The technical writers are not keeping up and the help section is in need of work. When I'm getting emails from users on this site about colour settings, and I don't really know about colour settings except for what works for me... because the help is garbage... there's a problem.
Here's another for instance:
I was skimming through a Corel ad that was sent to my email... Platinum Protection help.... oooooh.... and I read a hint about copying properties.
"
Quickly copying outline or fill properties from one object to anotherSimply right-click the object you would like to copy and drag it on top of the object you want to modify. Click the appropriate command from the context menu and you?e done!
This is wrong. A click is an up/down. The wording should be changed to reflect what you actually need to do. --> hold down the right mouse button and drag the object you want to copy properties FROM and release the object once the cursor becomes a target over the object/curve you want to copy properties TO.
That's correct. Fire your technical writers because they don't seem to know much about communicating clearly or event handling... knowing both seems like a good idea when hiring. Not that I'm an expert, but I know their wording is wrong... and this is coming out in an email professing how your Platinum help program is so great. Jeeesh.
This problem isn't unique to Corel, it's getting well-nigh universal. First publishers—newspaper, magazine, even book publishers!— decided they didn't need copy editors anymore, since anyone can use a spell checker. Wrong: there's a helluva lot more to making writing make sense than correct spelling (or even getting "your" and "you're" straight).
Now the prevailing attitude seems to be, we don't need professional writers, since everyone can use a word processor. Wrong again: getting the letters keyed in is just the beginning of the process...and not even the beginning, as good writing starts with a good sense of what is to be said in the writer's head.
All that said, there is no excuse for the kind of sloppy technical writing you point out.
Hello Davoid; Good help is hard to find. I have been told also that good help cost money, how much help do you want? When someone emails me a question I try to answer it but, I also tell them to come here and ask the same question because someone may give them a better answer than I would.
My Thoughts George
Davoid said: Quickly copying outline or fill properties from one object to anotherSimply right-click the object you would like to copy and drag it on top of the object you want to modify. Click the appropriate command from the context menu and you?e done! " This is wrong. A click is an up/down. The wording should be changed to reflect what you actually need to do. --> hold down the right mouse button and drag the object you want to copy properties FROM and release the object once the cursor becomes a target over the object/curve you want to copy properties TO. That's correct.
That's correct.
No, you are wrong too. "hold down the right mouse button and drag the object" requires select the object first. I can image people holding the mouse and trying to select an object. The best way is: "For copy attributes from one object to other, select the object you want to copy properties and drag it with the right mouse button over the other object..." Btw, since you can select the object with the right mouse button (you don't need to "click with the left mouse button, then use the other finger...") the expression "right-click the object" is correct. The action is " right-click the object you want to copy properties and drag it with the right mouse button over the other object..." So, the Help explanation is better than yours. Sorry.
But don't worry, not all the help files are good enough, and on each version (and each service pack) there's a lot of corrections, trying to improve the help files. But is not easy, because is "too much easy" for some users or too hard for others. Some things like drag an object is not easy to explain, but when you do it the first time, is more simple that hundreds of words
TheSign Guy said:When someone emails me a question I try to answer it but, I also tell them to come here and ask the same question because someone may give them a better answer than I would.
I did exactly that.
Ariel said: No, you are wrong too. "hold down the right mouse button and drag the object" requires select the object first. I can image people holding the mouse and trying to select an object. The best way is: "For copy attributes from one object to other, select the object you want to copy properties and drag it with the right mouse button over the other object..." Btw, since you can select the object with the right mouse button (you don't need to "click with the left mouse button, then use the other finger...") the expression "right-click the object" is correct. The action is " right-click the object you want to copy properties and drag it with the right mouse button over the other object..." So, the Help explanation is better than yours. Sorry.
Wow. Really? Right-clicking brings up a context menu... which only confuses what the user actually needs to do.
Try it.
If you don't agree with me... fine, but don't say I'm wrong, especially when you haven't even fully thought through or tested your own proposition. It's people like you that *cause* these miscommunications because you aren't paying attention to exactly what's going on.
Your wording leads to confusion... and mine works perfectly... regardless of if the object is selected first or not. That is best... and helps the user rather than confusing them. When you hold down the right mouse button and drag the object over to another object and let go, the context menu comes up and you just select how you want to copy. Easy.
You don't need to select the object *first* before being able to copy properties into it. You are wrong. The selection can happen during the process of the drag.
It's not a click. Sorry, but you're wrong about this too. Google what a click event is as compared to a mouse down event and then you'll know what I'm talking about. You obviously don't have a programming or technical background, so you should try to not sound so opinionated about stuff you don't actually know about. Otherwise, it comes off like you're trying to be offensive.
I think the technical help writers would really benefit from a programming background... that said, not all programmers have great language skills. My writing skills are okay; but more importantly, I know what's right and what's confusingly absolutely wrong.
... not to mention the help is sorely lacking in content for certain subjects... which of course has nuttin to do wit gramma.