Question - IDE Any plans to update the performance/functionality of the manual?

[Teethbrush]

Things that bother me about the current implementation:

• the amount of time it takes to render a file that is on your hard drive is bananas
• you can't search for a string if one word is 2 characters or less (remember the bad old days when you couldn't search "the who" on google, and these are local files why is this even an issue?)
• I like how easy GameMaker's dark theme is on the eyes, but whenever you look at something new in the manual it blinds you with a flash of brilliant white

I sincerely hope there are plans to improve this, it drives me nutty every time I open the manual.

 

[Smiechu]

The manual is not on your HD, it's online, so it's always actual.
For GMS2 it's i.e. here:
https://docs2.yoyogames.com
You can load it in your browser and have always in the background.

You know that in GMS2 when you klick with middle button on a function or builtin variable it goes directly to the manual where the functions is described?
The topics in manual are so well organised that searching makes no sense at all. You can find everythin with 3 klicks through the index tree.

I realy find the manual one of the cleanest and clearest I've seen for a software. I practically learned all the gml functionality from it.

The contrast thing... you should check your display contrast and brightness settings. Normally the change from dark to white by computer display should not blind you or make an unpleasant feel.

 

[Nocturne]

• you can't search for a string if one word is 2 characters or less (remember the bad old days when you couldn't search "the who" on google, and these are local files why is this even an issue?)

• I like how easy GameMaker's dark theme is on the eyes, but whenever you look at something new in the manual it blinds you with a flash of brilliant white

Can I request you file a seperate bug report for each of these issues? The serach feature I definitely agree with and think it can/should be fixed. The white screen on initial load is also something that I feel should be looked at (I get it too)...

 

[Teethbrush]

The manual is not on your HD, it's online, so it's always actual.

Well I'm not sure what to believe because:

No, it is entirely offline. Only things that require internet are embedded components.

You know that in GMS2 when you klick with middle button on a function or builtin variable it goes directly to the manual where the functions is described?
The topics in manual are so well organised that searching makes no sense at all. You can find everythin with 3 klicks through the index tree.

This has not always been the case for me. I have stumbled across things before that I would have never found without the use of the search feature.

Can I request you file a seperate bug report for each of these issues?

Thanks, I hadn't considered this. c:

 

[Dog Slobber]

The manual is not on your HD, it's online, so it's always actual.
For GMS2 it's i.e. here:
https://docs2.yoyogames.com
You can load it in your browser and have always in the background.

Yes there is a copy of of the manual online, but there I also a local copy on your hard drive.

When you access the Help / Open Manual from within the IDE you're loading the local copy.

It's stored in:
(Mac) - GameMaker Studio 2.app / Contents / MonoBundle / chm2web
(Windows) - \Program Files\GameMaker Studio 2\chm2web

I sincerely hope there are plans to improve this, it drives me nutty every time I open the manual.

The local help uses CHM, Compiled HTML, and a third party tool to present it. There is limited customization options.

 

[Smiechu]

Yes there is a copy of of the manual online, but there I also a local copy on your hard drive.

When you access the Help / Open Manual from within the IDE you're loading the local copy.

It's stored in:
(Mac) - GameMaker Studio 2.app / Contents / MonoBundle / chm2web
(Windows) - \Program Files\GameMaker Studio 2\chm2web



The local help uses CHM, Compiled HTML, and a third party tool to present it. There is limited customization options.

Yes, but i think the problem is that IDE is checking every time if the version on the HD is up to date, and this gives this problems with loading time.

 

[Nocturne]

Yes there is a copy of of the manual online, but there I also a local copy on your hard drive.

When you access the Help / Open Manual from within the IDE you're loading the local copy.

It's stored in:
(Mac) - GameMaker Studio 2.app / Contents / MonoBundle / chm2web
(Windows) - \Program Files\GameMaker Studio 2\chm2web

Yep, that is indeed exactly how it is.

Yes, but i think the problem is that IDE is checking every time if the version on the HD is up to date, and this gives this problems with loading time.

The manual is only updated when the IDE is updated, and the IDE doesn't check just for manual updates every time it's used. When you get an IDE update, you get a new manual, but at no ther time is there any type of download or check done.

 

[Smiechu]

Yep, that is indeed exactly how it is.


The manual is only updated when the IDE is updated, and the IDE doesn't check just for manual updates every time it's used. When you get an IDE update, you get a new manual, but at no ther time is there any type of download or check done.

Than it's worse for YoYo, that they have problems with so simple thing like loading manual from HD. I always thought that manual loading problems are caused by loading from internet.

 

[BaBiA Game Studio]

I always thought that manual loading problems are caused by loading from internet.

Same here. I thought there wasn't a local version either. I've learned something new today.

 

[gnysek]

The local help uses CHM, Compiled HTML, and a third party tool to present it. There is limited customization options.

In GMS2 it's not anymore. There is just a zip with it, and it's 99% 1:1 version with online one.

 

[Teethbrush]

I have sent the bug reports (which for some reason turned into support tickets instead?) and it doesn't sound super promising.

The QA team has been "made aware" about the white flash when loading a page.
The limited search is a feature not a bug.
The performance issues are being ignored (literally, this is the only one they didn't reply to)

I'd hoped to find someone at YoYo Games who would champion the performance of the documentation, but it seems no one thinks it is an issue. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when Mike himself displayed zero concern in this thread.

 

[Smiechu]

To be honest, besides couple of times when the docu simply didn't want to launch, it works perfectly fine for me...