Before logging an issue, please update to the latest release of Visual Micro from the Downloads Page.

When Logging a Support Issue in the Forum, please ensure you have also:-

  • Enabled vMicro > Compiler > Show Build Properties
  • Re-Compile your program with these settings enabled
 
Save the new Output to a Text File and....
  • Click the Reply button and attach as .txt file OR
  • Click here to Email us with the file attached, and a link to your post
Support requests without the output above may be impossible to answer, so please help us to help you
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 Send TopicPrint
Normal Topic Documentation (Read 5482 times)
Bobh
Newbies
*
Offline


Posts: 5
Joined: Jan 16th, 2013
Documentation
Jan 23rd, 2014 at 3:15am
Print Post  
Hi Tim,

   Our last project was a generator SCADA system including coolant mixing valves, vibration detection, engine speed control, etc, etc. I mocked up and tested  EVERYTHING right here at my nice warm workbench. Without your debugger it would have been a real pain to calibrate and commission the algorithms.  Thank!  You!

  But

  that was months ago. Yesterday I started another project. I watched  videos, read tutorials, read the wiki, etc. I am almost back to where I was.  It took me hours.  It was a bit frustrating and time consuming.

  I like manuals -  with little tabs that I put on some pages, and with notes and references that I scribble in them. I've had the occasion, in my profession, to use software that I haven't opened for years. I find my trusty manual, and am typically back in the drivers seat in minutes.   I can digest, understand, and recall,  one of my well annotated manuals, much faster than individual unannotated webpages. Maybe my screen isn't big enough, or maybe I'm just stupid.

  Is there, or are there plans for,  a printable set of pdf docs, consistently formatted, chaptered, indexed, with (internal and external) references?
 
PLEASE Cry  

   I love the tool. I will never touch another Arduino without it.
  
Thanks!

Bob
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Tim@Visual Micro
Administrator
*****
Offline


Posts: 12163
Location: United Kingdom
Joined: Apr 10th, 2010
Re: Documentation
Reply #1 - Jan 23rd, 2014 at 3:31am
Print Post  
Hi Bobh,

Thanks for the support very well said about the docs!! 

It's top of the list now that I think we have a stable Arduino 1.5.5-r2. The rapid changes in Arduino over the past year or two and also in Visual Micro have left little time for documentation which has been a huge frustration.

Supporting the free tool and the forum also takes a huge amount of time so charging for the debugger might hopefully start to pay for some help. In a dream early on I hoped that a user or two with good writing skills would volunteer but I think the problem is that Arduino is too much fun  Grin

One other problem is the sheer volume of different levels of user. From never used an Ide before, never used Arduino before, never used windows before, never used a debugger before, don't know what a breakpoint is all the way up to rockets scientists who really know c++ and the processors (which by the way I don't)

All the pages of visualmicro.com have a link to the youtube debugger overview. That was an initial attempt at making some sort of combined overview for the debugger. Fortunately a couple of users have created sets of youtube tutorials which are (as of a few days ago) also linked on every page of visualmicro.com.

So as you can see I have lost all perspective of what anyone needs to know when the come to use Visual Micro and or the debugger. I know what we have isn't good enough but it would be very much appreciated if you could give an overview of your struggle points.

Thanks very much, I hope more users can also comment.
  
Back to top
IP Logged
 
Bobh
Newbies
*
Offline


Posts: 5
Joined: Jan 16th, 2013
Re: Documentation
Reply #2 - Jan 24th, 2014 at 5:46am
Print Post  
Hi Tim,

  Thanks for the reply. I know your busy. 

  After 10 minutes of browsing, I think this may be the holy grail: 

  https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.6/

  I found it in this discussion: 

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/477502/what-is-good-online-documentation

  Lots of great points. I specifically concur with the comments about examples, downloadable, "many small parts", indexed/searchable,  and examples, and examples, and examples. Lots of cool examples of what can be done, will sell the product. Once the Arduino community can fully appreciate what you have done here, it will be flying out the door.     

  Your wiki is a great lesson plan as an introductory course. Hey, it got me up and running!  Now I need a reference. 
 
Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Bob
 
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Tim@Visual Micro
Administrator
*****
Offline


Posts: 12163
Location: United Kingdom
Joined: Apr 10th, 2010
Re: Documentation
Reply #3 - Jan 24th, 2014 at 5:57am
Print Post  
Thanks that's much appreciated.

One thing to ask is if you can see the tool tips below each "tools>options>visual Micro" and below each project property? I know they only help if you go through each properties (so doesn't replace a reference) but the size of the windows can cause some users not to see these tip pane?

Also can you give any idea of the sort of reference you would find useful. What are you tying to do, a few examples would help.

Thanks
  
Back to top
IP Logged
 
Heinz Kessler
Full Member
***
Offline


Posts: 217
Location: Freiburg, Germany
Joined: May 25th, 2012
Re: Documentation
Reply #4 - May 10th, 2014 at 7:44am
Print Post  
Hi Bob,
a few weeks ago, we have finally published the brand new documentation (see "documentation" link on the homepage).

We hope that it will be helpful for everyone and I am keen to receive feedback or ideas for further improvement.

A PDF version of it would be nice, but unfortunately we have not found an (affordable) tool yet that makes PDFs out of html pages.

Heinz
Visual Micro
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send TopicPrint