From: Axel Kohlmeyer (akohlmey_at_cmm.chem.upenn.edu)
Date: Sat Jun 07 2008 - 10:21:27 CDT

On Sat, 7 Jun 2008, Alexandre A. Vakhrouchev wrote:

AV> Hi Axel!
AV>
AV> So how is it possible to submit such changes? Will be some "bug track" system?

there are multiple ways. ...and this applies to documentation,
scripts, plugins and C++ code.

the general way is to send an e-mail to vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu
i usually do this for suggestions that have deeper impact
or may take longer to develop, so that there is some record
of it. regardless of whether i am personally planning to
work on it or only want to share an idea. like most academic
software projects VMD is understaffed and the developers
overworked and they have long TODO lists. giving feedback
and going on record with it, helps them to decide where to
put the most effort next.

you can also contact john or the developer of the individual
piece of code directly, that makes most sense for small changes.

or you can dump stuff on the BioFS of the VMD public BioCoRE
project. there also is an option to chat with developers and
discuss your changes directly. i prefer doing this for anything
that is larger or to dump (large) test cases or usage examples.

finally, it can be helpful - but is not required - to ask for
(readonly) access to the CVS. particular in a situation when
there has been a significant time since the last release and
a new release is around the corner, the source code (also for
documentation) may have changed in the parts that you want to
change as well and sending a change based on the CVS makes it
easier to the person integrating it into the CVS.
i found that, the easier you make it on people, the higher
your chances to get your patch included. so i make sure that
my patches always apply cleanly, and the code is following
the conventions used throughout as much as i can tolerate.

HTH,
   axel.

AV>
AV> 2008/6/7 Axel Kohlmeyer <akohlmey_at_cmm.chem.upenn.edu>:
AV> > On Sat, 7 Jun 2008, Alexandre A. Vakhrouchev wrote:
AV> >
AV> > AV> Hi all!
AV> > AV>
AV> > AV> I have a strange question: why not all options of Tcl commands are
AV> > AV> documented in User Guide? For example I found "measure dipole ..."
AV> > AV> option typing commands in Tcl/Tk console, but it was not described at
AV> > AV> http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/current/ug/node124.html?
AV> >
AV> > hi alexandre,
AV> >
AV> > it is _not_ a strange question. these things do happen all the time,
AV> > since when people implement a feature, the documentation is usually
AV> > the last to be written. in this specific case, the command was added
AV> > in a flurry of adding several (it may be 4 or 5 in total) plugins to
AV> > VMD briefly before the 1.8.5 release, IIRC. both, the ir-spectral
AV> > density calculator and the dipole monitor plugin use/need it.
AV> >
AV> > lets just say, i left it for you to find it. ;-)
AV> >
AV> > it actually is a good opportunity to promote one of my major
AV> > "pet" projects: (good) documentation has to be written by users,
AV> > _not_ developers. only users know what really matters to other
AV> > users. and there is probably a _lot_ where people wonder, "why
AV> > is this not in the user's guide?"
AV> >
AV> > everybody, please take it as an invitation to add it yourself.
AV> > even if you are not 100% certain you are the most qualified person,
AV> > the good people managing VMD will make sure it will be ok, and
AV> > you are still helping them a lot.
AV> >
AV> >
AV> > cheers,
AV> > axel.
AV> >
AV> > AV>
AV> > AV>
AV> >
AV> > --
AV> > =======================================================================
AV> > Axel Kohlmeyer akohlmey_at_cmm.chem.upenn.edu http://www.cmm.upenn.edu
AV> > Center for Molecular Modeling -- University of Pennsylvania
AV> > Department of Chemistry, 231 S.34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6323
AV> > tel: 1-215-898-1582, fax: 1-215-573-6233, office-tel: 1-215-898-5425
AV> > =======================================================================
AV> > If you make something idiot-proof, the universe creates a better idiot.
AV> >
AV>
AV>
AV>
AV>

-- 
=======================================================================
Axel Kohlmeyer   akohlmey_at_cmm.chem.upenn.edu   http://www.cmm.upenn.edu
   Center for Molecular Modeling   --   University of Pennsylvania
Department of Chemistry, 231 S.34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6323
tel: 1-215-898-1582,  fax: 1-215-573-6233,  office-tel: 1-215-898-5425
=======================================================================
If you make something idiot-proof, the universe creates a better idiot.