1<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><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> 2 Every GNOME application or applet should have a manual specific 3 to that particular application. This manual should be a complete 4 and authoritative guide. The manual should describe what the 5 program does and how to use it. Manuals will typically describe 6 each window or panel presented to the user using screenshots (in 7 PNG format only) when appropriate. They should also describe 8 each feature and preference option available. 9 </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a name="id2939595"></a>Documentation Availability</h3><p> 10 Applications and applets should not rely on documentation 11 which is only available on the internet. All manuals and 12 other documentation should be packaged with the application or 13 applet and be made available to the user through the standard 14 GNOME help system methods described below. 15 </p></div><p> Application manuals should be based on the template in 16 <a href="apa.html#template1" title="Template 1: Application Manual">the section called “Template 1: Application Manual”</a>. Applet manuals should be based on 17 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 18 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> 19 for GNOME versions 2.x. 20 </p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a name="id2939689"></a>Manuals For Large Applications</h3><p> 21 Manuals for very large applications, such as GNOME Workshop 22 components should be a <tt><book></tt> (and thus 23 use <tt><chapter></tt> for each primary section) 24 , instead of <tt><article></tt> which most 25 applications use(with each primary section being a 26 <tt><sect1></tt>). 27 </p></div><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a name="id2939746"></a>Applet Manuals in GNOME 2.0</h3><p> 28 Note that applet manuals in GNOME 2.0 are treated in a special 29 way. The manuals for all applets are merged into a single 30 virtual document by Nautilus. For this reason, the header 31 information for applet manuals is omitted and the first 32 section of each applet is 33 <tt><sect1></tt>. Applet manuals will typically 34 have several sections, each of which is 35 <tt><sect2></tt>. 36 </p></div><p> 37 Application manuals should be made available by having a 38 "Manual" entry in the Help pull-down menu 39 at the top of the 40 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>. 41 Applets should make their manuals available by 42 right-clicking on the applet. 43 </p></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a href="indexs05.html">Prev</a>�</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right">�<a href="indexs07.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left">GDP Documentation Conventions �</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a href="index.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right">�Listing Documents in the Help Menu</td></tr></table></div></body></html> 44