Pages "missing" from Photo Help/Online Documentation

[GarryP]

I’ve noticed that there are some pages "missing" from the Photo Help (1.7 on Windows) and the Online Documentation (1.7):

• Get Started → Scanning Images
• Get Started → Gestures
• Develop Persona → Location Panel
• Sharing → Share

When I say “missing” I mean that the link in the contents takes me to a blank page. I don’t know if some content is actually missing or whether these things shouldn’t have a link in the contents in the first place.

[Chris B]

Hey GarryP,

• Windows doesn't have scanning due to poor 64-bit driver support
• There are also no gestures as Windows doesn't use a Magic Mouse or Trackpad
• No Location Panel either—this is a macOS feature
• Also, sharing is a macOS feature

I think the online help detects what OS you are on and will either show you content if it is relevant or show you nothing if it isn't. By relevant I mean relevant to the OS.

I can only find reference to the Share topic in the build-in help. The others are coming up with irrelevant results when I search. 

[Move Along People]

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[Chris B]

1 minute ago, haakoo said:

Why not simply state that scanning isn't supported on windows due to the lack of driver support,instead of excluding the pages or showing a blank page?

Well it shouldn't be showing at all for the online help. I'm not sure there's much point in having help files for things we don't do? Where would the list end? It would also need translating at a cost, just to say we don't do something.

[Move Along People]

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[Chris B]

2 minutes ago, haakoo said:

But if people search for this and it is supported on mac but not on windows,they end up nowhere and with no clue as to why.

 

Well that's the 'bug' which I've just logged. If you're searching on Windows, you should not (in my opinion) be seeing results for Share, Location, Scan or Gestures. At the moment we do but the link is dead and shows nothing. 

[GarryP]

I think it might be better if the online help didn’t check the OS of the machine. It might be better if the page contained a “Mac Only” message instead. I’d say the same is probably true for the installed Help.
I can imagine a situation where someone is looking through it on their Mac at work before buying it for their Windows machine at home. They’ll see that Photo has scanning and gesture functions and think that they will be able to use them (the Microsoft Surface machines have touch screens). When they buy it for home use they could be disappointed.
Or someone could be using Photo on their friend’s Mac and assume that they will have those functions if they buy it for their Windows machine. Or, even worse, maybe they are looking to buy dozens of copies for a classroom or similar situation.
Better to be up-front about this sort of thing.

[Move Along People]

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[Mark Ingram]

3 minutes ago, haakoo said:

But what if i search the help with the mac at work  to find out on my home win version it doesn't work and there's no info to be found in the help?

I think this is a sensible use-case. I switch between macOS and Windows regularly, and often search for things related to the OS I'm not currently on.

[Chris B]

7 minutes ago, haakoo said:

But what if i search the help with the mac at work  to find out on my home win version it doesn't work and there's no info to be found in the help?

That's actually a good point. I'll chat with the documentation team and see if they can ensure any reference to macOS features is linked to and displays the content but mention that it is a macOS only feature. Everyone should be happy then! 

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Chris B said:

That's actually a good point. I'll chat with the documentation team and see if they can ensure any reference to macOS features is linked to and displays the content but mention that it is a macOS only feature. Everyone should be happy then! 

And vice-versa, of course

There are Windows features not supported on Mac, such as Floating document windows.

[Chris B]

Hi all. James has made some changes to the online help so everything should be searchable no matter what device you are on but we now have a small heading at the top to indicate if it is an OS specific topic.

If you come across any we have missed, I'd appreciate you letting us know Thanks!