What are the general thoughts on the 2008v1 release so far? We have just started to use it and don't really see much new or improved. Are there any massive improvements?
Right now we are tryign to decide to renew our subscription or move on to another suite such as Telerik.
The Infragisitcs controsl have been ok and we have usedthem for years but overall they are very heavy for web use and more complex than they need to be. Support and sample code is also weak in our view.
Overall I'm pretty happy with 2008v1 though I just realized last night that there's actually versions for the 2.0 and 3.5 framework. How I missed getting the 3.5 version when it was released is beyond me. My biggest beef with 2008v1 is designer issues I'm seeing in VS2008. Several times I'll use the quick designer for the UltraWebGrid click Apply and then OK and my changes do not get saved in the source code. I have resorted to making must modifications to the grids in the source which pretty much defeats the purpose of having the quick designer :(.
As far as documentation goes I have found the documentation team to be very responsive to feedback I've provided in the past. I would love to see more useful Getting Started examples. For example with the new WebDialogWindow - I would love to see how to display it, capture some input and then process that input from the page that called the WebDialogWindow. The current WebDialogWindow exmaple shows you how to load www.infragistics.com which, while cool, isn't something I need to do on any of my current projects.
nsmith555 said:While I am all for code snippets I am unsure the forums are the best place for them. The knowledgebase offers a more condensed and formalized approach. However the knowledgebase needs some substantial revision and housecleaning of information dated back to 2002. Perhaps task some of those guys building Tangerine with a new version of the knowledgebase. I know sometimes the cobblers son is last to get new shoes.
Funny you should mention this, Nick. We have been considering the best way to improve the KB experience. I have this crazy idea of taking advantage of the forums publish KB content. Seems to have a lot to recommend it: good search, existing channel (i.e., fewer places you guys have to look for info), built-in subscription features (RSS/email), built-in feedback features (so you guys could easily offer suggestions, alternatives, etc.), and built-in aging, as it were. We have some other, more traditional options, of course, but know that it is something we are currently working on.
Thanks to all for the feedback. The constructive suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Nope.
That's not my intent.
I simply wanted 'marly' to be aware that there is a pdf version of our documents and also that the Developer's Guide is a resource above the API docs and to bring it to his attention.
Tim
Just wanted to jump in here, uninvited.
I can tell that you're trying to intercept and intervene when you detect a common problem being expressed as discontent here, but some of that approach may be part of the problem.
IG folks need to hear that customers are having problems with the content/quality/accessibility of the help systems and general documentation. They're not asking for another document to read explaining how the help system is laid out or how it works.
Think about that response to a customer stating problems with the documentation. "Well, here's a document that you can read that will explain how to read the other document, that tells you how to use our systems."
IG simply must start to HEAR that there are problems with organization, presentation, and content in help.
-Jason LockridgeSmithSystems, Inc.Los Angeles
Tim,
Yes the pdf's are helpful, but represent only part of an entire help system.
Just so you can understand what frustrates the developers using IG controls, take the following example.
Open the help file (2008V1), in ASP.NET, The Toolset, Controls and Components, WebDialogWindow, API Overview.
Click on ContentPane, then ContentPane Members
In Public Events, click on DataBinding
The page displayed provides the syntax, but displays on information on when this event occurs. I know it is more than likely this has something to do when some form of data binding takes place, but this is just a guess. It is no good simply documenting the syntax without having an explanation or some other link to a page that would explain the event.
There are so many similar instances like that above in the help file, and also many instances where you are searching for an explanation for a feature of one control only to find any explanation or example talking about a different control. OK, I know many controls share common methods etc, but when this is the case, the documentation should reflect this fact.
The above problems simply demonstrate to me that IG has not put enough effort into documentation. I know from experience that most developers do not like spending time on documentation, they would much rather be developing the next system, version etc. As someone who has project managed development teams, I always found the best method was to prioratize developers time after completing a task :-
1 - Fix any bugs arising
2 - Document the code to a level that passes any QA requirements (supervised by QA and Technical Authors)
3 - Code the next system
By restricting developers coding until they have fully completed the last system they developed, always seemed to focus their attention to producing good code and documentation.
Again I state that I think IG controls are generally superior to competitors, but they are catching up rapidly, and are not far behind. Unless IG pays some attention to these documentation issues, I can easily see their market share diminishing in the long term.