No search function. Index is useless. Nowhere near as complete is the one in the chm file. F1 is inconsistent. Example: Select a Console Emulator in Pro Channel press F1 and you get Console Emulator documentation. Select Breverb and you get the Pro Channel documentation. At least they kept the chm file. It would be better if it were accessible within Sonar.

Preferences-->File-->Advanced then check "Always use offline help" - Pressing F1 then launches the chm file instead.

HTH

Breverb comes with its own PDF manual if you don't mind looking for it.

Actually, I think Cakewalk's HTML docs for X2 are among the better examples of online documentation.

Think of it this way: You have more options than before: Offline CHM, online HTML, or the full PDF manual is now available to download to registered users.

This is very far from 'sucking'.

I'm sorry to hear you aren't a fan. Myself personally and a few others worked extremely hard to bring online documentation for our users as this is a heavily requested feature and allows us to share topics with our customers more easily than ever before. 

We are however working on improvements to it so we welcome your feedback. As far as the search aspect of it goes, we're working on this as well.


As the other users mentioned, you can still use the .chm version or the .pdf version if you would like by toggling the setting or disconnecting from the internet.

Out of curiosity, how to you plan to handle version skew? When SONAR opens the online doc, does it send it's patch level up so that the user get's the correct version of online help, and not one with features/dialogs they don't have?

winds350


Out of curiosity, how to you plan to handle version skew? When SONAR opens the online doc, does it send it's patch level up so that the user get's the correct version of online help, and not one with features/dialogs they don't have?

SONAR transmits its major version (i.e. "X2"), installed language ID, and context-sensitive topic ID (where applicable).

The X2 web help will be updated to always apply to the latest version of X2. There won't be any separate web help for each potential maintenance update (patch). Most users tend to install the latest maintenance updates, which typically don't introduce any major new features/dialogs, so this should be a non-issue. Future versions (X3, etc.) will have their own separate web help.


Best regards,


Morten Saether [Cakewalk]

personally i have found the documentation to be excellent... it is a shame some users wish to spend more time finding fault than they do looking for the solutions...

There is an online help, online manual, online whats new, then there is a pdf getting started and a 1900 page reference manual, not to mention all the item specfic manuals for the add-ons.. the Sonar X2 documentation is extensive and as perfect as i could reasonably expect... so a big thank you to the Cake staff from me

Mystic38...well said. 

I agree the online help is great and the offline help is always there if need be. 

I do wish many things, but this is my 3rd favorite CW update of all time.  X1 in it's initial release was a nightmare.  I didn't buy it then, but I nursed a good friend through it, and it was horrifying.
 
X2 actually works, which I certainly didn't expect.  Zero problems after 3 days here.
 
I'm also impressed by what they've improved.
 
I wasn't going to start a thread about anything as X2 is still baby-butt new, but the one thing that bothers me is CW still continues to do is market Sonar Studio the way they do Producer - which doesn't give you everything CW offers anyway - and I'm very tired of explaining to friends how the Pro Channel is handy (and worthy) despite their Platinum Waves bundle.
 
I haven't even played with the toys yet because I already have my toys. 
 
For me, CW hit this one out of the park.