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List:       mozilla-rdf
Subject:    Re: help for newbie?
From:       "Dan Lange" <dlange02 () harris ! com>
Date:       2001-05-24 19:20:20
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I think that generally, the problem with the documentation is that most of
the examples do not stand alone.  Take, for instance, the XPCOM proxies
example at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/xpcom/Proxies.html.  It's not
specifically RDF related, but it demonstrates the problem.  You will notice
that the examples are not source files but code fragments.  The fragments do
not contain any #includes.  Neither are there any makefiles.  So, ... I read
the example, I understand the example, and I haven't go a clue as to how to
do anything useful with proxies.  If I try to stick them in my code,
something else breaks and I have to spend hours tracing after that.

It would be helpful if more of the examples were stand-alone.  One could
download an example and use it, rather than puzzling over how to fit the
various examples into a coherent whole.

In the RDF context, it would be helpful to have such stand-alone examples
as:
How to build a XUL template that reads an RDF file.  (This one's actually
available in the XUL tutorial.)
How to use javascript to change the root URI of a XUL template.
How to use javascript to assert an RDF arc. (unassert, use container, etc.)
How to use javascript to add/remove a remote XML source to/from a composite
datasource.
How to use javascript to create a button that will refresh your RDF XML
datasources.

By providing stand-alone examples instead of fragments, you help put things
into context.
You want to assert an arc?
   To do that, you need to get two resources and a literal.
       To do that, you need the RDF Service.
          To do that, you need to disable the XPCOM security.
etc.

If there were a FAQ where we could go to find such examples, I think many
people would find it helpful.  Instead, we search the documentation.  If
that doesn't work, we search the newsgroup.  If that doesn't work, we search
bugzilla.  If that doesn't work we search the source code.

--Dan



"Chris Waterson" <waterson@netscape.com> wrote in message
news:3B0C41F4.9080505@netscape.com...
> Kevin Watt wrote:
>
> > An important thing to note is that there are several formats of
> > documentation and examples spread around the mozilla.org web site, many
of
> > which do not work.
>
>
> Fair criticism. Are there specific pages you're referring to? I'll clean
> 'em up.
>
> > This is usually done within a tree, but supposedly can be done within
> > anything (though I haven't been able to get it to work)
>
>
> Let me know what's not working, and I'll see if I can massage it to
> work, or will file bugs.
>
>
> > Then, if you have a <template> tag, it will test the rules, and only
> > continue execution if all the rules match.  Sometimes if you write the
rules
> > wrong, then, your template will appear not to execute, because it never
> > executes the <action> part of the template, which sounds like what you
might
> > be experiencing.  Additionally, if the rdf file does not have the proper
> > header (the xml version number, and the RDF:RDF tag and xmlns namespace
> > value.. I just copy it out of some existing file.)
>
>
> Yeah, sucks. I often end up in the debugger trying to figure out why a
> template isn't working. Suggestions welcome on improving this.
>
> chris
>
>

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