About a year ago, we assigned a small R&D team to rework and improve our customers’ experience with our documentation. Six months ago, at the time of the v18.1 launch, we first published a preview of this updated resource alongside the main documentation site. That was the beginning of our temporary run with dual documentation resources. Now that v18.2 is out, here’s a look at a report on our progress and an estimate on project completion.
Two Resources Are Still Available in v18.2
- https://documentation.devexpress.com
This is the long-standing website, which is currently indexed by Google. - https://docs.devexpress.com
This is a link to the new documentation experience that we’re currently developing. This resource includes a version switch, mobile-friendly design, and non-.NET API Reference.
Differences between the Two Versions
Content differences between the two resources are minimal. Many of you will find it most practical to use our classic documentation and its superior search capabilities. (That's the resource indexed by Google. We don't allow Google to index both, as this will lead to conflicts between the two versions.)
The new site, however, has technical advantages and boasts .NET Core, JavaScript, iOS, and Android API Reference. Review the detailed list of differences below.
| documentation.devexpress.com | docs.devexpress.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Search |
google.com search.devexpress.com (Google Cloud API) |
Search box on docs.devexpress.com (Lucene API) |
| Latest Described Version | v18.2 | v18.2 |
| Version Switch | No | v17.2 - v18.2 |
|
API Reference for .NET Core, JavaScript, iOS & Android | No | Yes |
| TOC Filter Box | No | Yes |
| Adaptive Design | No | Yes |
What's Been Done Since v18.1
Here's what the team has been working on during the last release cycle.
- Two systems now serve nearly identical content, so that you can pick one resource, and never have to switch back and forth.
- New documentation can be compiled into an offline Visual Studio help file.
- DevExtreme documentation's look and feel is now consistent with the new documentation resource.
- Considerable amount of testing and bug fixes.
New Plan: We'll Switch to a Single Resource by v19.1
The new resource is now fully functional and has been well-tested during the last release cycle. Only one major task remains before we flip the switch. We need to ensure a smooth website transition with minimal effect on search optimization - something we didn’t take into account when we first announced our transition plans. The work has begun, and we expect to return to single-source documentation by the v19.1 release.