Improved help file

[grahamrhind]

I would like to put in my vote for a request to overhaul the help file.

I've read the manual from beginning to end (not a habit of mine!). I am a database manager and understand the principles of attributes, items and so on, but even so I found much of the file confusing. I dread to think how people without my background managed.

I also despaired at how often I found parts of the help file telling me what COULD be done but not HOW it is done. Nowhere is there a simple description of a way that a new template can be made - I had to get that information from a user in another forum. Nowhere could I find out HOW to create the Outlook synchronisation as shown in the Outlook sample file.

Basically, the help file is too technical and needs the addition of some very basic "first you do this and then you do that" sections, which make the structure of the whole program easier to understand.

I've found out how to make a template. Now, can anybody explain in words of one syllable how to achieve the (much vaunted) Outlook synchronisation?

[janrif]

Originally posted by grahamrhind
I would like to put in my vote for a request to overhaul the help file. [snip] I also despaired at how often I found parts of the help file telling me what COULD be done but not HOW it is done. [snip]

I agree w your post Graham but I've noticed a few places where the how-to's are sneaking into the help file but more -- especially for basic use -- needs to be written. Kinook, to their credit, has also created some demos. http://www.kinook.com/UltraRecall/demos.html HTH

[ashwken]

Originally posted by grahamrhind
snip...
I also despaired at how often I found parts of the help file telling me what COULD be done but not HOW it is done. Nowhere is there a simple description of a way that a new template can be made - I had to get that information from a user in another forum. Nowhere could I find out HOW to create the Outlook synchronisation as shown in the Outlook sample file.

Unfortunately, this is case with most program help files - they explain the functionality and are short on real world examples. 'Course some of the better help files will include an example of a particular topic, but generally this is not the case.

As janrif pointed out there are the tutorials, and this Forum is an excellent source of support (as is www.outlinersoftware.com), but the time lag can be frustrating when you hit a brick wall.

Like you I have a background in databases - cut my teeth on Alpha Software's relational system, back when manuals actually came with the software, but even as big as the manual was there was still the need (market) for third-party publications that filled in the gaps (and Alpha has always had an excellent support Forum, even back in the BBS days).

What is furstrating is that every one of these programs has their own terminology for the same thing - a node is a node is a node, root, parent, or child - and it takes time to translate what one program means for something that you've become familiar with in another program, and even then you probably called it somthing else in your head (based on previous experience in some other program).

Like you, I had a very hard time wrapping my mind around Template creation based on an imported Word document. I read the help file numerous times, poured over the relavent threads in the Forum, and finally got something to work. The light finally came on brightly when Kevin responded to a support email during the v.3 beta.

Like you, I've got a background in relational databases, and I keep finding myself trying to normalize the data in UR where actually, I should be thinking of UR as a flat-file with normalization and relationships taking place in the tree structure, saved searches, and node links. I still don't have my mind wrapped fully around this, I keep having to forget what I've learned elsewhere.

Unfortunately I'm not able to help you with the Synchronize function under v.3x, I just haven't gotten to this part of it yet.

But based on my experience in v.2x:

I would create a Contact Record in Outlook, then use the UR Outlook Bar Copy Button to shoot the record to UR. If I needed to change some data in the record it was best to go back to Outlook to do the edit, then from UR with focus on the Contact Record do a Item | Synchronize (Ctrl-F5), and the UR version of the record would update.

From what I've gathered v.3x affords the capability of creating and editing Contact Records in UR then shooting (synchronize) them into Outlook. But like I said, I haven't gotten around to actually doing this yet - I've got a big Lead Tracking database running under v.2x that I haven't moved to v.3x yet because I need to re-think much of its structure in light of the new features available (and new stuff that I've learned sense its implementation).

Just some thoughts.
KenA

[ksrhee]

Originally posted by grahamrhind
I would like to put in my vote for a request to overhaul the help file.


I've found out how to make a template. Now, can anybody explain in words of one syllable how to achieve the (much vaunted) Outlook synchronisation?

I think the easiest way to explain is that you need to specify the path of the Outlook folder in the URL field in the attribute pane. Once the correct path is identified (e.g., Outlook://Personal Folders/Calendar), then you need to use either the menu command (Item/Synchronize) or simply Control F5 to begin the synchronization process.

Hope this helps.

[grahamrhind]

Yes it does - thanks. It appears, though, that Outlook 2007 doesn't keep calendar, e-mail, contacts etc, in separate files. It seems to keep them all in a single pst (xml?) file. This can be synchronised, but UR doesn't recognise the contents and just synchronises them as if they're an unknown file type.