Current Principles and Framework

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Current Principles and Framework

Note 215 describes the current framework of documentation in AIPS++. In general, there are three types of documentation in AIPS++:

Expository documents (e.g. Getting Started, Getting Results, Notes, Memos), usually in L^ATEX format;
Glish tool documentation (i.e. the User Reference Manual);
C++ Class documentation, using SGML markup in-lined into C++ header files and extracted with cxx2html.

The first two types are the most important to users. The Getting * documents are meant to instruct users in the general skills and approaches used to process data in AIPS++. It's expected that users will read large parts of it in whole. The Reference Manual, on the other hand, is meant primarily as a definitive guide to specific tools and functions; users consult this document to locate specific bits of information.

The current documentation framework is based (in part) on the following principles:

Users must have access to documentation on-line.
Users must be able to print out documentation in a high-quality form.
It must be possible to build the documentation anywhere AIPS++ is installed.
The above features are be enabled via three ``cornerstone'' formats: L^ATEX, HTML, and PostScript.

L^ATEX is the source format for the documents aimed at end users. In particular, developers use specialized macros to markup components of the documentation that makes up the Reference Manual.

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