Browser-Based F1 Resource Documentation

Altium Designer 14.0 sees the commencement of a long-awaited refurbishment to the software's documentation. Part of this is the availability of documentation for Altium Designer resources in one convenient space of the browser-based Altium Documentation – the Altium Designer Resource Reference. Primarily, this involves documentation for the software's dialogs and commands, but also extends to include all reference-type material. And while there is still a long road ahead of us – both in terms of documenting the resources, and the wider documentation set in general – this is just the first step towards full and accurate coverage of the software's features and functionality!

Documentation Available

The Altium Designer Resource Reference has been structured to ultimately accommodate the following documentation:

• Servers – resource information by server. The documentation for each server is further broken down into resource type (as applicable) and can include:
  • Editors
  • Preferences
  • Objects
  • Panels
  • Processes & Commands
  • Dialogs
  • Wizards

• Language References – reference documentation for languages used in and by the software, including the Query Language, as well as programming and scripting languages.
• Error References – reference documentation for error references, including project compiler violations and VHDL synthesis errors.
• Soft Design References – reference documentation for soft design, including:
  • FPGA components (processors, peripherals, instruments, OpenBus, Wishbone and non-Wishbone).
  • Embedded Tools references.
  • C-to-Hardware Compiler reference.
  • Constraint File reference.
  • FPGA IO Standards reference.
  • Core resource usage.
• Server Process Reference – reference documentation for server processes, including:
  • Client Processes
  • Schematic Processes
  • PCB Processes
  • Integrated Library Processes
  • WorkspaceManager Processes
  • FpgaFlow Processes
  • Server Process Routines
• Shortcut Keys– convenient listings of shortcuts relating to:
  • Environment Shortcuts
  • Project Shortcuts
  • Panel Shortcuts
  • Common Schematic/PCB Editor Shortcuts
  • Schematic Editor Shortcuts
  • PCB Editor Shortcuts
  • 3D Layout Mode Shortcuts
  • Output Job Editor Shortcuts
  • CAM Editor Shortcuts
  • Devices View Shortcuts
  • Waveform Editor Shortcuts
  • Text-based Document Editors

Accessing Resource Documentation Directly from Altium Designer

F1 continues to be your close friend when wanting to learn more about a particular resource in the software. Simply press F1 over one of the following resource types to access (where available) the relevant page for that resource in the Altium Designer Resource Reference space of the Altium Documentation site:

• Menu entry
• Toolbar button
• Dialog
• Object
• Panel
• Specific page in the Preferences dialog
• Specific rule constraint page in the PCB Rules and Constraints Editor dialog
• Language keyword
• Wizard

Example documentation for an object-type resource - the Drill Table object - in the Altium Designer Resource Reference space of the Altium Documentation site.

What Happened to What's This Help?

Altium Designer 14.0 steers the documentation away from reliance on out-dated help methodologies and technologies, favoring delivery of all documentation through the single, cohesive Altium Documentation site. In terms of dialog-level help, no longer do you need to click, click, and click again to see help for options in a piece-meal fashion. Now, simply press F1 with the dialog open and get a page of information on that dialog in its entirety – being able to see, at-a-glance, what each option and control does. Presenting information for a dialog on a browser page delivers numerous benefits, above and beyond that of its previous WinHelp-based incarnation, including:

• Ability to elaborate on the detail of a control, with additional note, information and tip highlight boxes.
• Ability to keep the information visible while clicking elsewhere in the dialog.
• Ability to add cross-linking to other pertinent areas within the Altium Documentation site.
• Ability to maintain the documentation of a dialog in a far more streamlined and expedient manner – making updates without having to compile installable files.

Example new-style Dialog page in the Altium Designer Resource Reference space of the Altium Documentation site.

What Happened to the Knowledge Center Panel?

The Knowledge Center panel has officially been retired from the software. In its twilight years, its main function was that of presenting the command reference material – when hovering over a menu entry or toolbar button. But with the arrival of command reference material on the browser-based Altium Documentation stage, this function has since become redundant. So while it gave many years of service, the streamlined efficiency of delivering the new-style resource documentation through the Altium Documentation site, made its demise an inevitable one. After all, a browser page can present information on a command in a far more viewing-friendly environment and, more importantly, is not incapacitated when a dialog is active!