New Way Of Hosting EVTM's?????

[Gary Lewis]

I need your input.  I had an ah ha moment today and want to see what you think because I believe it would make hosting the EVTM's much easier for me.

Basically the idea is create an index and give you the whole document in one go instead of breaking it up into sections.  And the document will be a pdf rather than pictures of pages.  An advantage to the user is that you can search the pdf.  A disadvantage is that you can't easily post pages from it to forums.

So I created a mini-version of the 1984 EVTM.  It is only the first 17 pages of it, but I think you'll get the idea.  Please see what you think: Documentation/Electrical/EVTM/1984 EVTM.

[old55pete]

Looks like it is easer to read.

[grumpin]

It’s nice!

One thing I noticed is when I use one of the links you have set up in the index the only way I see to get back to the index is by scrolling. Either on the page or on the enlarged page.

I’m on an iPad if that makes a difference. I have found most of the manuals I have on Adobe Acrobat have a page tag I can click and then choose the page number.

Thanks!

[Gary Lewis]

Steve - Yes, it is clearer, and you can zoom in on it.

Dane - I've added "Index" in the upper corners to a few pages and clicking on that will take you to the Index.  And I've added a button that says Go To Index on Page 4, but that doesn't seem to come through on the browser.

Anyway, we'd need to add links to the Index on each page.

Having said that, we can add links on the pages.  For instance, if it says the other end of this wire is Page 9, you could click on that and it would take you to Page 9 - if I add that.

[kramttocs]

To be honest, I like the current format. With the way the index page is setup with the page numbers and blurbs I haven't ever needed to search and I like not having to scroll. That said, I don't maintain it...

[Gary Lewis]

The more I play with the pdf version the less I like it.  IOW, I'm starting to agree with you, Scott.  Let me set out some of the advantages and disadvantages I see - at the moment:

PDF:

Searchable: You can open the doc in another browser tab and search for a connector #, wire color, component, etc

Links: We can, with effort, create links on a page.  So if you are looking at a circuit and it says the circuit goes to Page 9 we could have a link that would take you to Page 9.  But, that takes work.

JPG: (Current format for the '81, '85, and '86 EVTM's)

The index gives the blurb Scott was talking about and you can quickly scan it to find what you are looking for.  The Index page on the EVTM itself is poor IMHO.

Easy to copy a page's URL and paste it into a post.  Can't do that with the PDF.  Would have to do a screen snag for everything.

I'm still sorting through this in my mind.  But one thing I worry about is people downloading the PDF version and some vendor getting angry.  Hard to download the pictures of pages.

But, I can make the pictures more crisp.

[grumpin]

I tried the 86 EVTM, if that’s what you and Scott mean by the way it is. That works great, just hit the back button an find the section you’re looking for.

I’m just trying to help by telling you what I see. Do what is best or easiest or both.

The 86 EVTM I just tried seems to “flow” better. I sometimes get aggravated with PDF on Adobe, but it is what I use because it’s on my iPad. Unless I’m in the garage, I do have a paper version of the EVTM.

[Gary Lewis]

Dane - I think you just sealed it for me.

I tend to use fairly high-powered Windows devices.  But recently stumbled across our old iPad in a rubber shell.  It was intended for the grandkids, but they've outgrown it.  So I have it in the shop, and used it on the t-case rebuild.

It is S.L.O.W.  And it isn't fun to use on large PDF's.  If you go from one PDF to another, as I did between the Ford instructions and the Borg Warner ones, it has to think about it for a while.  But I'll bet it would handle jumping between the picture-style EVTM's just fine.

I'll try it after a bit and see.

[grumpin]

I’ll have to try it on my laptop later. I don’t think my ipad is slow, just cumbersome with navigation.

May be the same for me on the laptop.

Probably a short between the computer and user chair!

[Gary Lewis]

PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard.

Just tried the iPad, the SLOOOOOOW one.  Much faster to load the picture-based '85 EVTM than the partial '84 pdf EVTM.  And the '84 is only 19 of 141 pages.  So if we were to do the full EVTM in one document then it would take several times longer.  

[grumpin]

Gary Lewis wrote

PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard.

Just tried the iPad, the SLOOOOOOW one.  Much faster to load the picture-based '85 EVTM than the partial '84 pdf EVTM.  And the '84 is only 19 of 141 pages.  So if we were to do the full EVTM in one document then it would take several times longer.  

Ha! Oh yeah, forgot about that! One of the members user name.