Talk:Main Page

Editorial Consistency

see Wording

Page Families

OK. So we'd like to be consistent in page formatting. We have:

• Family of pages for Preferences: I'd like to propose that we use headings for naming the static boxes, e.g. ==Recording== for the static box named 'Recording' and then bullet points for the items within the static box, i.e. we follow the design of Audio IO Preferences. I've been using two layers of bullets in some of the other preferences pages.
• Family of pages for Menus: I like the three column table layout used in Track Pop-Down Menu, with the image of the menu on the left, the names of the items in the middle column and descriptions in the right column. However, it may not work well for pages which need long descriptions for each menu item. Perhaps we should do 'the same thing' as for preferences and give:
  • The image, and then
  • Headings for each section within the menu, and then
  • Bullet points for menu items within each section?
• Family of pages for Toolbars: Should we use Control Toolbar as the prototype? What I like here is the use of just the button icon without the button background. It makes the section describing each button take little space. It encourages us to keep it brief.

Gale, these are just suggestions, so that we can fix on something. I think it's more important that we are consistent than what those choices of consistency are. JamesCrook 04:45, 9 December 2007 (PST)

Structure

Audacity Selection and Selecting are similar pages both linked to from the Main page. Is this overlap what we want? (probably yes, but just checking). JamesCrook 15:23, 24 November 2007 (PST)

Looks a bit odd to me. I'd say either make two paragraphs saying that Audacity depends on selections of audio and that it works on the basis of Tracks and Clips, or (better) delete Audacity Selection and Audacity Tracks and Clips altogether and use the Selecting and Tracks and Clips articles in the "Using Audacity" section. In either case the article to do with selection probably needs a quick note of the select all on none feature that is on by default.

On the Tools Toolbar page I've linked the individual tools to the comprehensive articles on the topic - e.g. for envelopes and for selecting. Should we do the same for the links on the main page rather than create new short pages for these tools? JamesCrook 15:23, 24 November 2007 (PST)

I can certainly see the top of Playing and Recording is a duplication of Control Toolbar. We certainly don't want that duplication.

There's at least three styles of writing in this manual.

• There's the remnants of the old reference manual- not linked to directly from the main page, but still visible via the FAQ.
• There's the detailed tutorial style of the main help.
• There's some newer reference help that is brief.

I'm thinking the reference section needs to stay brief, so that anyone can quickly see what the features are by reading the reference section. To understand how to use the features they'll either start in the tutorial sections, or get to the tutorials from links from the reference section. The old reference material is gradually deprecated as we replace it with newer stuff. Sound OK? JamesCrook 16:31, 24 November 2007 (PST)

Reference section looks quite verbose to me in places e.g. the Effects section in the Reference is longer than Applying Effects in "Using Audacity" and there is quite a bit of duplication. Splitting Stereo Tracks has no corresponding section for the Track Popdown Menu in Reference? Editing: Cut, Paste, and More in "Using Audacity" looks like a duplication of Edit in the Reference. I think this needs a serious rethink and I don't think the Reference section in many cases can even be useful unless it describes all the menus and Preferences properly (and non-geekishly). I'm beginning to wonder if we need more (or longer?) "Tutorials" - something along the lines of the sections of "Using Audacity" but integrated into a real life scenario. For example there might be "my first session editing an audio file" and so this includes importing, editing and export/save (but split sufficiently that sections can be accessed individually or returned to). Then instead of "Using Audacity", a proper "How do I ..." index (links only, no descriptions) that people can go to for how to do an exact thing. Examples of this would be "recording..//choose mono or stereo recording" (goes to Reference: Audio I/O tab of Preferences) "create a new track" (goes to Reference:Tracks Menu).... "recording..// adjust input levels" (goes to Tutorial:My first recording).

Gale