Help Needed On EVTM Features/Format

[Gary Lewis]

I need some help, please.  With a lot of effort I have the 1985 EVTM almost done and need your input on the following.  (Note that you will not find this EVTM in the menu yet as there are several things I want to do to it before I pronounce it ready.  So use the link above.)

Index: Heretofore I've created sort of an index by listing the sections and their contents on the first page of the EVTM and then providing links to them.  However, there is another way, and that would be to create hyperlinks on the actual Index Page, either in lieu of or in addition to the normal page I create.  For an example of how that would look, go to the first page of the TSB Index and see the entry for Dash Panel.

But, creating the hyperlinks would be time-consuming for me.  So, I need to know which way(s) are best as I could use the time saved to add other documents.  Would it be better to have the page I've created, a hyperlinked Index Page, or both?

Previous/Next Section Buttons: I've added buttons to the top and bottom of the first several sections.  Please check them out and see what you think.  Steve83 - is this what you had in mind?

Bad Pages: I already know that I need to re-scan pages 127; 135; 139; & 143.  But please let me know if you find others.  But, just being a bit angled isn't really cause for re-scanning

Again, please help!

[myrl883]

The way that you have the others done is very easy to use. I like uniformity - why fix it if it ain't broke?

[85lebaront2]

I agree with that. One of the issues, Ford changed the way the EVTMs are organized between 1980 and 1986, and again after that. That said, what works perfectly for a 1981 EVTM may not work as well for a 1986 EVTM, and using the 1986 as an example, the fuel pump circuits are spread out in several places depending on the engine and type pumps.

Links where the book refers you to a different section or maybe a note at the beginning of a section that section xx also contains information. I have actually put stick on tabs when working on something so I can go back and forth between different sections.

[grumpin]

The way it is right now works fine.

[Gary Lewis]

Ok, guys.  Thanks.  I will use the existing format and not worry about creating lots of hyperlinks.

Bill - I think you are suggesting that where it says "See Page 62", for instance, that I put a link there that takes you to Page 62.  That's not easily done, but I'll see what I can do.

Also, no one commented on the Previous/Next Section buttons.  You don't like them?  You didn't see them?

[Steve83]

I like the Prev/Next buttons.  They're not exactly what I imagined, but they're certainly functional & useful.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks.  Not sure what you envisioned, but this was fairly easily done - although tedious.

Ok, I'll continue with this format for the "index" and for the prev/next buttons.  And I hope to get the '85 EVTM done tomorrow.

[85lebaront2]

I haven't seen the previous/next buttons, have you started a new section for EVTMs? The only ones I see are 1981 - 1986. If it will be too complicated to create the links I understand that.

[Gary Lewis]

Bill - Follow one of the links in my first post that go to the '85 EVTM.  There's no new section for EVTM's, but I haven't made the '85 show up in the menu because I'm still working on it.  However, you can get to it via the links and I have the Prev/Next Section buttons on the first 4 pages or so.

As for the links from one page to another, I'm thinking about that one.  I haven't come up with an easy way to do it, but will see if I can find one.

[85lebaront2]

Yes, great, saves going back to the index each time. Really makes it easier to go through.

[Gary Lewis]

Here's another thought on which I'd like your opinions.  I can make the EVTM a pdf document and the whole thing would come up like the 1986 Towing Guide, meaning in one window where you can scroll and search to your heart's content.  (Yes, you could search within the doc as I'd OCR it and all the words would be actual words, not pictures of words like they are presently.)

It would be easier for me to do that, which would give me time to make the index entries hyperlinks.  And, then I could make references to another page go directly to that page, or maybe even a closeup of the item in question.

With the current approach I can create links to a section, but not a page.  So on pages that are buried deep within a section if you follow a link you'll still have to do a lot of scrolling.  But, when it is all in one pdf doc it'll take you directly to the page, and if I have that page zoomed in when creating the link it'll take you there zoomed in.

Thoughts?  Want to see an example?

[grumpin]

That would be great, especially if it's easier for you.

[Dyn Blin]

That would be great, and better if it's more efficient for you. 99% of the time a key word or color code is what I'm looking for and that would make it easy to do so.

[Ford F834]

Looks like I’m a bit late to the party... but input is still needed so....

I have to say I somewhat prefer the whole PDF. It is more like the user experience of having the tree-ware version in your hands. One may have to do a bit more scrolling and fishing around, but requires less navigation through levels. Of course the way it is on the other EVTM’s is not at all bad, so if you want to maintain continuity then do it that way. I wouldn’t waste too much time creating hot linked menus. It might be convenient, but could become an endless rabbit hole of website building and future maintenance to keep everything the same. The really important thing is to make the information available.

[Gary Lewis]

You aren't too late.  Your input is fitting with what several others said.  So, here's the deal:

I finished the 1985 EVTM the normal way, and it is in the normal place of Electrical/EVTM/1985 EVTM.  But I haven't gone over it with a fine-toothed comb, so please see what you think and let me know.

But I then OCR'd the first 6 pages of the pdf version of the '85 EVTM, through and including Page 5 Grounds.  And, I created a new page here: Electrical/EVTM/1985 EVTM (Test).

And, I did a little bit of the fancy link stuff I was talking about.  For instance, in the Index you can see a blue box around the "1" of How To Use This Manual.  And there are a few more of those tricks.  But, on a web page it doesn't work - at least not for me in Chrome.    Strange, because that's how I did the certification label thing, and it works - I think.

So, that tells me that it is a waste of my time to do the tricks - unless I find a way to make them work on a web page.  But, you can download the file and those tricks work with something like Acrobat.  For instance, download it and click on the "5" on Grounds at the bottom left of the Index page.  Then, when it takes you to Grounds on Page 5, click on the "87" in the upper left at the ashtray illumination.    But, I could make a career of hot-linking just one EVTM, and there are ways for you to use it w/o that.

In addition, you can search for text on those first few pages.  However, for some reason after the first search my browser quit highlighting the text, so it wasn't very helpful.

In any event, creating that was easier than the old way.  I still have to OCR the whole thing and do some page cropping and straightening, but I need to hear from you.  Do you like this better than the old way?  Why?  What works for you?  What doesn't work?  PLEASE let me know.

[Ford F834]

Gary, I’m stuck using my phone for the time being, so I guess I can’t see any of those features in the test version. Sorry. It looks and works just fine though.

[Gary Lewis]

Do you like it better than the old way?  W/o the features?  Search should work.

[Ford F834]

The only thing different that I see compared to the old way are the buttons to skip sections. Am I missing something? The only search tool I see on the web page view is the search garagemahal function.

[Gary Lewis]

The only search functions are part of the web browser - and I don't see them on my phone, just my computer.  So the pdf approach isn't going to be very useful since about half of the usage is via a phone.

Oh well, it was an idea, but apparently not a good one.  I'll wait until a few more of you let me know what you think, but I'm thinking the other approach is better.  With this one, if you are using a computer you can type in the page number you want and it'll take you there.  But on a phone there doesn't seem to be a way to type in the page number, so you are left scrolling.  And on a 150+ page document that's a huge pain!

A half-way house would be to put the pages for each section in a pdf instead of as jpg's.  That way the search function at the top and bottom of each page should find things - but it doesn't.  I've not been successful finding things in the documents using either search function, even several days after the document has been put on the site.  And since they are supposed to scan daily they should find it.

So, I'm at a loss.  Perhaps the original way is the best?  

[ctubutis]

Gary, can you put the Previous & Next buttons right next to each other at both the top & bottom of the pages?

It's ALL tedious and hurts my wrist after a while (why I don't do so much of that anymore).