Where is the User Guide?

I also would like to see an in-depth documentation of soapUI and Pro version. Having a reference guide to help with the situations that you had forgotten how to do or an operation you don't use often saves loads of frustration.

Also, on an unrelated note, the save feature for these forum posts is completely pointless. All it does is save the message subject not the actual response... clicked it by mistake and had to re-type my message ha.

Also, on an unrelated note, the save feature for these forum posts is completely pointless. All it does is save the message subject not the actual response... clicked it by mistake and had to re-type my message ha.

It saves the response. To load, you have to reply to the same topic and click load, and then click the saved draft that you want to load in the list that appears.

Thank you for your feedback on a user guide. One question though: In what way doesn't the current online documentation allow you to act as a reference guide?

Henrik
SmartBear Stockholm

I think several users have complained about this time and again. We need a consolidated user guide. The existing one does not provide any relevant information.

Surprisingly, there used to be a legacy online documentation that was very good. For reasons unknown, that guide has been taken off and has been replaced with a new non-informative look and feel. Many users would be perfectly happy with the older online user guide.

Its a shame that a good product like SoapUI has removed the older better user guide.

In what way doesn't the current online documentation allow you to act as a reference guide?

1. Broken links from the packaged products on clicking help button.
2. Lack of single HTML/PDF document providing examples and reference for buttons or scripts.
3. Flashing bright colors on help pages covering most of the real estate. Bad user experience overall.

Henrik,

I got some of my things on a secure network. There is no regular internet traffic outgoing, only a bunch of VPN tunnels. Everything else is blocked for security reasons. I have access using a different LAN but I am not allowed to be connected to both at the same time, again for security reasons.

So I cant get to the online manual at all times. I need an offline manual. Having a PDF manual would allow me to have that one open on one of my monitors and then run my SoapUI things on the other and check the manual for guidance when I need it. Now, I have to swap back and forth and its "förbaskat skit" irritating.

Can I add my voice to the people asking for offline documentation or local contextual help (which you could at least update during a product update, if you're worried about offline help falling out of date)? I also work in a sand-boxed environment with no internet available, so cannot easily access contextual help. As others have pointed out, searching the website for topics is not a very efficient way of searching. Running a second version of SOAPUI in parallel on a machine that does have internet access would violate the terms of the Pro license.

I would also like to see the following documentation in depth:

1/. A full reference look-up document for all forms, fields and parameters in the application. The online help tends to be in a "tutorial" style, and sometime all you need to do is find the definition of a parameter, or it's possible values, not a narrative on its use.

2/. As others have mentioned, a full SOAPUI object model reference for Groovy.

3/. Improved tooltips that give you a little more info than just a restatement of the name of the object being targeted.

4/. A set of basic Groovy scripts for common tasks as examples. I'm not a Groovy developer and have no wish (and no time) to learn to be just so I can do some basic parameter manipulation. I can however cobble together basic scripts if I have working examples of basic syntax and procedures for common tasks.

Other than that, great product! Keep up the good work.

Hi and thanks for your feedback and nice words!

CJackson wrote:
As others have pointed out, searching the website for topics is not a very efficient way of searching.

I unfortunately have to agree. I have raised this issue with our web team and hopefully we'll see improvements there soon.

A trick is to search for a search phrase like this on e.g. Google:

search phrase site:soapui.org

CJackson wrote:
Running a second version of SOAPUI in parallel on a machine that does have internet access would violate the terms of the Pro license.

Actually, it is allowed by the Pro license agreement. You may use soapUI Pro on any numbers on machines, as long as you are the only user. SoapUI Pro licenses are tied to individuals, not computers or number of installations.

CJackson wrote:
I would also like to see the following documentation in depth: 1/. A full reference look-up document for all forms, fields and parameters in the application. The online help tends to be in a "tutorial" style, and sometime all you need to do is find the definition of a parameter, or it's possible values, not a narrative on its use.

Just to make sure -- do you know that you can click on the blue question mark icons in soapUI to get a reference-style help with formal definitions?

CJackson wrote:
2/. As others have mentioned, a full SOAPUI object model reference for Groovy.

Again, did you know about the soapUI API? It contains all objects that you can use from a Groovy script in soapUI. Maybe this could be done more user-friendly though?

CJackson wrote:
3/. Improved tooltips that give you a little more info than just a restatement of the name of the object being targeted.

Point taken, although tooltips is hard stuff. Many consider it bad design to have long texts in tooltips (more than one sentence basically). Of course this can be discussed.

CJackson wrote:
4/. A set of basic Groovy scripts for common tasks as examples. I'm not a Groovy developer and have no wish (and no time) to learn to be just so I can do some basic parameter manipulation. I can however cobble together basic scripts if I have working examples of basic syntax and procedures for common tasks.

Have you seen soapUI Scripting Tips & Tricks? Is that too advanced or unstructured?


Looking forward to your feedback and comments!

Henrik
SmartBear Software

If seems to me you have at least two target audiences. The main one seems to be professional QA Testers and/or web services developers. They probably have little problem "jumping right in" with the tool. Then there's the rest of us, who are more casual users. I'm an application developer working with an external (3rd party) team who are developing the web service. I just need a tool that allows me to use the service outside my own code so I can experiment before I start writing a bunch of code.

One suggestion would be a README to go with the Tutorial files. I figured out that I have to import one or both of the sample projects, but a few simple examples just typing in parameters in the request and seeing what comes back in the response would be great (especially if it included an error return).

I think SoapUI looks like a great tool, just give me a little help to get over the learning curve and I'll be much more likely to pay you a few $$$$ for the Pro version. Show me the value, and I'll show you the money.

Thanks,

Thanks for your feedback!

A documentation expert has just joined SmartBear, so I hope you'll see some improvements soon.

Kind regards,
Manne

Hi Henrik/Manne,

Any update from documentation side ? Is there any PDF User Guide available ?
When i click on Online User Guide icon in SoapUIPro, it takes me to Internet Explorer but it does not open anything ?

Would be great to have Offline Doc available.

Thanks

Cheers
Aa