[rsmahaa]

Hi All,

I have developed One Shopping Website (Songs) Using PHP & Mysql. For that I have to prepare documendation. How to prepare ,no Idea. Plz anyone suggest me Some sites or examples . Im asking for advice on how to write the documentation.....Thanks for help in Advance.


(I Dont Know this is the correct place to write this thread here. If not, Where do i write this ?Sorry to ask this...)

[maneetpuri]

Hi,

Try searching for “software documentation format” on Google and maybe you can get some formats freely available on the web.

But generally when I do it, I get started with a new word document and the things I cover in it are: -

a. Overview of the application and type of users it support
b. Tools/pages for the various users of the website and
c. Tools for the webmaster of the website to manage the website

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

~Maneet

[krishardy]

I usually look at other programs that are out there that yours competes with. Take a look at their documentation (especially the table of contents), and do roughly the same thing. Don't steal, just get inspired by it.

How you will write the documentation depends upon who will read the documentation. If you're writing documentation for end-users, making it easy to understand and use is best. (Think of LEGO instructions)

If you're writing for developers, you will need to get a lot more technical with listings of each class, function, method etc. and examples of their use.

You can use something like phpdocumentor to help if you have good docblocks in your code.

Just my 2 cents.

[End User]

The formal way is to provide

- an overview section,
- a section for setup & installation (targeted at admins or owners),
- a getting started section,
- SBS walk-throughs for each specific task that a typical user would encounter.

Then each area/screen of the application gets a separate section that explains each control, input, or display, what it's used for, and where/when it would be appropriate to use it (or what the display would indicate).

Finish up with a troubleshooting section that addresses common problems or questions.