
Show HN: Hyperdoc - We make code walkthrough guides (Moment.js) - thepenguinco
https://demo3.gethyperdoc.com/?folder=vscode-remote%3A%2Fhome%2Fcoder%2Fmoment
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thepenguinco
Hi HN,

We found that it was difficult for people who wanted to contribute to open
source to actually start contributing since searching and finding relevant
existing documentation related to the code itself was tough (which is
important for new contributors, since they don't really know the codebase).

We built Hyperdoc, a documentation tool to help solve this problem and used it
to write a code walkthrough guide for the popular open source software
Moment.js to show how it works.

You can use the links in Hyperdoc to step through the guide.

If you want to contribute to Moment.js and you found this guide
useful/insightful, we'd love to hear about it. Also, if you want to see a
guide like this for one of your favourite open source projects or have any
feedback, please shoot us an email at hello(at)gethyperdoc(dot)com.

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in15minutes
Good idea. Documentation is generally bad. Hope this helps.

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thepenguinco
Thanks! Especially for open source projects, I find it difficult to submit a
meaningful contribution quickly since I don't really understand the codebase.

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RocketSyntax
I want to be able to click on the sections on the right side ad have the code
scroll to the tag on the left side

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thepenguinco
Great idea! I was thinking the same thing. We're going to try and make the
UI/UX a lot better and post a new guide soon.

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mc3
interesting, seems like I get my own docker container to play with!

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thepenguinco
Thanks! What were you thoughts on the demo?

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mc3
I think it's a bit confusing to have the full power of VSCode. I think
restricting the menu items would be useful. Sorry got distracted by vscode too
much!

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thepenguinco
Yes we agree! We are actually releasing a new guide with an updated UI and UX
without VS Code soon :). Stay tuned!

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ethanwillis
Good Idea, but I didn't like the interface very much.

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thepenguinco
Hey Ethan,

I'd like to learn more about why so we can improve and make the experience
better. What specifically didn't you like about the interface? Was it hard to
use or was it UI related?

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ethanwillis
After using it a little bit more. I think what was hard for me initially (and
is still a little cumbersome) is that the rendered markdown windows weren't
always pinned if I started exploring the code.

I don't have a ton of experience using VS code so that may be something
specific to me and could probably be fixed with a short intro guide on how to
use this editor before I delve into a hyperdoc for a project.

Aside from that, one thing I didn't like about the UX is that if I did click a
link in the rendered markdown for a specific function, let's say create.. then
I didn't have a way to browse "back" to the top level README hyperdoc without
clicking the readme in the file tree.

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thepenguinco
Ah, that makes a lot of sense. We're actually redoing the UI/UX so that the
Hyperdocs are easier to navigate, so we'll be posting a guide with the new
interface soon! Thanks for the feedback!

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ethanwillis
Awesome, I signed up for your newsletter.

I'm excited to see updates!

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artur_makly
love this. nice idea.

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thepenguinco
Thank you!

