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JMP Documentation Formats

Hi, I'm the manager of technical documentation at JMP. We offer documentation in several formats, among them print books and e-books (Kindle and EPUB).

 

I have some questions for you:

 

1. How many of you buy the JMP print books?

2. Now that you know about them, would you buy the e-books? e-books are like PDF files but they provide some interactive features.

3. Which do you use the most -- the ? help, Help > JMP Help menu, or PDF files?

 

We always strive to provide users with the best help options, so I'm really curious about your opinions.

 

Thanks,

Sheila

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

If I choose to open a PDF then I know where to find it - the PDF icon on my taskbar.  If something opens in my browser it either gets lost (because I have so many tabs open) or interferes with my browser content (because it I have so many tabs open).

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

For understanding elements of the UI (i.e. what does this option do?) I use the ?-tool.

For coding I use the scripting index.

For trying to understand what JMP is doing under the bonnet I use PDF.

Increasingly, I'm using a tablet for PDF documentation, so that I can read offline.

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

I guess I misinterpreted your question.  I was thinking of

     Help==>Books

I do use the "?" tool when analyzing data, however in my consulting work, I am mainly writing JSL, not analyzing data.

Re: JMP Documentation FormatsWhat do you mean by "the default"? HTML help is available using the question mark tool or through the Help > JMP Help menu. There's no way to make PDF files the default help that opens.Re: JMP Documentation Formats

Because it is what is the default on my system.  No other reason.

Re: JMP Documentation FormatsJim, just curious, why do you choose PDF versus the HTML help that's in JMP?Re: JMP Documentation Formats

I find the Scripting Guide a tool that was very important during my initial learning of JSL.  Having it in PDF format was quite sufficient.  I do not maintain a separate tablet for my e reading.  I am in the Windows environment, and my e reading is done from a Windows tablet, which also allows me to have a complete version of JMP, from which I have access to the Scripting Guide PDF.

 

That said, what I find most important, is the Scripting Index.  And within the index, the examples are extremely important.  Being able to interactively run the example and to mouse over the variables in the examples, etc. is something an e-book just can't provide.

 

Thirdly, from my activities on the Discusson Forum, just getting new users to read any documentation would be helpful.  From that, I hope an e-book would open the door to a new branch of users who embrace e-books.

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

Thanks for responding, Peter. Glad you find the Scripting Index helpful. I use it every day.

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

Thanks, Ted.

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

I don't buy the hardcopy books because everything's there in PDF format

Don't think I would buy the ebooks because of the free PDFs.  

The option that I use the most is the scripting index.  Mainly because i do a lot of scripting.

Re: JMP Documentation Formats

I use more help, than pdf (perhaps, because stuck at JMP ver.10)

Re: JMP Documentation FormatsI preferred pdf file.