This is a list of most of the topics I'm planning to cover in the tutorial I've started.

The Basics -( writeln, readln, some variable types, assignment) Branching and Looping
Nested Branching and Looping
Procedures and Functions
Types/Records
OOP
Arrays
Pointers
Reading and writing text files
MySql with Pascal
GTK
Sockets

I'm guessing about 17 to 20 weeks to cover this material. Week one to be published on Monday December 18th. I see that Html format is undesirable by some. Due to some time restrictions I have (school, work, family, etc.) and the fact that the work will probably be done a little at a time on at least 4 different computers (depending on where I am physically located when I have a little time to write) I am going to need to write these in html. I'm in this for the long haul. After this tutorial is done I'll be happy to port it to another format or begin working on Lazarus specific docs in nearly any format we as a group decide is best. I hope this isn't too disappointing.

Ron

fpDoc has not been 'released' publically, because the TeX support is missing. But I am working on the TeX support, and then we'll make an 'official' release - WITH documentation.

Michael Hess is looking at writing an editor for it, and is making progress.

Michael.

nova812 wrote

This is a list of most of the topics I'm planning to cover in the tutorial I've started.

<snip>

Why????

Maybe you missed or didn't understand the email from Van Canneyt but please look at the Free Pascal documentation that already exists. Everyone of the items you have indicated is covered in the current documentation. It is written very well and is also available in book form.

I see that Html format is undesirable by some.

I would advise you to try to use something else. If you plan on writing it in a tagged language such as HTML you might as well learn LaTex and use that instead. You have much better formatting and different output formats available to you.

What is really needed is tutorials and documentation for Lazarus. Not for Pascal programming. While Lazarus is kin to Delphi it does have some differences and that is what needs to be documented in a tutorial so that Delphi programmers or Pascal programmers will know how to use Lazarus.

Also the classes and component library code needs to be better documented. While the current documentation is built nightly it doesn't do much other than show the various classes, methods, and variables available. The documentation to indicate what they do and how they are used is what is missing. This is the kind of documentation that is needed the most. Not only by new users but also but us veterans who tend to forget what we have done over the last several years. ;-)

I am also looking at the possiblity of moving the current documentation method from PasDoc to fpDoc. PasDoc as a tool seems to have stopped development. fpDoc is a tool written primarily for FreePascal in the first place. It also uses external XML files to store the documentation instead of inline comments. This helps keep the source code from looking cluttered. I am working with MVC right now in determining if we can develop an easy to use XML editor to be able to write this documentation. If you want to help with serious documentation for the Lazarus project that is where it is really needed.

Everyone of the items you have indicated is covered in the current documentation

... with the exceptions of OOP and Sockets. The coverage on those items are basically just references for those with previous working knowledge of those concepts.

Maybe small complementary articles explaining the rudiments of those concepts would be better than a full-fledged tutorial that would take longer to write.

I am also looking at the possiblity of moving the current documentation method from PasDoc to fpDoc. PasDoc as a tool seems to have stopped development. fpDoc is a tool written primarily for FreePascal in the first place.

Note that I'm neither for nor against either tool, but I think PasDoc has the advantages of being well-documented, portable and available in binary form. By contrast, I found little information on fpDoc and I couldn't compile it on Windows.