[PD] notes/questions from a beginner

[Jonathan Wilkes]

----- Original Message -----
> From: Mathieu Bouchard <matju at artengine.ca>
> To: IOhannes zmölnig <zmoelnig at iem.at>
> Cc: pd-list at iem.at
> Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 10:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [PD] notes/questions from a beginner
> 
> On Fri, 26 Aug 2011, IOhannes zmölnig wrote:
> 
>>  On 08/26/2011 01:04 AM, yvan volochine wrote:
>>> 
>>>  yeah, ALT+H
>> 
>>  Alt-H??
>>  all systems i know use "F1" for help, except apple which uses 
> "Cmd-?"
> 
> WordPerfect for DOS used F3 for help.
> 
> I'm pretty sure I encountered a programme that put help on Ctrl+F5 or 
> Alt+F9 or whatever, but I don't recall what it was.

Not all programs use the "F1" binding (Firefox doesn't seem to), but if they 
do, it's for a static program-wide point of entry that a user can depend on 
even if he/she doesn't understand anything else about the interface staring 
back at them.

"Static" is key here.  The whole point of a standard interface detail like that is so that you 
don't have to assume that users know anything specific about your program in order for them 
to get help.  So if a pd user has just selected an object in edit mode, then gets confused and 
wants to go back to that "F1" help entry point, but you bring up the selected object's help patch 
instead, you have just defeated the purpose of having an "F1" entry point.

It'd be like toggling what "Help -> About" points to based on whether or not an object is selected.

-Jonathan

> 
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> | Mathieu Bouchard ---- tél: +1.514.383.3801 ---- Villeray, Montréal, QC
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