Why do you consider XPlode to be difficult to use?

[Alanoll]

why was this taken out of the guide ? It is would be alot more helpful if it were still there.

Because the included documentation with XPlode is alot better.

[S0mE0nesMiNd1]

Hey Alanoll - Had a simple question regarding the <program> tag. Is it possible to use it multiple times in one execute?

EX:

<execute display="Java + Update" desc="Java Runtimes">

<program>#XPLODE#\Java\Java.exe</program>

<arguments>/s</arguments>

<program>#XPLODE#\Java\Javaupdate.exe</program>

<arguments>/s</arguments>

</execute>

Thanks.

In regards to the topic at hand.....XPLode is SIMPLE. All you need is ONE example....just ONE and it all makes sense.

[Nanaki]

Nope, but you can use different executes in one ITEM

[S0mE0nesMiNd1]

If this is true Nanaki - How would I go about doing 2 Programs in one selection (So that when someone makes the checkmark for Java, it installs Java+The update?)

[Wraith]

It's not possible at the moment, but I am contemplating adding a <group> tag for such a thing in the future.

When I can work on XPlode again is still up in the air - busy gathering data for a project I'm working on at university. Won't be at a dev computer for at least another few days.

[TheJerk]

Wow, talk about topic derailment.

I agree with nujackk. Look, I've been programming HTML, PHP, etc., etc., etc. for quite some time now. But it's not the issue of whether or not examples are easy to follow or the directions are user friendly for me - follow the common standard if you're going to write documentation. Any type of writing has, since the beginning of the age of reason, had three common elements, and were always more or less in order: beginning, middle, end. In the case of this manual, who's to say which is which?

My $.02, not that it matters. Honestly, I don't have time to figure out the documentation or how this application works, so yes, I'll be moving on. But you asked the question....

[hohner]

I had a little trouble understanding how to write the xml at first, but managed to work it out using a combination of examples which come with the xplode program and also by reading working xmls contributed in posts by forum members and by also reading the manual.

I think the manual (pdf) which comes with XPlode is well written, however I can understand how someone with no prior knowledge of writing xml code could feel lost. I found myself skipping back and forth through the chapters of the manual rather than reading it in the order it was written. It's a difficult job to write a manual of any kind, it's even harder to write it so that many different people who all have different thinking patterns can use it well. I think you did a good job

One thing which I think helps very much is when a question is posted and the response is "read the manual". I am guilty of posting such a question and I'm kind of glad that I got this response cause I think it's easier to understand the answer if you take the time and effort to work it out for yourself rather than just be hand fed the answer.

[TheJerk]

I really meant no disrespect by my post, so let me clarify. I know writing a manual's no easy chore. And more often than not, programmers are NOT writers and vic versa. It's usually better that if you want a good manual written, you give the responsibility to someone who's good at writing them. Not always a plausible solution, I know.

[Wraith]

It wasn't specifically supposed to be a manual, just a reference for what people needed to look up.

Getting it to work is described better in the unattended guide, and I've always said that people should be looking at that and knowing how the methods described there work before even attempting to try XPlode.

[Alanoll]

slight problem....

a. the Unattended guide doesn't really have a section that goes through detailing all the parts of setup you can launch something form...

b. the page for XPlode just tells them to read your PDF

Now if you're little project for was done.... and you weren't off doing school stuff right now...

[Wraith]

I meant that after you'd used CMDLINES.TXT or RunOnce or whatever, you'd know how to launch XPlode and get it running.

Not how to run stuff from XPlode in the first place - that's what the examples and the PDF are for.

[S0mE0nesMiNd1]

I agree with Wraith....you dont need a manual to describe this stuff..... hmmmmm theres a tag called <program>.....common sense tells you it has something to do with the program you wish to run in that <execute> tab....therefore, you would be <EXECUTING> a <PROGRAM>. You dont need a manual to describe every function.....Its common sense.

[Wraith]

Unfortunately, a lot of people in this world don't have common sense.

[Maelstorm]

Agreed. Look at the EULA fiasco.

[Nanaki]

I agree, I tried XPlode in the beginning and I gave up. After a month or so (when I actually made my first uA disc with RunOnceEx) I tried XPlode and it only took a couple of minutes to make it work.