Re: automated screenshots (was Re: more doc work, Re: completed gataxx doc)

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Thu, 2006-08-03 at 19:59 +0100, Don Scorgie wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Thu, 2006-08-03 at 19:51 +0100, Joachim Noreiko wrote:
> <snip>
> > 
> > How much can DogTail automate?
> > 
> > Can everything about how a screenshot should be made
> > be codified into a script? -- eg window size, document
> > contents, menus, dialog boxes, pop-up elements etc?
> > 
> > If so, then I can imagine the following scenario:
> > 
> > The DocBook file contains a tag for the screenshot.
> > This tag contains somewhere within it meta-information
> > destined for DogTail.
> > The documentation writer copies this to the terminal,
> > dogtail opens a few windows, does its stuff, and
> > shazamm!!! the screenshot has been updated based on
> > the software on the writer's system. (Because the
> > meta-information also says where to save the file, of
> > course!)
> 
> Or, better yet...
> Create a script (in gnome-doc-utils, of course.  Seems to be my
> favourite place today ;) ), something like "update-screenshots".  Each
> screenshot would have an associated dogtail script.  The
> "update-screenshots" would run each dogtail script in turn, producing
> the desired output.  Almost the same amount of work, but saves the
> writers copy-pasting a series of strange commands from a file to a
> terminal (where errors can creep in).

You silly people.  Think BIG.

If we can get perfectly reliable automated screenshots,
then there's no reason for the documentation writers to
be taking and saving them.  We could just automatically
create the shots inside Yelp when the user views a page.
And then the screenshot conforms exactly to that user's
theme.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

--
Shaun