Re: [authors] PING: Getting Started with Impress

[Jean Hollis Weber]

Dan Lewis wrote:
     I am running into a small problem as I write this. How much 
knowledge should we expect a person to know about Draw? When it comes 
to creating slides, most of the toolbars available in Draw can also be 
used in Impress. Can I refer the reader to the Getting Started with 
Draw for details on how to use these toolbars, or do I need to add that 
material in my chapter as well? Should I mention only a few of the 
simpler ones and refer to the User Guide for the more complicated ones?

When writing stuff on Impress, assume no knowledge of Draw. 
However, that doesn't mean you need to cover all of the Draw 
functions and toolbars available in Impress.

For the chapter on Impress in the Getting Started Guide, it is 
appropriate to refer the reader to the chapter on Draw for 
details on the toolbars. In fact, it is best if you do so, to 
avoid duplication in the completed book.

In the other chapters of the Getting Started book that introduce 
one of OOo's components (Writer, Calc, Draw, Base), we mention 
only a subset of the functions (either the simpler ones or the 
most-commonly-used ones) and we refer the reader to the Draw 
Guide, so that would be the best approach, esp. for the drawing 
functions in Impress.

In the chapter for the Impress Guide itself, you could go through 
the toolbars in more detail (or mention more of them) than you do 
in the GS book chapter, but not to the level of detail found in 
the Draw Guide. For example, you could have summary information 
on each toolbar in the Impress Guide and refer the reader to the 
Draw Guide for details and examples.

Daniel raises a good point in his reply to your question: for the 
Impress Guide itself, you could assume that the user knows Draw 
to a level equivalent to that covered in the Draw chapter of the 
GS guide, but not more.

Either approach would work, but I think the most important 
consideration is that the Impress Guide should focus on those 
functions (including any drawing functions) most used in 
presentations, and leave other details on drawing functions to 
the Draw Guide.

Jean