AdminStudio Documentation

[CChong]

Greetings.

First, let me introduce myself. I'm a Senior Technical Writer at InstallShield, and am in charge of all AdminStudio product documentation (the online help library, the inline help, the Getting Started Guide, etc.). The purpose of this thread is to give you, our AdminStudio customers, a forum where you can discuss what should be improved in AdminStudio documentation.

What I'm most interested in is how we can craft documentation to better help you. Are there concepts you need to know about that aren't covered? Are there tasks you need to perform that you don't know how to accomplish? Are there ways you're using AdminStudio that need further explanation? What are you using AdminStudio for, and how can we support your efforts with the included documentation?

I want to focus on your actual documentation needs, and am open to any way we can better support you in your AdminStudio use. I will be monitoring and participating in this thread so I can try to address these needs in future releases.

Thanks in advance for your help.

-Eric

[Pfeiffer]

Firstly, I would like to see a documented sample project, start to finish. From the launching of repackager, to building a Merge Module and the final running the conflict solver. While I think the individual applications are well documented I feel their interaction and the benefit of their interactions are lacking explanation.

Secondly, you have a well publicized function to "Directly convert ZENworks deployment packages into Windows Installer packages." And the accompanying documentation reads something like, "Click FILE -> OPEN then select the file you want to convert... The End" I think a chapter on this process would be in order in your next documentation release. Maybe a second chapter on the SMS process as well.

Thank you for soliciting input from the customers in the field.

[CChong]

Thanks for the suggestions. Hopefully we'll get even more in the near future (if this thread picks up).

As for your first suggestion, have you looked at all at the tutorial in the online help? That does run through a very simple repackaging/building/customizing/conflict solving scenario from start to finish with a single application. However, we are looking at ways we can provide even larger examples so you can see further interaction between products. As we have enhanced ConflictSolver and the Application Isolation Wizard(tm) with our recent Value Pack, I have it on my list to add to the overall tutorial. Or are you driving at a different scenario entirely?

Your second suggestion is already in the works, with much more documentation. Are there any specific areas as far as the conversion process that you would like covered? Or any other areas that need enhancement?

Again, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or criticism you might have of the documentation. 🙂

[CChong]

Hi There

Although new to admin studio we have found the docs to be thorough in all aspects usually whilst one is reading and the other is following the actions. After a general discussion we felt the inclusion of more screen shots of the actual topics being discussed would have been more useful - we are at present still having teething troubles but generally the docs are good

[CChong]

Thanks for the comment. Please feel free to provide any additional feedback as you learn the product more thoroughly. You may have suggestions that we haven't considered thus far because we're working so closely with the product that it is hard sometimes to "step out" to see whether we've convered everything in as much detail with as much clarity as we should have.

In future releases of AdminStudio, I'm implementing a feedback link on each online help topic that goes directly to the AdminStudio documentation feedback page on our Web site, and pre-populates the name of the help topic. You can then comment on a specific help topic, letting us know if you thought a screenshot would have been helpful, if a procedure wasn't clear, or anything else you wanted to say about that help topic. Our goal in doing this is to pinpoint where we need to concentrate in the help system to best help you, our customers.

Again, thanks for the comments!

[looeee]

I would like to see an example of the use of CS to troubleshoot conflicts in the sample database.
looeee