New Versions of MP

Overview

How to enter documentation for new Versions of MediaPortal.

Introduction

As a result of our new Documentation Policy, all changes made to MediaPortal which affect Skins, Plugins, Language files or the user interface (GUI) must be documented prior to a release of MediaPortal. 

Our Mantis Bug Tracker now includes a Docs Req'd field for each issue.  Any issue which changes the User Interface (UI)  installer, configuration settings, language (strings) files, or affects Skins or Plugins development is marked for documentation (Docs Req'd = Yes).

As soon as the Mantis Issue is 'resolved', documentation should be added to the appropriate section of the wiki. When the documentation is complete, the Docs Req'd field is set to Done, and a note is added with the link(s) to the related Wiki page(s).

There are several benefits to this policy:

1. All developers have access to documentation to assist in development of MediaPortal.  In particular, skin and plugin developers are aware, in advance, of all changes made and new features added to MP. Thus, they may implement them well in time for the release of any MP version if they wish.  As a result, most of the main skins and plugins should be up to date almost simultaneously with the release of MediaPortal.
2. Anyone testing development releases, has a clear understanding of how a new feature, rework or fix has altered the UI and the proposed behavior. This helps them test more easily as well as identify bugs more accurately.
3. Documentation can be evaluated and improved during our release cycle to ensure the documentation is clear, complete and updated prior to any final release.
4. The 'What's New section of the WIki provides a quick overview of all changes in the latest release.

Documentation Process

1. Mantis issue  with Docs req'd is resolved (or earlier) - Docs must be set to 'Done' with links added to the issue before it the issue is closed
2. Create a new Wiki page in the appropriate section of the Wiki and selected the related template 

   Change related to	Wiki Section	Template	How To Use
   Skins	Skin Related Changes	Skin or Plugin Related Changes	How to Add Skin Changes
   Plugins	Plugin Related Changes	Skin or Plugin Related Changes
   Strings	Strings Changes	none - enter changes on the page
   UI (GUI, Config, Installer)	What's New	UI Related Changes	How to add UI Changes

The templates include instructions to ensure changes are documented consistently and completely.