ant'.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > And the reason is ?
> >
> > Conor
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Peter B. West  pbwest@powerup.com.au  http://powerup.com.au/~pbwest
> "Lord, to whom shall we go?"
>
>


Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by Diane Holt <ho...@yahoo.com>.
--- "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au> wrote:
> Because running ant is not something done once for each installation. 
> When I look at the manual to check some detail of the invocation on ant 
> in normal usage, where am I likely to look? This has been my experience 
> (as a new user of ant) already, when I was checking to see how to 
> specify a different build file.  In fact, I would like to see a
> `Running Ant' entry in the index frame.

See the latest version in CVS at:
http://jakarta.apache.org/cvsweb/index.cgi/jakarta-ant/docs/manual/index.html

(Click on the "(as text)" link to display the file.)

Diane

=====
(holtdl@yahoo.com)



__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/

Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>.
Conor,

Because running ant is not something done once for each installation. 
When I look at the manual to check some detail of the invocation on ant 
in normal usage, where am I likely to look?  This has been my experience 
(as a new user of ant) already, when I was checking to see how to 
specify a different build file.  In fact, I would like to see a `Running 
Ant' entry in the index frame.

Peter

Conor MacNeill wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>
> 
>>
>>No direct comments on these suggestions, but one other.  `Running Ant' 
>>should be under `Using Ant' rather than, as until recently, under 
>>`Installing Ant'.
>>
>>
> 
> 
> And the reason is ?
> 
> Conor
> 
> 
> 
> 


-- 
Peter B. West  pbwest@powerup.com.au  http://powerup.com.au/~pbwest
"Lord, to whom shall we go?"


Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by Conor MacNeill <co...@cortexebusiness.com.au>.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>
> 
> 
> No direct comments on these suggestions, but one other.  `Running Ant' 
> should be under `Using Ant' rather than, as until recently, under 
> `Installing Ant'.
> 


And the reason is ?

Conor



Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by "Peter B. West" <pb...@powerup.com.au>.

Steve Loughran wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- >
> 
>>+ Specifically, having the Ant tasks presented one
>>+ per html page is not conducive to introducing the
>>+ new ant user to what ant's built in capabilities are.
>>+
>>+ I suggest either
>>+ 1) a intro page with an 2-3 sentence description of each
>>+ Ant command.
>>+ 2) gluing all of the pages together in a pdf, so that
>>+ that tree killers (incl. myself) can easily download and
>>+ print out a physically browsable menu.
>>\ No newline at end of file
>>
> 
> The problem seems valid to me, but there may be alternate solutions.
> 
> One of the problems of the current layout is that it groups stuff in two
> alphabetical lists -one for optional, one for core.
> 
> What might be useful is a single page listing tasks by category:


No direct comments on these suggestions, but one other.  `Running Ant' 
should be under `Using Ant' rather than, as until recently, under 
`Installing Ant'.


Peter


-- 
Peter B. West  pbwest@powerup.com.au  http://powerup.com.au/~pbwest
"Lord, to whom shall we go?"


Re: [Bug 2328] New: - easy change to ant doc make much more browsable

Posted by Steve Loughran <st...@iseran.com>.
----- Original Message ----- >
> + Specifically, having the Ant tasks presented one
> + per html page is not conducive to introducing the
> + new ant user to what ant's built in capabilities are.
> +
> + I suggest either
> + 1) a intro page with an 2-3 sentence description of each
> + Ant command.
> + 2) gluing all of the pages together in a pdf, so that
> + that tree killers (incl. myself) can easily download and
> + print out a physically browsable menu.
> \ No newline at end of file

The problem seems valid to me, but there may be alternate solutions.

One of the problems of the current layout is that it groups stuff in two
alphabetical lists -one for optional, one for core.

What might be useful is a single page listing tasks by category:

Java Compilation
 javac, depends

File Management
 copy, delete, replace, crlf

archives
 zip, jar, tar, war, ejbjar

deployment
 -ftp, telnet, SQL

SCM
 -CVS, clearcase, perforce, VSS

Testing and code quality
 -junit, jprobe, icontract, ...

ant control
 available, taskdef, ant, antcall, property

The aim would be to point people at the likely ant tasks based on user
tasks. Making the list isnt too hard, apart from deciding where some tasks
go.

Comments?