Re: [PHP-DOC] Configure options in the docs... From: Lars Torben Wilson (torben <email protected>)
Date: 09/11/00

Ron Chmara writes:
> Suggestion you'll probably *hate*, because it would involve undoing some
> of your work (I'd be willing to do it, if you'd rather not):
> Group this first by PHP version (maybe one page per set), then by the kind
> of function. If I wanted to get the Graphics stuff, Postgres, and Oracle
> (but no mysql), adding ftp, PDF, mail stuff, and LDAP, I'd be scrolling all over
> this page trying to find stuff in "with" and "without" and guessing at
> the keywords I'd have to use: tiff, ttf, t1lib, png, jpeg,
> freetype-4bit-antialias-hack, zlib (all this for graphics).

I don't see the benefit in grouping by PHP version first--it would
increase the amount of text to sift through by quite a lot, and I've
modified all of the inconsistencies I found this evening to something
like the following:

    <varlistentry id="install.configure.enable-filepro">
     <term>
      <parameter>--enable-filepro</parameter>
     </term>
     <listitem>
       <para>
         PHP 3: Option not available; use <link
        linkend="install.configure.with-filepro">--with-filepro</link>
       instead.
       </para>
       <para>
         PHP 4: Enable the bundled read-only filePro support
       </para>
     </listitem>
    </varlistentry>

I think this would help keep things together while minimizing the wtf
factor when something breaks and they come to the docs to find out
why. :)

However, I've also been sorting through a list of all the various
options, trying to figure out an intelligent way to group
everything. I've made quite a bit of progress, but I won't get around
to rearranging the entries tonight. :) And I'd like some input on this
as well. What I've got so far is something like (nothing carved in
stone, input welcome):

   Advanced
      Stuff like --enable-experimental-zts, --enable-maintainer-mode,
      etc.

   Databases
      --with-mysql
      --with-solid
      ...etc. I have thought about subcategroizing this further, but
      most of the databases have only one option. While some do have
      more, it seems to me like it would just add clutter.

   Graphics
      --with-gd
      --without-gd
      --with-png-dir
      ...etc

   Server-related
      --with-fhttpd
      --with-apxs
      ...etc

   Text processing
      --with-aspell
      --with-recode
      ...etc
 
   XML-related
      --with-xml
      --with-sablot
      ...etc. I was actually thinking of calling this something like
      'Document handling' and throwing in the PDF etc stuff as
      well. But the concepts are pretty distinct...comments?

Fire away. I'm prob'ly not gonna do too much more on this tonight. :) 

-- 
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|Torben Wilson <torben <email protected>>                     Netmill iTech|
|http://www.coastnet.com/~torben            http://www.netmill.fi|
|Ph: 1 250 383-9735                             torben <email protected>|
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