Your feedback: RAB documentation

Niklas Skoglund

Hi RAB users!

 

As I wrote in a previous post I'm looking for your feedback on different areas of RAB, in order to get right on track when we develop new features, improve user documentation, provide sample code etc.

 

Even though this is the RAB forum I will touch the RobotStudio API as well, as its one of the other APIs from ABB Robotics that some of you use besides the APIs in RAB.

 

You can answer with a private message to me, or by replying this post. If you think I'm asking the wrong questions, dont let that stop you;)

 

Questions are in blue text.

 

 

One of the plannned activities are to improve the API reference manuals for the 

PC-SDK/Controller API,

FP-SDK/Controller API and the RobotStudio API.

 

• What is your impression of the current API reference manuals?
  
• What would you like us to add?
  
• Would more sample code/projects help you more than an improved reference manual?
  
• Do you like having separate .chm files for each API or would you prefer something like Microsofts MSDN, where all reference, and in-depth documentation for all the different SDKs are available in one place, and can be linked together.
  
• What about publishing the documentation and code samples on-line so it can updated between the RobotWare releases?

 

Are you working with mainly PC-SDK, FP-SDK, RobotStudio API or a combination? I'm interested to hear if people that work with only one of the SDKs has a different opinion than people that are working with several of them.

 

• Is it a good thing to have one common Users's Guide for both the RAB SDKs, where there is often one chapter "How to do XXX with PC-SDK", and one similar "How to do XXX with FP-SDK" chapter?
  
• Would you prefer a more comprehensive reference manual that includes code examples, or do you like it the way it is today, with only namespace, type and method comments in the reference manual, and "everything else" like code examples and concepts in the User's Guide?

 

Another planned activity is to create something for the RobotStudio API that is similar to RAB User's Guide. That is a document that provides a better overview of the RobotStudio architecture, Add-In loading mechanism, tips and tricks, design guide lines etc.

 

Based on your feedback on RAB User's Guide above, we can either provide a RobotStudio SDK User's Guide in the same format as RAB User's Guide, or instead incorporate more content in the RobotStudio API Reference manual.

Already today there are code examples in the RobotStudio API documentation.

 

• Would you prefer extending the RobotStudio API documentation with more conceptual topics, like design guide lines, Add-In loading and deployment, communicating with the controller using PC-SDK, using VSTA etc, or would you prefer a stand alone PDF document?

Looking forward to hear from you. You are the users, so who else would know better?

 

 

 

Niklas Skoglund2009-09-09 17:28:44