New Web Home For Support

-- Contributors: CarloSchulz - 18 Jul 2007

TWiki Support Web

About: the TWiki Support Web     "We're all ignorant, only on different topics" - Mark Twain

Search for Support     or try the advanced search   Search by category: Select... Add-Ons Authentication Authorisation Browser issue Contributing code Contributing time Deployment Documentation Fatal error Forms Hosting Htaccess Installation Internationalisation Javascript Localisation Mail Missing functionality Paid help Performance Permissions Platform Plugins Registration Search Security Skin Statistics System logs Version control   Browse the Index. Ask for Support   Chat with TWiki useres and developers at #twiki IRC (Internet Relay Chat).   Ask a support question - please follow the support guidelines! Register to easily list your recent questions!

Most popular FAQs Can't run configure (CGI issue) LDAP authentication Browser issues Passing Windows login to TWiki Can't locate Digest/SHA1.pm "Unmatched [ in regex" error in configure Server hardware recommendations Can't call method "param" error in Client.pm Bad recipient address syntax Disable e-mail for registration How to force authorized users to register Action tracker deletes topic content Convert tables from HTML to TML More TWikiFAQs

TWiki Documentation As a start read the ... TWiki documentation supplemental documents known issues of TWiki 4.1.X browser issues TWiki Hosting and Consulting TWiki Hosting Sites and Web hosting servers. Hire a TWiki consultant to get up to speed quickly. Get a TWiki programmer to customize your TWiki installation. My recent questions My recent questions (includes also my answers to other questions) Login with your TWiki account (or user TWikiGuest, password guest) Post a suggestion Post a suggestion for TWiki core Post a suggestion for TWiki extensions (Plugins, Skins, etc.): visit the relevant <extension>Dev topic. Report a bug Report a bug for TWiki core in the bugs database. Report a bug for TWiki extensions (Plugins, Skins, etc.): visit the relevant <extension>Dev topic.

Support questions by status Help answering questions: Open questions AssignedQuestions: Under investigation by the developer(s)/user(s) in the AssignedQuestionTo field AnsweredQuestions: Answered! ClosedUnanswered: Not fully answered and no longer relevant. Top contributors 1 PeterThoeny

Comments on draft one

These comments refer to the first draft of a new WebHome for Support

I would put the "TOC" in a box at the right, much in the way the "Most popular FAQs" is presented, so the use can inmediately see the links to the relevant section in the pase.

Well, IsAWiki... I'll make the change.

-- RafaelAlvarez - 19 Jul 2007

For me its too busy, if i needed help, i'd be past the point where i was willing to read that many points just to find where to go.

you could use SnazzyRoundedCornersContrib instead of mozilla specific edges and that way you also would not need so many tables.

-- SvenDowideit - 20 Jul 2007

to busy? hmmm, and i thought the current Support was busy

I refactored the "If you need support" support part a little bit.

thanks for the hint with SnazzyRoundedCornersContrib. just mozilla specific edges are not so good... I know

What else would you get rid of? What is not really, really needed?

-- CarloSchulz - 20 Jul 2007

I think what you've done already is great! I might de-emphasise "post a suggestion" and "report a bug", though. 90% of people who visit the support site will never need these links.

I wish we did a better job of keeping the FAQ up to date.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 21 Jul 2007

The spacious lines make the page look like it is falling apart.

I also find the FAQ too much downplayed, it should be more in line of sight.

I would add a search box in the section "If you need support". Before asking a question one needs to look for any existing information.

-- ArthurClemens - 21 Jul 2007

Good start but I think we could be way more radical in simplifying. We may wish frustrated users will read through all the well-meaning guidelines, suggestions, etc, but they won't. They want to find the quickest posible route to finding relevant info or posting their question. Everything else is just noise to them (and if we were honest with ourselves, it is to us also when we want help).

So, I would propose:

• Strip out most of the introductory bla bla, or put it in sidebar or down lower in page.
• Provide a more compact list of suggested places to find existing answers. Definitely highlite FAQs and include a search.
• Provide the form for posting question right on this page. At present the form is hidden down in a topic under tons or verbage of which I bet 90% of TWiki users have never read more than 10%.
• Put in a sidebar a list of "other places to find solutions get help" such as irc, consultants, etc.
• Remove or de-emphasize (by putting lower on page) everything not directly related to getting answers such as links to bugs, requests to help answer questions, etc.

Take a look at any support page from virtually any other software package! People who need help, want help NOW! They don't want to read all this stuff! Simply, simplify, simplify.Unless the information is absolutely essential to help the user find their solution, it should be removed (or at least relegated to bottom of page). I think we should err first on the side of taking too much out and then consider carefully what we could put back in.

-- LynnwoodBrown - 21 Jul 2007

Thanks for the feedback! So we all agree on downsizing the amount of text and emphasising the FAQS... I'll come up with new version soon.

-- CarloSchulz - 21 Jul 2007

Comments on draft two

Any comments on draft two?

-- CarloSchulz - 31 Jul 2007

Great! I think you made a big leap in this draft towards stripping down the "above the fold" section to essentials. Congrats and big thanks for your efforts here!

-- LynnwoodBrown - 02 Aug 2007

Great work. I would remove the TOC. It looks too much like normal links in this layout, it takes up space and not really needed now that the page is so simple.

