Getting Started - Product User Guide

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Product User Guide

Printed From: ProductCart E-Commerce Solutions
Category: ProductCart
Forum Name: Getting Started
Forum Description: Installing, activating, and getting started with ProductCart
URL: https://forum.productcart.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3411
Printed Date: 30-May-2024 at 10:50am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Product User Guide

Posted By: joedomek
Subject: Product User Guide
Date Posted: 05-February-2010 at 2:35pm

Why can't I download and print out the most recent version of Product Cart's User Guide? I don't want to have to click back and forth from one topic to another, and I would like to have a piece of paper that I can make notes on...

I am shocked this is not availabe, or at least visible that I can find a PDF or something I can download and print out!

Anyone know where there is a PDF of the user guide?

Replies:

Posted By: ProductCart
Date Posted: 05-February-2010 at 3:02pm

We understand your position. We used to maintain a set of very large PDF User Guides, but the reality is that updating a 500+ page document was inefficient, time consuming, and ultimately counter-productive as it led to constantly outdated documentation.

There are certainly pros and cons with both approaches, but a WIKI-based documentation allows Early Impact and the rest of the ProductCart community to contribute to documents that are constantly updated, improved, and expanded. The WIKI is updated literally every day. This would simply be impossible if we were still using a PDF User Guide.

Among the benefits of using a WIKI, for example, there is the ability for you to "subscribe" to changes to specific areas of the documentation that are particularly important to you so that you can be notified when those sections are updated.

There are many other benefits of using a WIKI, from how information is indexed by search engines (and therefore easier for you to locate), to the reduced environmental impact of not printing out 500+ pages of documentation :-)

We hope this helps understand the rationale behind the decision.

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The ProductCart Team

Home of ProductCart http://www.productcart.com" rel="nofollow - shopping cart software

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 05-February-2010 at 3:04pm

Back in the days when the documentation was a PDF it never got updated and it reached a point of being almost useless.

Introduction of the WIKI for the user guide is one of the best things EI has done. They and others, myself included, regularly update the WIKI in order to continue improving the information presented.

Sorry you are shocked. No PDF guide exists.

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GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: joedomek
Date Posted: 05-February-2010 at 3:45pm

Thanks for all the feedback... I am not gonna disagree that the digital format in WIKI is the way to go to keep it fresh. Especially in this digital age!

The only bummer is that I would like to be able to just print it all out at once, no matter if it's 40 pages or 900. I like that physical copy to go through and make notes on as it pertains to my store.

The WIKI format is deffinitely good for quick reference, but for new users to go through it all, it's easy to get lost in the cyber manual and a lot of clicking, vs just following the pages.

Wishful thinking... That's all. Oh well, back to the matrix of manuals...