* Plugin advice in Plugin Store for users

[tatewise]

There is a tendency for Plugin users to post questions at the end of the Plugin page in the Plugin Store.
I find it rather awkward to respond to my Plugin users via that dialogue.
IMO it would be preferable for such users to post their questions here in the FHUG Forums.

However, in hindsight, I've realised there is nothing in the Plugin Store or Plugin help & advice informing users that they should use the FHUG Forums for posting questions about a Plugin.

Therefore, from now on, I propose to add such advice to my published Plugins. What do other authors think?

[ColeValleyGirl]

Given that there is no guarantee that a plugin user or author will be a member of FHUG, I think it would be remiss of CP not to enable the provision of support via the plugin store.

Authors cannot be forced to use the facilities CP provide for support, any more than user can be forced to use FHUG.

Perhaps you should raise the question with CP if there are particular problems you have with the set up -- e.g. not being notified if somebody comments on one of of your plugins?

[tatewise]

Helen, I said nothing about removing CP Support for Plugins, nor about forcing Plugin authors to do anything.

I was primarily focusing on what I propose to do in advising my Plugin users to raise questions here.
Judging by the comment at https://pluginstore.family-historian.co ... omment-398, Mark thinks much the same.

I do get notified when users comment in the Plugin Store on my Plugins but the WordPress process for approving them and my replies needs improving.

[jelv]

Earlier today a user posted an error about Mark's Ancestry Sync plugin. I was able to respond with what I suspect what would have been Mark's first question and first suggestion. We quite often see people other than the plugin's author responding when people raise questions or issues. We all get to see the questions asked in the forum. I don't think I was aware that questions were being asked in the plugin store and only the author would be alerted to new comments.

I therefore support Mike's suggestion that everything possible should be done to encourage users to post in the forums when they have questions or issues. Comments in the plugin store I would expect to be reviews of how useful the plugin is.

[Mark1834]

An interesting question - where are users supposed to go for help with plugins? TBH, I think it's a mess.

If I look at a plugin that hasn't had any comments in the store, there's a box under LEAVE A REPLY. Reply to what? Is it to ask how to use it, report a bug, request a new feature, say thank you to author, etc, etc....? Once somebody comments, you get a section above this headed such as 4 THOUGHTS ON "PLUGIN NAME", so presumably that is what you are replying to...?

If I look at the general FH support pages, they are silent on plugin support, and both FHUG and Groups.io are mentioned as places to post queries and get answers, but no steer as to which is the more appropriate forum.

Personally, I think Groups.io is a waste of time, but there are others in the local FH group who don't like FHUG and concentrate on Groups.io, so each to their own.

If somebody comments on a plugin via the store, the notification I get is a mess. It's a link that when I click on it, tells me I'm not authorized to perform that action!

Most users have voted with their keyboards, and it's certainly the case that FHUG is the goto place for plugin support. Everybody gets to see the question and discussion, and it's easy to post screenshots. The nearest I have got to formalising this in my more recent plugins is to include a message in the error handler along the lines of "Error in xyz - please post on FHUG so it can be investigated". It's probably worth adding to plugin help pages as well, but not all plugins have or need additional help (and who reads it from start to finish anyway....).

Helen is right in that there is no obligation for plugin authors to be FHUG users, but if anybody does have a problem with a plugin authored by somebody not on FHUG (and let's be brutally honest - none of us have perpetual membership...) they will struggle for assistance.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Helen, I said nothing about removing CP Support for Plugins, nor about forcing Plugin authors to do anything.

You asked what I think. I told you. There is no obligation on you or anyone to provide support other than here -- but equally, there is no obligation on users to join FHUG, and many do not wish to do so. They're perfectly happy on a mailing list or Facebook -- they may prefer the interface, or the personalities, or want to keep all their 'social' in one place (typically Facebook)... If they can get an adequate answer to their question in the venue they're happiest in, that's good enough for most. On Facebook, I do suggest people come to FHUG if they have a question that nobody 'local' can answer, but many of them choose not to do so. Which is their prerogative, if a plugin isn't useful enough to them to justify a move, or they only want a single one-liner telling them how to do X (which is often all that's needed).

An interesting question - where are users supposed to go for help with plugins? TBH, I think it's a mess.