-- KennethLavrsen - 02 Aug 2007

Agreed... I removed the TOC

-- CarloSchulz - 03 Aug 2007

Still too many links. For example, why do you need multiple links to WebChanges. A normal visitor of the Support web does not need a link to the WebPreferences or the EngineRoom. Offering both the WebIndex and WebTopicList, which nearly offer the same function is too much. There's a link to the WebIndex on the bottom of the WebTopicList. In general, users should use the WebTopicList in favour of the WebIndex anyway.

Search is there twice. The links to the "index of all topics" should be near the search box as these two functions are in related use cases (searching for the right topic).

The TWiki.TWikiFAQ is not a logical extention of the list most popular topics. That should be a link to WebChanges.

Are support questions and answered tagged in the Support web? If so, a tagcloud is missing.

Reporting bugs should be done with our bug tracker. But that system is not integrated into the Support web. There isn't even a link or a notice that it exists.

If you go for a 3 column layout, the left side navigation bar, the middle part and the right boxes, you should make the columns look similar or more homogeneous. As is, each column is looking rather different. Try making it all boxes and think about what goes into these boxes, e.g. what else could go into the search box. Are all boxes loaded with the same amount of content.

Why are the web tools part of the current box even though the other links in there are of different use or for different users. Why has this box the title "The Support web". Why are the top contributors a box in a box.

-- MichaelDaum - 06 Aug 2007

• "Still too many links." Agreed, normal visitors don't need these links. EngineRoom and WebPreferences could be part of AboutTWikiSupport and everything else is in the sidebar already.

• "Search is there twice." Agreed, this is a left over from the old current WebHome

• TWikiFAQ isn't located in the support web nevertheless this is a usefull topic for someone with a need for support. To me there's more logic in connecting two FAQs than in connecting FAQs with WebChanges.
  • "Why do you need multiple links to WebChanges" - So why do want introduce another one?

• "Reporting bugs:" I know that people don't read but there's a link and a note for sure...

• "Why are the top contributors a box in a box." I dont' know it's just included.

-- CarloSchulz - 06 Aug 2007

No one raised any concerns since the last changes 14 days ago so I'm going to copy it to Support...

If you feel something else should be addressed simply go to the Support and change it. It's a wiki

-- CarloSchulz - 21 Aug 2007

I tried to include a tag cloud but the example from TagCloudPlugin did not work so I removed it again.

<div class="tagmeTagCloud" style="line-height:2em;">
%TAGME{ tpaction="showalltags" format="<a href=\"%SCRIPTURL{view}%/%WEB%/TagMeSearch?tag=$tag\" style=\"font-size:$size%\">$tag</a>" separator="&nbsp; " minsize="94" maxsize="220"}%
</div>

-- CarloSchulz - 21 Aug 2007

TagCloudPlugin is not installed on TWiki.org. But TagMePlugin can do clouds aswell.

Here's some more feedback on the recent draft:

• the topic contributors box should be the same width as the boxes above it
  • agreed, but i can't controll the width using css as the box is somehow generated by the statistic topic.
• the text in the search for and ask for support sections are kind of falling appart / not solid enuf, i.e. if the "or try advanced search" gets a linebreak in a narrower browser window.
  • For some it looks like it's falling appart but to me it increases the scannability. And it doesn't look good with no blank line in between, I just checked it.
  • I checked the layout against 1280x1024, 1024x768 and 800x600 and the line break occurs only on 800x600 which I think is ok.
• the my recent questions section is a bullet list with one item which is a bullet list with one item.
  • not sure, what you want say
• the three columns layout (including the sidebar) is still too disruptive and uneasy
  • so what do you suggest? It doesn't look good if the content part has a 50/50 width and the content of the right column wont fit in the same width as the left column.
• even if the amount of text has been reduced the webhome is still crowded; at least it appears to be as there are too many ui elements, without repetition
  • sure still many links and other stuff. Which ones are you reffering to?
• how about linking to QuestionsInvolvingExtension, a tool to search for support questions that involve a specific extension/plugin/skin
  • good idea. did not know this topic/feature existed.

-- MichaelDaum - 21 Aug 2007

ahh, typo. the example from TagMePlugin did not work...

Thanks for the feedback. Comments in italic

-- CarloSchulz - 21 Aug 2007

Did some small content updates. I think I know what Michael meant with "a bullet list with one item which is a bullet list with one item" and changed it.

-- KennethLavrsen - 21 Aug 2007

A lot of users are not familiar with IRC. It would be good to have online IRC chat like on Plone's website: http://plone.org/support/chat/irc. Discussion topic: AddOnlineIrcChatToSupportWeb.

-- ArthurClemens - 21 Aug 2007

I have made tiny changes to the search block (mostly to get rid of the icons).

-- ArthurClemens - 21 Aug 2007

I also would like to have a place for listing "crafted" "how to" FAQ pages. Some kind of quality check on a number of maintained pages.

-- ArthurClemens - 22 Aug 2007

I think this proposal is already far better than the current support home so we should let Carlo copy it to Support web, and then we can always improveme it further along the way - the wiki way.

-- KennethLavrsen - 22 Aug 2007

already done

-- CarloSchulz - 22 Aug 2007