Finishing a Document

When the document is finished, the document should be edited by another member of the GDP for spelling, clarity, and DocBook markup. It should also be read by the application author to make sure the document is technically accurate.

After the document has been edited and checked for technical accuracy, it is ready to be combined with the application or documentation package. This is typically done by passing the document to the application or package developer. In some cases, the documents can be committed directly into SVN, however this should only be done after obtaining permission to make SVN commits from the developer. Note that in many cases, the application may need to be modified to correctly link to the documentation. The packaging system (tarballs and binary packages) may also need to be modified to include the documentation in the package. Generally, this should be done by the developers.

The final step is to email the GNOME Translation Team at <gnome-i18n@gnome.org> to notify them that there is a new document for them to translate.

Maintaining a document is the final step in a document's lifecycle. Periodically the documentation you write needs to be reviewed and changed. This usually during a major release of the application you are documenting. You should look at the UI of the application and assess any changes to the UI the current documentation does not address. An equally important change you need to look for is any additional functionality added to the applications. You should also determine if any of the functionality already in the documentation has changed. A good place to look for changes in the application is the ChangeLog of the application. Even if you do not understand all the technical parts the ChangeLog will give you a good idea of the changes and additions to the application. You should not rely on the ChangeLog fully. You should have the most recent copy of the application before it is released to determine any changes or additions. Some of the changes can be subtle. Don't worry if you do not catch them all in the first revision of the documentation.

Since maintainance of the documentation is an ongoing process the original author might not choose to maintain the document. If you have written documentation for a GNOME application and do not wish to maintain contact the maintainer of the application and send an email to the gnome doc list <gnome-doc-list@gnome.org> stating you are not able to maintain the document. Either the maintainer of the application or the GDP will find someone else who is willing to maintain the documentation.