If I look at a plugin that hasn't had any comments in the store, there's a box under LEAVE A REPLY. Reply to what? Is it to ask how to use it, report a bug, request a new feature, say thank you to author, etc, etc....? Once somebody comments, you get a section above this headed such as 4 THOUGHTS ON "PLUGIN NAME", so presumably that is what you are replying to...?

I'd prefer to see that space used for reviews, thank you, etc. but people will use it for whatever they see fit, even if guidance has been provided (based on my experience elsewhere).

If I look at the general FH support pages, they are silent on plugin support, and both FHUG and Groups.io are mentioned as places to post queries and get answers, but no steer as to which is the more appropriate forum.

Define 'appropriate'? They're hardly going to steer people away from their own mailing list nor are they going to dictate where a plugin author should offer support.

They do direct budding plugin authors to this forum.

Most users have voted with their keyboards, and it's certainly the case that FHUG is the goto place for plugin support. Everybody gets to see the question and discussion, and it's easy to post screenshots.

I agree, this is the easiest place to offer support, but don't think "most people have voted with their keyboard's". I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: most users probably never use any of the various support forums.

[tatewise]

... It's probably worth adding to plugin help pages as well, but not all plugins have or need additional help ...

Thank you for confirming my concerns.
I was proposing that the author mentions where to get help & advice on the initial Plugin Download page.
If made bold enough that should deter users from scrolling down to the Comment/Reply boxes below.
Of course, that could be FHUG or Groups.io but only if the author uses those media.

[jelv]

I'd suggest adding something like

Support forum: https://www.fhug.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=42

to the description of the plugins. If the main plugin authors could agree and standardise the format it would be good.

I'd also suggest a modification to the introduction paragraph in https://www.fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/f ... n-plugins/ is needed.

[ColeValleyGirl]

I'd also suggest a modification to the introduction paragraph in https://www.fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/f ... n-plugins/ is needed.

"Plugin authors provide support for their products in a number of places. Many prefer FHUG, but others also use the Family Historian mailing list or Facebook. Some don't provide support at all. User-to-user support can be found in all those places."

[Mark1834]

It would be good if there was a consistent message throughout, so ideally make the Plugin Store a bit clearer as well. Clearly, CP own the store, but appear to draw on the same small pool of volunteers who manage FHUG, Groups.io, and probably Facebook as well (I’d forgotten that one, as I never use it) to help run it on a day to day basis. Can they influence the core design of the WordPress site itself, or is that managed separately by CP either in house or via a paid contractor?

There’s also an onus on authors to keep their plugins as intuitive as possible, so users only need the additional help for detailed reference…

[LornaCraig]

... if anybody does have a problem with a plugin authored by somebody not on FHUG (and let's be brutally honest - none of us have perpetual membership...) they will struggle for assistance.

But at least if they ask their question on FHUG and the author is ‘unavailable’ (either temporarily or permanently) somebody in FHUG will see the question and might be able to give advice. If they just post a question in the plugin store no other potential helpers will get the notification of the question.

I agree there is a strong case for making it clear, somewhere in the plugin store, that questions can be asked elsewhere. As the major plugin authors, and most of the people who are likely to be able to help in the absence of the authors, are in FHUG this is the obvious place to suggest.

[tatewise]

I have started updating my plugins with the following advice on the download page including links to the CP support pages for FHUG and Groups.io rather than directly to FHUG and Groups.io:

For further support please post in the Family Historian User Group forums or Family Historian at Groups.io email where the plugin author will answer your questions which can be supplemented with screenshots if necessary.

See Export Gedcom File and Where Used Record Links plugins.

[Normie]

Having being prompting to consider my contribution to the Plugin Store, I have been looking through this thread, perhaps rather belatedly.

At present I only have a single plugin in the store and have not had an issue raised to date. However, I have considered how users of the plugins can get support. In that respect I looked at Mike's comment on 'Export Gedcom File' in the Plugin store. If I click on either of those 2 links I get directed to web page which does not allow me to raise an issue directly; before you could pose a question, you would need to register anyway.

At least the plugin store allows anyone to pose a question, but that option is at the end of the download page and can easily be missed. As a user, it would be nice to post a query from the plugin itself directly rather than have to go back into the plugin store.

Norman