Specifying help text within the ORACLE CASE tool

From: Craig Funt LV-5087 <funt_at_opus.bms.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 17:12:00 GMT
Message-ID: <11DEC199212124222_at_opus.bms.com>


This is my first posting so forgive me if I do something wrong...

We are developing a SQL*FORMS application using the ORACLE CASE Tool. We have a technical writer on our development team who will be writing the user documentation that axxompanies the application. The technical writer will also be helping out with on-line help. The CASE tool's method of specifying hint text, and multi-line field, block, and module help text is cumbersome. I have the following problems with it:

  1. Since the help text block is made up of individual fields of 70 characters each, it is difficult to enter and edit the text efficiently.
  2. Since we all know that most programmers cannot write, the technical writer will be editing the help text. To require the technical writer to enter the various sections of CASE*DICTIONARY in order to find and edit the text is not efficient either.
  3. I realize that after the utility to extract the help text from the CAS*DICTIONARY into the table where SQL*FORMS references the help text is run that utilities exist to edit the help text. The problem that I have with this is that CASE*DICTIONARY is no longer a central repository for your application information.

I've been thinking about extracting the information into the central help table, allowing the text to edited, and then pushing the data back into the CAS*DICTIONARY tables. Has anyone ever done this? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Your help and hints are greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

     Craig Funt Received on Fri Dec 11 1992 - 18:12:00 CET

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