Two Questions About the Index on the bB Page

[+Random Terrain]

About the Index the Way It Is Now

 

Since I started working on the bB page, I've been trying to make the index less like a boring index from a book and more like a reverse dictionary mixed with an index. Anything you can think of should be in the list and if it isn't there, you need to tell me so I can add it to the index. As the index grows, it should become quicker and easier for you and others to find things.

 

I made a video showing how I use the index as it is right now:

 

youtube.com/watch?v=MpZi6-fRFj8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpZi6-fRFj8

 

As you can see in the video, I click on the index link in the Frequently Used section and the screen jumps down to the index. I then scroll down using the mouse scroll wheel and click on various links in the index.

 

In case anyone is wondering, I use a mouse gesture instead of clicking the Back button. (That's why you see a red line trailing behind the mouse pointer before the screen hops back up to where I was in the index.)

 

 

 

I Don't Need No Stinking Index

 

Over time, various people have said that they ignore the index and use their browser to search for a word on the bB page. To me, that seems a lot slower than hopping down to the index and clicking on the exact thing that you want (especially when that word might be used dozens of times on the page). Similar to what I said above, you don't need to remember the exact keyword or register to use the index. If it's about colors, scroll down to colors, click on link you want and you'll jump right to the section you are looking for. If it's about joysticks, scroll down to joysticks, click on link you want and you'll jump right to the section you are looking for. If it's about sprites, scroll down to sprites, click on link you want and you'll jump right to the section you are looking for. It's the same for just about any other subject.

 

If you don't find the reverse dictionary type of link that you are looking for in the index, put it in a Notepad file so you don't forget, and tell me about it later so I can add it to the index. Then it will be there the next time you use the index and it might help other people too. More brains adding to the index makes it better for everybody.

 

 

 

Poll Questions

 

Votes under the first question will let me know if I'm the only one who uses the index. Votes under the second question will let me know if the index needs to be moved.

 

I use the index all of the time for personal use and when trying to answer questions in the bB forum. I don't care if it's on the right side of the page or at the bottom of the page. It's not like I have to scroll down to get there. I just click on the index link in the Frequently Used section and the screen will jump down to the index no matter where it is on the page. I'm not personally interested in moving the index to a separate page. Seems like it would make it harder for people to use the offline version. But I'll do it enough people want it on a separate page.

[kisrael]

I've been one of the people messaging with RT on this; let me make the pitch for changing it somehow:

when someone searches for a keyword, having an index way the heck up on the top of the page, overlapping vertically with the "real" content, it's distracting to see all the hits (in like chrome, where it colors the sidebar where the keyword matched) a user doesn't know if the hit is the information, or just a link to the information.

 

On, say, firefox, that doesn't even lightup the hits in the scrollbar, it's weird that as you page through the keyword hits, the index comes after everything else, even though it's high up.

 

A nice big healthy "reverse dictionary" style index wouldn't have this problem on a different page, and at the bottom of the page, it would at least be clear that you were in an index-y section (like when you're reading a physical book... if it's at the end you know it's an index!)

 

I think the sidebar should be saved for "Frequently Used" hot links, and then actual sidebar items - I love the "Did You Knows"... having both the Table of Contents list and then the index list is very idiosyncratic. The new atari programmer has enough to learn without seeing the same things 3 or 4 times over!

Edited February 10, 2015 by kisrael