Is there a place to send comments on the ArcGIS documentation?

[KDeVogelaere]

Is there a QC team reviewing the documentation before it's made public?  Sorry to say but I am constantly finding outdated online documents supporting functionality that does not work as expected, syntax that is incorrect, screenshots that do not match the product being referenced, and essential setup instructions omitted at version 10.3.1.  Is there a GeoNet space for users to record problems found in the documentation and report discrepancies?

[JasonTipton]

There's a link at the bottom right of the page: Feedback on this topic?. I would imagine this would be the appropriate place.

Not sure if they ever actually do update the docs until the next release, though. In the past, there's been no way to track the feedback like a bug, and I've never gone back to check if they actually made the changes.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

they do respond...I have made several suggestions etc and I have always received feedback from someone involved with the help topic and sometimes from the development team if it involves an implementation of a method.

[MichaelVolz]

Thanks for this tip.  I will see if ESRI responds to any comments I have in the future about their documentation.

[HannahDeindorfer]

Hi K DeVogelaere,

I'm part of the ArcGIS for Desktop Documentation team. Please use the feedback links (Feedback | ArcGIS for Desktop) provided at the bottom of online help topics for any suggestions that you have. My team does receive your feedback from these links directly and we take all of your comments into consideration.

We do our best to ensure that you and all other ArcGIS users have current, accurate documentation on our products, and we greatly appreciate your help in doing this.

If you have specific pages that you're referring to with your original post, please link them in comments below or email me directly.

Best,

Hannah Deindorfer  |  Documentation Product Engineer

Esri | 380 New York Street | Redlands, CA 92373 | USA

T 909-793-2853, ext. 1702 | hdeindorfer@esri.com | esri.com

[JoshuaBixby]

Here is a documentation-related suggestion I share with Esri employees whenever I get the chance.  Seeing you are a Documentation Product Engineer, I figure I will share it here as well.

I think it would benefit Esri customers if there was a "community addition" section for the online documentation.  Microsoft's Developer Network has long had this feature, and I have come across other IT-related companies that do the same thing.  The reality is, there are limits to the resources devoted to documentation, and it makes sense to create more avenues for users/customers to share their knowledge about Esri products.  The best place for additional comments or examples from the user community isn't in some forum like GeoNet but directly in the documentation.

[AlexanderNohe1]

Hey Joshua,

Would you be able to provide an example with this in your post?

Thanks,

Alexander

[JoshuaBixby]

Alexander, the STWithin (geometry Data Type) (SQL Server 2012) documentation is an example where a SQL Server user added a comment and some code through a community additions avenue.  For MS, the community additions don't carry over into the new version of the documentation even if they still apply, so the number of additions are typically small when a new product like SQL Server 2016 is first released.

[MichaelVolz]

Joshua:

Do these other software companies have moderators for the incoming documentation to ensure that the documentation is accurate and correct?

[JoshuaBixby]

There is typically some level of moderation, although it varies, and I can't say whether every code snippet is verified before an addition is approved/allowed.  I realize moderation requires resources as well, but I have found moderating content requires left effort than thinking up and writing original content to share.