[Ifeffit] ifeffit list index

[Matt Newville]

Hi Peter,

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004, Peter Southon wrote:

> A search-generated index (or search function for the archive pages such as 
> htdig) would indeed be comprehensive, useful, and easy(ish) to impliment.
> However, what I originally had in mind was a human-collated index (more like 
> a 'contents page'), which might make it easier for people to find related 
> groups of contributions - although more time-consuming to put together. Perhaps 
> it would be useful to have both types (the former would certainly help in 
> compiling the latter).
> 
> What do y'all think?

Thanks... I agree that adding search capabilities to the mailing
list would be good, but is not necessarily the highest priority.  
I'm sure I completely understand your suggestion. Do you mean
something like a page of hints and ideas taken from the mailing
list? Or do you mean something else?

Related to this (or, at least the way I choose to take your idea!),
I re-started the Ifeffit FAQ.  The old FAQ was painful even for me
to edit, and had fallen way behind.  The new FAQ is searchable, and
changes to entries are saved.  More importantly, it allows anyone
(yes, anyone) to add or edit FAQ entries through a web form.  I
don't have the old FAQ completely moved over, but there's enough to
get the idea of how this will work:
   http://cars9.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/ifeffit/faqwiz

Again, **anyone** can add and edit entries in this FAQ, provided
they have the password (which is xafs -- see question 1.2).  For
example, you might add an entry about how to define and model
Debye-Waller Factors....

Could this FAQ sufficiently fill the role you're thinking of?

--Matt

PS: The FAQ **sections** are currently set and can't be altered 
except by me. Currently the sections are:
    1: "General Features"
    2: "Getting and Installing Ifeffit"
    3: "Data Handling and Processing Questions"
    4: "Plotting Questions"
    5: "Autobk/Spline/Background Subtraction Questions"
    6: "Fourier Transform Questions"
    7: "Running Feff"
    8: "Feffit/XAFS Modeling Questions"
    9: "Athena Questions"
   10: "Artemis Questions"
   11: "SixPack Questions"
   12: "XANES and XANES Analysis Questions"
   13: "Programming/Scripting with Ifeffit"
   14: "General XAFS Questions"

At this point, most of these are empty.  If you have suggestions for
new sections, please let me know.