Suggestions for Online Help

[JRG]

I'm sure the collective membership of the Bridge Base Forums could come up with good feedback and ideas for improvement to the Online Help.

 

I have started this thread in the hope you will post them here.

 

Some topics I would particularly like to see people post on are:

 

- The Index: Is it useful or useless? If useful, are there errors or omissions you know of?

 

- Tournaments: I know this is a weak area. Constructive criticism would be appreciated.

 

- Topic headings in the Table of Contents: Do you have ideas for improvement? Are there topics which are misleading?

 

- Information: Is there anything specific you know about the BBO software that isn't documented? For example, a post elsewhere indicated one can paste into a Chat dialog as long as the text was copied from some other application into the clipboard (I had never successfully pasted into Chat, though I had tried -- so this ability isn't documented in the Online Help).

 

As Ben pointed out, negative information is generally not included in the Online Help. There is nothing in BBO connected with the Costa Rican rain forests ???, but this omission is not documented in the Online Help B)

[hallway]

I paste into the Chat dialog box nearly all day everyday (or so it seems at times) !

 

From any where I have tried e.g. BBF/ MS Word / Outlook etc.

 

I just - highlight Ctrl C then Ctrl V

only catch is there is a limit to how much text the Chat dialog box can handle so it pays to do some editing first.

 

Though interestingly when I tried doing that on another computer it didn't work (?) and I woke the household up with all the clattering of the keys as I typed out some 50 odd messages at 5.30am - lol my daughter-in-law was less than impressed with my committment to BBO !!

 

I just WISH I could figure out how to copy the Leave Mail Messages that I pick up every time I log in !! having to copy them onto bits of paper (with a pen !!!! ) before I touch that ok tests the patience ! but as the old grey cells just won't remember them all that is what I have to do because once they are gone they are gone for good !

 

So if someone has figured that one out I will be very happy to read about it.

[fred]

I just WISH I could figure out how to copy the Leave Mail Messages that I pick up every time I log in !! having to copy them onto bits of paper (with a pen !!!! ) before I touch that ok tests the patience ! but as the old grey cells just won't remember them all that is what I have to do because once they are gone they are gone for good !

 

So if someone has figured that one out I will be very happy to read about it.

 

There is no way to do it.

 

The mail facility will be much improved in the next version.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[csdenmark]

Yes John a lot to do in this area I think. Here a few comments - might be more later.

 

• Handling of lin-files - the commands(a hands-on manual)
  
• It is a generally problem on BBO you cannot copy from the client so therefore it would be a huge improvement to have all stuff of importance to be moved to normal web-sites. 1. The rules for these sites 2. BBO systems basic and advanced
  
• An interference system approach similar to the system basic and advanced
  
• A defense system approach similar to the system basic and advanced
  
• General rules for acceptable conduct at a bridge table
  
• Link to Vugraph schedule site
  
• Link to World Clock
  
• Link to BBO Forum
  

[csdenmark]

I paste into the Chat dialog box nearly all day everyday (or so it seems at times) !

 

From any where I have tried e.g. BBF/ MS Word / Outlook etc.

 

I just - highlight Ctrl C then Ctrl V

only catch is there is a limit to how much text the Chat dialog box can handle so it pays to do some editing first.

 

Though interestingly when I tried doing that on another computer it didn't work (?) and I woke the household up with all the clattering of the keys as I typed out some 50 odd messages at 5.30am - lol my daughter-in-law was less than impressed with my committment to BBO !!

 

 

 

YES Maureen - there are limits!

 

I assume 254 characters is the maximum for each. Links must be displayed at one line only - this means links cannot be of any length, fx. links to Ecats convention cards cannot be displayed.

 

You may find problems to paste if last character is a blank. If you paste standard messages you can overcome the problem by inserting your text into a link at your WORD processor. Then you mark the link - copy the link - paste the link and your text and not the link address is to be displayed. Another way for that may be to use scripts. The application REMOTEKEYS is not so difficult to use - I think you can handle.

[JRG]

Yes John a lot to do in this area I think. Here a few comments - might be more later.

