New Approach To Literature Section?

[Gary Lewis]

I have an idea I want your thoughts on, please.

Currently there's no way to get a good overview of what literature we have, nor an easy way to poke around in the literature. That's because you have to click on the menu, go to Documentation, then Literature, and then the year of the literature you might want to see. That brings up a page with pics of the cover of the literature for that year, and you can click on the pic to be taken there.

What if we had a page at the front with a spreadsheet on it like the one below. But instead of just having green check marks showing that we have that particular piece of literature on the site, there's a blue check mark that is a link to the document's page? (Try clicking the check mark on Service Highlights - Chassis.)

Wouldn't that serve both the purpose of having a list of what we have, and therefore what we are lacking, as well as provide a much easier way to get to literature?

Also, I'll be providing some organization to the spreadsheet as I populate it, like a section for Brochures, one for Advertisements, one for Service, etc. But we may find that the page gets rather long, so we may want to go to tabs for the various types. We shall see, but your thoughts would be appreciated.

[Gary Lewis]

Well, apparently iPads and iPhones don't support Wingdings 2 font, which is the one I used for the check mark.  Instead I get a P in the place of the check mark.  We will sort that out later - if we decide to use this.

But I also note that the width doesn't work very well on my iPhone's limited space.  So I may have to play around with that as well.

Thoughts?

[salans7]

I was wondering why you mentioned check marks but all I could see was the letter P.

[grumpin]

I got the blue P on my iPad. I was able to open it with the open hyperlink option.

I like it, especially handy to know what you have and don’t have. And to go directly to what you’re looking for.

[85lebaront2]

Works fine for me, but being (a) old fashioned and (b) not really liking to squint at iPhone 5 size pages, I use my PC or MacBook to view the site.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, guys.  I'll do some more playing with it and create a page for Literature and put it on it.

But, do you think we should keep the individual year-by-year pages?

Also, I've just realized there are other docs that aren't on a yearly basis, and those are under Misc.  Gotta figure out what to do with them.....  

[swampedout]

Im glad youre doing this, Gary. Ive had trouble figuring out the Literature section but now Im starting to see how its organized. Whatever you can do for the slow ones like me is much appreciated!

[swampedout]

Also, Gary I believe the Literature link in the Documentation thread doesnt work.

[Gary Lewis]

Sam - By "literature link in the Documentation thread" do you mean that if you click on Documentation and then click on Literature that nothing happens?  If so, that's by design - it is just supposed to be a placeholder so you go to the pages below it.

But I've now put the spreadsheet on a clickable page called Literature, so does that fix the problem you were seeing?

[Gary Lewis]

Ok folks, some questions for which I'd like answers.  But first, I think I have the new Literature page working properly.  Please take a look, but here are the notable changes:

The years across the top are links which will take you to the page for that year and which shows the covers to all the literature, and which you can click to be taken to it

I changed from check marks (a "P" on iDevices) to On Site, which means it is on the site, or Have, which means I own it but haven't gotten it on the site.

All of the On Sites are links which you can click to be taken there

And now for the questions:

1. I also included the EVTM's, which are publications and several are on the site.  But they aren't on the annual pages.  And, if I go that way I'll need to add all of the factory shop manuals I have.  But I don't have the whole shop manual on, and don't intend to do.  Help?

2. I've also added another tab that has links to the stuff that is under the Misc tab.  It sure seems to clutter things up.  Should I take that tab off?

[grumpin]

On my iPad it now says On Site and Have in red.

Not sure on the questions. Do what is best and easiest is my thought.

[Gary Lewis]

Glad it is working on your iPad, as that's how it was supposed to work.

As for easy, I'm going to stop pretty much where it is.  I'll leave the EVTM's on there, but won't add more - at least at the moment.

[CliftonK]

I think the EVTM's are fine where they are.  Even if you uploaded the entire manual, I'd still keep the EVTM's tucked away under electrical.  I had to read this several times and hop back over to the literature page.  Only thing I'd suggest is shortening the table.  Took me awhile to realize there were pages at the bottom.  Which brings me to the miscellaneous tab.  Why not just create a master link to the miscellaneous below the literature listed in the table and not list them all individually?