[wp-hackers] Documentation revisited (follows scriptygoddess next - previous post discussion)

[ayj & j]

I started a thread on creating some hacker-friendly documentation in the
first couple of days of this forum. Some people saw value in the idea,
others felt the Wiki was the place for such things and / or that plugin
writers needed to do what the developers had already done - namely get on
with it and become deeply familiar with the WP group of scripts.

I make the following as a general comments - for my own specific needs it is
of marginal relevance - I am not seeking for someone else to do my work for
me, but...

1. IMO the Wiki, or indeed the WP documentation in general, does not work
remotely adequately for plugin writers, nor is there much sign that it ever
will.

2. I think there is value in plugin writers cooperating on creating some
documentation / sharing ideas / having a process for asking and sharing
knowledge about specific issues.

3. The needs and objectives of plugin writers and those of the main WP
developers are not the same nor are they always aligned identically.

[- to be absolutely clear '3' doesn't reflect any lack of support for plugin
writers etc by the WP developers, it is just that their situation and
priorities are not always the same.]

On the basis of those comments, I think it could make sense for the plugin
writers to cooperate in creating some useful documentation as part of their
own plugin development - independently of the main WP documentation effort.
Perhaps such an approach can contribute to the main documentation at some
stage but that is a separate issue.

I have various ideas about implementation but I won't go into it in detail -
and I am sure other people can come up with better ideas anyway. The basic
thought I have is that each of us works on particular parts of the WP script
group as part of our natural plugin development program. I think sharing
what we have learned in so doing makes sense for all of us. I would like to
see us create a highly annotated / commented version of the WP scripts, with
individual line comments within this special hackers script set, and with
the ability to post more detailed discussion underneath each individual
annotated script. Much along the lines of the php on-line manual. Perhaps
each 'detailed discussion post' could also be circulated on a mailing list,
this one or another if that is considered more appropriate.

Such a resource is of much more relevance to the plugin writers than the
central WP developers and as such would be up to the plugin writers to make
it happen and make it how they want it.

If there is any interest in doing something with such an idea then we can
discuss it further. If there isn't - well and good I am not short of things
to do either.

Andrew Hall






----- Original Message -----
From: "scriptygoddess" <scriptygoddess at gmail.com>
To: <hackers at wordpress.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2004 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: [wp-hackers] next day's post / previous days post


> Well - that template page STARTS to discuss it - but then only says
> "(see 'Usage' section for explanation)."... But there is no "Usage"
> section....???
>
> -Jenn
>
> -----------------------------------------
> www.scriptygoddess.com
> www.theworkingmom.net
>
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> hackers mailing list
> hackers at wordpress.org
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