;P wrote:
>
> > I am sure glad I am not the only one who had this problem!!!
>
> of course you weren't..a lot of people don't know how to read..
>
Some people do not know how to read (granted) but then again, when the
instructions are not clearly written (examples sure do wonders!) you
notice MORE people have difficulty with installation and usage.
>
> > If you already tried, to make a help file, you need to go into the
> > help.hlp file and delete that last one.
>
> what are you talking about? i've never heard of this one, and i've never
> had to manually edit my help files..
>
Create a new help topic, DO NOT add in the aliases on the first line,
you could even leave the first line that is already there. Add a few
lines
of text and then save it..
Once you do that.. go in and try to HELP <NEW TOPIC> that you just
created..
and obviously it will not work.. THEN go into your help.hlp file and
notice that it added that entry to the last help topic. How many times
did someone mess it up slightly and add in bogus text to the end of the
file? have you checked your help.hlp file for bogus topics?
> > Also, the editor ADD's on to the text already there, so if you
> > add a new help file and DO NOT delete the first line.. the help
> > topic will not work. Just make sure you list the text before saving
>
> this is considered a feature of the enhanced editor..it keeps the text
> that you are editing..did you never notice that before?
>
Yes I noticed that before... I only pointed that out and tried to make
it MORE clear to those who did not know about it. Or don't you remember
that there are a lot of people out there that may still be new to the
editor?
> > 1. Add the menu option to change/edit the help aliases.
> > 2. Have hedit save the aliases instead of the user having to type
> > them into the editor.
>
> adding several more keystrokes when editing entries, as well as complexity
> to the code..anyway..i don't understand what the big deal is..you type
> them as the first line, or you type them in their own slot..either way you
> have to type them..
The big deal?
first, you type "hedit walk" to create a help topic on walk. Then you
have to type in the aliases WALK for the first line (and get rid of the
first line).
** does this not add more keystrokes? **
If the editor was set up to save the topic from "hedit <topic>" then you
would not have to worry about most people saying "HELP ME WITH HEDIT!?!"
and you would not have to explain yourself as to "why you didn't do it
in the first place"
>
> it would be trivial to add this feature by making the help index just like
> the mob/obj/wld indices, indexed by the element rather than the alias, but
> i felt that was too much of a change to existing format..
>
> > 3. Allow for multiple files to be edited, possible to add a third
> > variable on the command line for the .hlp file?
> > (I created a NEW help file to add to, since it is more likely
> > that I will be creating NEW help files for all the things added
> > than to edit existing ones and had the editor point to that new
> > file)
>
> the only reason for having the help entries in multiple files was for
> organization..ie, wizcmds.hlp, skills.hlp, etc..but if you're editing
> online then you don't need to know what file is being edited, since you're
> accessing that entry directly using its keywords..i don't see any speed
> gain by breaking them down since there is no way (stock) to reload
> specific help files..and this way you only need to worry about (in the
> code) the one file..just like messages and socials..
>
> i just don't see any of that as being worth the time and effort to
> code..shrug
>
> if anyone wants a more detailed explaination what/why i did things the
> way i did, email me private..
>
> siv
With the short time I have been running through this list, and the many
years I have been messing around with mud's (granted I am NOT a coder) I
still see many people's attempts at coding (DONT GET ME WRONG, I
certainly appreciate a lot of the work that most people put into the
codes). I only wish that some would take a look at history and when they
put togather a patch, they would ask themselves what kind of questions
am I going to get from this patch. Will they be able to install it
without any problems. And if you can honestly answer them, to make sure
that it is plainly clear in the documents. (another useful tip is to
have someone else read the instructions, and if they have any
questions.. Answer his questions in the text)
I am sure I speak for many when I say we are grateful for the code you
and many others have put out. In my last message on this, I tried to
point out the area's that some may not think about or remember. And to
offer some suggestions for any possible enhancements to the code. That
was all.. I did not intend to offend anyone. If I did, I am sorry for
doing that.
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