Why are plugins totally undocumented?!

aspiers
Tue, 05 Nov 2024 22:42:40 +0000
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As a Glide newbie, it seems there is a pretty huge hole in the docs relating to plugins and experimental computed columns. Imagine you are a new user who wants to figure out how to get Glide to randomly generate random numbers:

1. Search the docs for “random” → nothing useful

2. Search the forums → find this post from 2021: 🆕 Roll Dice & Random Number columns

3. Follow the link to Roll Dice column | Glide

4. Think “oh great, Glide has plugins!”

5. Note that that page doesn’t have any text explaining how to use the plugin

6. Note that Plugins | Glide seems very well maintained and presumably still relevant, but does not appear to be linked from anywhere obvious?!

7. Search the docs for “plugins”

8. Find nothing relevant?!

9. Bash your head against a wall for a bit until you realise you were supposed to watch the video on the plugin page to learn the undocumented fact that plugins are now accessible as experimental computed columns

10. Search the docs for “experimental”

11. Find nothing except for Experimental Code Column | Glide Docs which is specifically about coding your own, and says nothing about existing plugins?!

12. Bash your head against the wall again

13. Write this post

Please take this constructive feedback that as much as videos are great and useful, they are not a substitute for documentation. I suggest the following improvements to the docs:

1. Add an explanation of plugins and experimental computed columns in general.

2. Document each plugin / experimental computed column, or at very least mention which ones are available, so that if someone searches for something like “random number”, they can at least discover that it’s achievable via this feature.

3. Link to Plugins | Glide from the docs and other easy-to-find locations.

2 posts - 2 participants