CiviCRM for WordPress - is there a specific manual?

[Perry]

Bumbling my way through aspects of the assorted manuals
available often encounters CMS-specific advice. E.g. ACLs,
but for Drupal CMS.

Anything WordPress-specific or generic about?

I find the manuals I've used so far to be overly abstruse.
The claims may well be valid: "CiviCRM is a powerful,
web-based CRM system that allows organizations to . . ."
. . . but the word arcane seems to be needed in there.

[Michael McAndrew]

Hey there,

Anything WordPress-specific or generic about?

Have you seen http://book.civicrm.org/user/current/website-integration/integrating-with-wordpress/

Not a huge amount on wordpress integration in the book yet but it is a start / might be useful if you have not read it yet.  We should get some Wordpress experts to come along to our next book sprint and do more documentation.

I find the manuals I've used so far to be overly abstruse.
The claims may well be valid: "CiviCRM is a powerful,
web-based CRM system that allows organizations to . . ."
. . . but the word arcane seems to be needed in there.

What in particular are you struggling with?

Asking your question here (in a new post) is probably the best idea if you can't find your answer in the documentation.

Michael

[Perry]

What in particular are you struggling with?

Asking your question here (in a new post) is probably the best idea if you can't find your answer in the documentation.

Thanks for the pointer to that WP-specific documentation, Michael.

I speculate that you may have meant in a new thread, as opposed
to a new post, so I will get to that, shortly.

Does this forum have user albums for pic storage? Come to that,
I can't even see where/how to insert a picture from another URL.
Meantime . . .

I appreciate that keeping documentation up to date with s/ware that
is ever-changing must be a huge and wearying challenge. Unfortunately,
it goes with the territory. Damn!

I have a small (very small) amount of technical manual experience, in
both creation, editing and proofing. (My wife says that my eye for tiny
detail is one of my less endearing attributes). I also have the bizarre
notion that technical people - the s/ware coders - should not write the
documentation. Simply put they know it inside out and have too much
insightful and inherent know-how and history. So, despite their best
efforts, presumptions about the reader/users abilities and comprehen-
sion inevitably creeps in.

I'm not sure it's a valid example, but here's a screenshot of the CiviCRM
back-end part of WordPress.

http://1law4all.kiwi.nz/references/super_admin_what.jpg

For the life of me, I cannot find any such thing as a Super Admin in either
the WordPress or CiviCRM  backend. Is that a legacy item, now redundant?
Or so well hidden that clues need be given? Or something I have to create? 

[Michael McAndrew]

I speculate that you may have meant in a new thread, as opposed
to a new post, so I will get to that, shortly.

A new topic on a different board if you want to be pedantic

the s/ware coders - should not write the documentation

Hardly any of the manual is written by coders - they are too busy coding.

So, despite their best efforts, presumptions about the reader/users abilities and comprehension inevitably creeps in.

Yes definitley appreciate this. But obviously, it does need to be written by someone that knows the software, otherwise, how are they going to know what to write about?  Maybe what is needed is some editorial from people less familiar.

Any specific examples where you think we could improve it are very welcome. Please file them as an issue (issue http://issues.civicrm.org/ with component documentation) and we can work on improving it.  You are also welcome to help out if you like, see https://civicrm.org/participate/documentation. Let me know if you need any help in doing that.

Also, its worth remembering that CRM is complex and no one is going to do it perfectly the first time, even if the documentation is amazing and they read it all.

I'm not sure it's a valid example, but here's a screenshot of the CiviCRM
back-end part of WordPress.

http://1law4all.kiwi.nz/references/super_admin_what.jpg

For the life of me, I cannot find any such thing as a Super Admin in either
the WordPress or CiviCRM  backend. Is that a legacy item, now redundant?
Or so well hidden that clues need be given? Or something I have to create? 

That might be missing from the documentation, a bug in the system that needs updating or something else. I'm not sure (and have close to 0 experience with wordpress) but you should ask it here: http://forum.civicrm.org/index.php/board,9.0.html or here: http://forum.civicrm.org/index.php/board,12.0.html with a descriptive subject line and people will see it and help if they can.

[Donald Lobo]

Super Admin is wordpress terminology, so u'll probably find more details there. Its the user who has all permissions.

I think the civi docs and UI do assume that you are familiar with the CMS

Finally, having documentation (whether written by a developer or not) is way way more valuable than having no documentation at all, IMO

lobo

[Perry]

Super Admin is wordpress terminology, so u'll probably find more details there. Its the user who has all permissions.

After that prompt, I did some digging over @ Wp.org and
it seems that a super admin only becomes an available
option when multiple WP sites are being administered.

I think the civi docs and UI do assume that you are familiar with the CMS.

I suspect so - it's the degree that's critical. In my case, the
webmaster handles all the WP matters and doesn't want
anything to do with the CiviCRM customisation. I got stuck
with that task, as I've had some (single user, flatfile) d'base
experience, long, long ago.

Finally, having documentation (whether written by a developer or not) is way way more valuable than having no documentation at all, IMO

That would be my humble opinion, too. Long, long ago, in
the heady days of Alan Sugar and Amstrad computers with
the CP/M+ OS, the initial print manuals were loudly decried
by almost everyone. When there was a big upgrade of s/ware
and h/ware, a few years later, the manuals transformation
was nothing short of amazing: unbelievably better.