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While I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, I am having problems that I suspect others may be having with regards to using your tools.
I have used your ajax tools for a number of years and really like them. Recently, I decided that I needed to learn how to develop some MVC apps and at that point learn about your ORM product which appears to be really interesting.
A couple of times, I have started with your Getting Started or quick start tutorials in the help sessions. Getting into them, I found that the help files were out of date and the screen shots that I was trying use to follow along didn't match what was happening on my screen when I was following the application.
Now I appreciate the great strides that your company seems to be making with it's tools - but have got totally frustrated trying to learn how to use them - despite your impressive library of videos and help assets.
For what it's worth, here's a couple of suggestions:
I have used your ajax tools for a number of years and really like them. Recently, I decided that I needed to learn how to develop some MVC apps and at that point learn about your ORM product which appears to be really interesting.
A couple of times, I have started with your Getting Started or quick start tutorials in the help sessions. Getting into them, I found that the help files were out of date and the screen shots that I was trying use to follow along didn't match what was happening on my screen when I was following the application.
Now I appreciate the great strides that your company seems to be making with it's tools - but have got totally frustrated trying to learn how to use them - despite your impressive library of videos and help assets.
For what it's worth, here's a couple of suggestions:
- When you have a new version of one of your tools come out, have someone go through the getting started documentation to make sure that it corresponded with the new versions of the way things are done.
- Label and date your documentation so that people know what version it is associated with. I can't tell you the number of times I have flipped between the various pieces of downloaded and online documentation trying to figure out what is happening and why what is happening on my screen doesn't correspond to the wizard/method shown on the screen.
- Provide Context! I know you guys are five star techies, and live and breath the tools and you're enthused about the multiple ways that you can use the tools. But for a plodder like myself, at least, it feels that I'm at the end of a fire hose being drenched in explanation on how to use different tools with no explanation as to why I would use them. Perhaps try something like: "The Round-Tripping approach is a method that... It is often used in situations where... It differs from the other tools in that.... Here's an example of how you would use this approach in the following situation...
Just saying... - Roger
1 Answer, 1 is accepted
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Hi Roger,
Thank you for your interest in Telerik OpenAccess ORM.
Our policy regarding the resources is to update them so that they correspond to the latest version of the product.
My best guess about the reason you experience problems with the documentation is that the .chm file you use came with the purchased premium collection which is version 2011.3.1129. I checked in our system the downloads from your account and I noticed that you downloaded Telerik OpenAccess ORM Free Edition version 2012.3.1012. In this connection, I will ask you to confirm if this is the version you installed.
If this is the case, I suggest you to download the latest version of the .chm file from here (Documentation.zip) and give the getting started scenarios a try. Note that the screenshots are from Visual Studio 2012.
About your suggestions:
1. OpenAccess strictly follows the company policy regarding that matter.
2. Thank you for the feedback about that. A similar task is already in our TODO list and it will be ready after a few months.
3. About the context. I see your point here. Indeed the context is necessary and we provide it with the samples shown in our OpenAccess SDK Browser. The documentation is kept deliberately out of context and basically explains what our tools do and how to use them.
In Telerik we support two types of resources: on-line and off-line.
Generally, the on-line resources include:
- Documentation - a complete set of feature references, how-to articles and product information
- Knowledge Base - set of articles that solve specific problems
- Forums - a place to communicate with others that use Telerik's products
- Code Library - contains simple project that demonstrate specific problems or features
- Videos - visual representation of the product's features in different scenarios
- Blogs - contain articles about all new and interesting in OpenAccess
The off-line resources consist of:
- Off-line documentation file (.chm) - an off-line copy of the on-line documentation. Its latest version is accessible through your Telerik account.
- Telerik OpenAccess SDK Browser - a set of end-to-end examples designed to increase your productivity and kick-start your development process. You can download the latest version from the same link (OpenAccess SDK)
- Getting Started Guide - a brief reference to the basic mapping scenarios and their implementation. It is available here
I am looking for your feedback and if you have more questions, do not hesitate to get back to us.
All the best,
Doroteya
the Telerik team
Thank you for your interest in Telerik OpenAccess ORM.
Our policy regarding the resources is to update them so that they correspond to the latest version of the product.
My best guess about the reason you experience problems with the documentation is that the .chm file you use came with the purchased premium collection which is version 2011.3.1129. I checked in our system the downloads from your account and I noticed that you downloaded Telerik OpenAccess ORM Free Edition version 2012.3.1012. In this connection, I will ask you to confirm if this is the version you installed.
If this is the case, I suggest you to download the latest version of the .chm file from here (Documentation.zip) and give the getting started scenarios a try. Note that the screenshots are from Visual Studio 2012.
About your suggestions:
1. OpenAccess strictly follows the company policy regarding that matter.
2. Thank you for the feedback about that. A similar task is already in our TODO list and it will be ready after a few months.
3. About the context. I see your point here. Indeed the context is necessary and we provide it with the samples shown in our OpenAccess SDK Browser. The documentation is kept deliberately out of context and basically explains what our tools do and how to use them.
In Telerik we support two types of resources: on-line and off-line.
Generally, the on-line resources include:
- Documentation - a complete set of feature references, how-to articles and product information
- Knowledge Base - set of articles that solve specific problems
- Forums - a place to communicate with others that use Telerik's products
- Code Library - contains simple project that demonstrate specific problems or features
- Videos - visual representation of the product's features in different scenarios
- Blogs - contain articles about all new and interesting in OpenAccess
The off-line resources consist of:
- Off-line documentation file (.chm) - an off-line copy of the on-line documentation. Its latest version is accessible through your Telerik account.
- Telerik OpenAccess SDK Browser - a set of end-to-end examples designed to increase your productivity and kick-start your development process. You can download the latest version from the same link (OpenAccess SDK)
- Getting Started Guide - a brief reference to the basic mapping scenarios and their implementation. It is available here
I am looking for your feedback and if you have more questions, do not hesitate to get back to us.
All the best,
Doroteya
the Telerik team
Telerik OpenAccess ORM Meets ASP.NET Web API. Read more.