 

• Handling of lin-files - the commands(a hands-on manual)
  
• It is a generally problem on BBO you cannot copy from the client so therefore it would be a huge improvement to have all stuff of importance to be moved to normal web-sites. 1. The rules for these sites 2. BBO systems basic and advanced
  
• An interference system approach similar to the system basic and advanced
  
• A defense system approach similar to the system basic and advanced
  
• General rules for acceptable conduct at a bridge table
  
• Link to Vugraph schedule site
  
• Link to World Clock
  
• Link to BBO Forum
  

 

Thanks Claus.

 

Some of your suggestions are really suggestions for the BBO software, not the Online Help. Nevertheless, interesting ideas.

 

There is not a link to the World Clock, but the other two links are in the Help. I've thought of having a Links section before, but have had reservations (about this and other ideas). I will certainly see if I can make the links more prominent and thus quick and easy to locate. I'll definitely add the World Clock link, I think it is a very useful one for people using BBO.

 

My reservations about adding various things to the Online Help are because I want to keep the Online Help focused specifically on using the BBO client -- I don't want to try and teach people how to play bridge, provide general bridge information, etc.

 

Having said that, I am open to suggestions and if enough people really want something in the Help, I shall give it careful consideration.

[JRG]

I would like to run a tournament, or a small number of them. The reason is to facilitate documenting the BBO Tournament facility.

 

I've been acutely aware that the Online Help is weak in this area and needs expanding a lot. However, I have not been comfortable hosting my own tournaments when the only reason for the tournaments is for me to take screen snapshots, experiment, etc.

 

However, with the improved ability to restrict entrants to a tournament, I'd like to try this. This means having a tournament where the players are willing just to play bridge and not bother the director (except when the director asks a player to!!!) -- more or less play bridge as if one were in the Main Bridge Club (but more frequent changes of opponents?).

 

So, if I could get a list of members that would be willing to participate, I would be very grateful.

 

I will be back home (in Costa Rica) after January 8th (2004) and would like to set the tournament(s) up soon after that. If I get enough people, I'll post more information in this thread. I need enough volunteers so that only a percentage need to show up for a specific tournament. I'll probably restrict the size of the tournament to 3 or 4 tables and 1/2 to 1 hour in duration (purely for convenience).

 

If you are willing, please send me an e-mail with the subject line, "BBO Help". Mail it to john_goold@racsa.co.cr. Indicate your preferred time of day (I REALLY want to do this, so I'll be flexible about my time).

 

Oh, have a happy holiday season!

 

John

[ack_hh]

You can count on me, John - nearly any time :)

 

Suggestion for the online help: "What does yellow, black, white, ... mean?" is a FAQ - tried to give a pointer to that question to a new

member who had asked for that, but could not find the answer

in the online help.

[Gerardo]

John, host a tourney, contact me to (co)direct [with others, maybe, not you] anytime, so we have a real tourney, and you can take screenshots freely.

 

Maybe you should take both player and director roles, to take screenshots of director calls, and tourney edit options.

 

Or maybe I can take a few ones. What soft are you using to take them?

[JRG]

John, host a tourney, contact me to (co)direct [with others, maybe, not you] anytime, so we have a real tourney, and you can take screenshots freely.

 

Maybe you should take both player and director roles, to take screenshots of director calls, and tourney edit options.

 

Or maybe I can take a few ones. What soft are you using to take them?

Currently I'm running VirtualPC under Mac OS X. I take screen snapshots by snapshotting the entire PC window. For this set, though, I might ask my wife if I can use her Windows PC and use the <Alt>+<Print Scrn> mechanism (puts it on the clip board and then I paste it into Microsoft Paint (ugh - but it works).

 

There are several reasons I want to run my own tournaments:

 

- I want to go through all the setup that a person running a tournament does (the only way to document everything about this aspect). This especially involves how files on the PC can be used to limit tournament participation.

 

- I don't want to keep getting "grabbed" for director calls and losing my context just as I'm trying to take a snapshot or jot down a note.

 

- But I do want to get called (when I'm ready) so I can document that aspect as well.

 

- I want to make some (probably fictitious) score adjustments.

 

Those are the main reasons for keeping it small and having a group of people who can happily play away at the bridge table while I try to accomplish what I need to do.

 

I'd like to go back through some of the postings about tournaments and see if I can get answers to the problems (or descriptions) into the Help. This probably means making several passes (probably about a week apart for the tournaments).