Feature request: Context sensitive help (hover-over, sidebar)

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1

Some of the applications have options with cryptic names, particularly to new users (ie., within Motion Lighting, the controls "Buttons to turn on lights" and "Button to enable turning on/off" and "Buttons to toggle on/off" seem very similar). The on-line help is essential in understanding the difference between these settings.

The text describing an individual option within an application in the on-line help is generally very short, and would be ideal to display within the HE application itself. This display could be done in several ways:

  • Hover-over: (+) unobtrusive, (+) minimal changes needed to HE web code; (-) cannot be seen on-screen after hovering, (-) user cannot display help text from multiple options simultaneously.
  • Side-bar: when enabled (ie;, clicking on "Context Help" within an application), a vertical side-bar (split screen) would be enabled, with help text corresponding to the adjacent application option. (+) easier for users to understand the different options in context, (-) greater UI changes.
    Sidebar_help
    Sidebar_help2279×975 267 KB
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I'd like to second this request. Up until now, for example, clicking the ? at upper-right of most HE pages brings up Help, but queued to the Main Page. From there, users must delve into whichever topic, a challenging process if they aren't quite sure "where they are" at the moment.

I'd much rather see the ? icon launch directly into the topic at hand: Editing a Scene? Take me to Scene-specific help. Importing a user app? Take me to the Developer Tools: App code section of Help. Tweaking a developer's bundle? Maybe even link me over to that dev's FAQ if need be.

Sometimes I just wanna know the theory behind a toggle, such as "Enable activation optimization" (a meaningless phrase to a novice), and the absence of pop-up text for both the toggle and its label leaves a User wanting more. I'd love to see little mini-?'s next to all of those options, showing me a 1- or 2-sentence description of what it does.

Thanks for listening...

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