[haiku-doc] Re: End user documentation

Here is what I have so far.  I've converted it to plain text so the special 
features/fonts disappeared.  Let me know what you think.  I still have to 
expand more on query formulas and such.

Attribute and Query Basics:
    
Attributes are definable characteristics of a file.  For example an 
attribute of an email file is the "Reply to" field.  Each attribute 
contains two items.  The first being the name/descriptor, and the second 
being the value. A file may contain an unlimited number of attributes, and 
an attribute can contain any amount of data.  A files attribute data is 
stored in the I-node, separate from the file.  It is possible to have a 
file with attribute data but have a zero file size..  
 
Why are attributes important:
 File attributes store information about a file.  This data can be 
used to open up the correct  helper application for viewing/ executing the 
file.   Without attributes, imagine trying to locate the proper application 
to access a file every time it was used. This would be very tedious.  
Another feature of attributes is the ability to sort  the files on your 
file system and list them according to the specifications of the user.

Attributes and Tracker:
The OpenBFS attribute setup is very similar to a database.  Using Tracker 
the user can sort file listings by using attributes.  To do this open a 
Tracker window, click on the Attribute menu item, and select the attributes 
you want to display.  Clicking on the attribute title bar will toggle the 
attribute list order from ascending to descending..

Attributes in the Terminal:
There are five commands for controlling attributes from the terminal.  They 
are as follows:
listattr <filename> - Will list a file's attributes, but will not show the 
data associated with the attributes.  To do that use catattr.
catattr <attribute name> <filename> - This command will display the 
contents inside of a  specific attribute.
addattr and rmattr – Will add or remove attributes from a specified file.
 
copyattr – This command will copy attributes from one or more files to 
another.
More information can be found on these commands by typing the command name 
followed by “--help” from the terminal.

What is a Query?
In relation to this document a query is defined as a file search based on 
file attributes. On Haiku a query can be performed on the desktop or in 
terminal.  The queries are saved as files in “/boot/home/queries” and by 
default last seven days before being purged.

Basic Search:
Performing a basic desktop query is easy.  First open the Find entry on the 
Leaf menu  (or press ALT-F).  Type a full or partial name of the file being 
searched in the textbox.  Then click Search.  That’s it!  But what if you 
want to perform a search of your people files only showing those living   
in France than , where their name starts with “L”?  For this Haiku offers 
more advanced search settings.

Advanced Search:
 The Find window has many other options.  Along the top of the 
window are four buttons.  There function follows, starting left to right.
            The first button allows the user to select previous queries.
 The second button allows the user to select a specific type of  
file.
 The third button defines the search method.
 The fourth button selects which drives to search on.
Also along the bottom of the window, next to the file drawer, is an 
expander, which gives additional advanced options, and of course the Search 
button.  
 
 The Find interface has many possibilities when searching “by 
Attribute” which is located under the third button.  This is where the user 
can sort by specific attributes and what value or condition they hold.

Sources:
BeOS Bible
Practical Filesystem Design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_File_System
www.haiku-os.org
and experimentation on the Haiku OS

<<<To do:>>>
add filetype section
add by formula query


----- Original Message ----
From: Salvatore Benedetto <emitrax@xxxxxxxxx>
To: haiku-doc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 9:11:44 AM
Subject: [haiku-doc] Re: End user documentation

2008/8/15 Axel Dörfler <axeld@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Scott Kemp <eightbitz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> But for now this document takes priority.  I think a wiki would be a
>> good idea,
>> could it be hosted on haiku-os.org?
>
> As long as we can do actual documents with pictures out of it (html &
> pdf), I think a Wiki might be a good way to do user documentation.
> Whatever we decide on, it can definitely be hosted on haiku-os.org,
> though.

I'm all for having a wiki at haiku-os.org. Perhaps wiki.haiku-os.org where
to keep all the user and developer documentation.

Regards,
-- 
Salvatore Benedetto (a.k.a. emitrax)
Student of Computer Engineer
University of Pisa
www.haiku-os.it

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