Yesterday I spent several hours trying to use HELP to find the answer to, How do you expand all choruses?"
I was frustrated that I could not get an answer.

I spent about 20 minutes just checking every menu. Surprised it was under the edit menu song form? But not an option when you click the song form button.

So does anybody else find it hard to get good help answers ,from the help feature in BIAB.

I would appreciate any suggestions, right now the forum is the best way for me to get my questions answered. I read almost any interesting post, I don't comment all the time.

Yes, the help file is a little bit confusing and outdated. Often, asking the forum is much better and faster way of getting a solution to your problem,There are a lot of helpful people here.

The help system and manual seem like a labyrinth to me! There seems like a ton of great info but there also seems like a ton of dated info.

I make an effort to find the answer to my questions but it is frustrating and I often find myself here asking for help. Fortunately there are lots of really great folks here who know the answers and are willing to help!

Me too!

Yes there are, and very quick responses too

Using the search button at the top of this forum to search the pgmusic.com site ( not the forum search) is a good way to get a question answered.

Using a search term like expand all choruses I got a correct link answer within the first 5 shown
http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=312623

Thank you so very much.

Peter, your suggestion is fine, it's good but it's also called a workaround.

What about the official Help files?

I've asked about stuff like this for years. Here's the pertinent question posed in this thread:

How do you search Help to answer this question? Help is an integral part of the program and should be easy to use.

Bob

Agreed!
The online help is poor, at best. I have found the PDF files much better. The search algorithm is far superior to the one in the help menu. And the results are more explanatory.

The help menu needs to be cleaned up. I typed in "lead-in" recently and got hits just on "in". Hundreds of them. It's very frustrating. Why do I need to see what the new features of release 2009 were.

I am sure the information is in there somewhere. But it is really difficult to navigate to find it.

Going to resurrect this thread for one simple reason. On the computer I am using for BIAB and RB I keep it off the internet while using the program. Completely off the internet for days now. Because Focusrite says my antivirus is interfering with the device driver. So far 3 days with out an issue. So if I have to log into the internet and search for a technical problem. I have to do that on my laptop which is in another room. So I'd like a better way to use the help file.

I haven't read the thread so it's likely that this might have already been mentioned... just in case it has not...

When I want help with BIAB, I usually use the pdf manual as the first port of call. I then use CTRL+F to open "Search" in Acrobat Reader and enter a phrase or word that I'd like to find.

I also find looking through the index of the manual (pages 3 - 12) very useful with helping me home-in on the particular area of BIAB that I need help with. I find this section very well referenced. The Index at the end of the document also helps me find what I'm after.

where is the PDF manual same question I posed in another thread.

Click the Help menu inside BIAB and you should see a menu option for Program Manuals (pdf). However, I do not know if they are up to date with the current version. I have not had tremendous success with them so I usually just try things until I give up and then come here and get help!

In Windows 7, it's located under the start menu in the 'Band In A Box Folder'.

I don't know about Windows 10 but if it's similar to Windows 8, simply go to the screen that contains the touch sensitive icons and type "Band", it should appear in the list of files available.

If not, In Win 7 it's found in the \bb folder. It's called "Band-in-a-Box 2016 Manual.pdf".

Staying off the internet may not be a great solution when using biab, as I understand it a lot of the demo files for realtrack band styles are actually streamed from the PG site as there is no demo on the drive.

There is an option in the realtrack picker to use the internet, think it used to be in the stylepicker too but can't see it there now

Musiclover

Musiclover (and everyone else that might be interested) PG Music released 6.5 GB of demo songs January, 2015. The demo songs are available for download ++ Download Demo Songs HERE! ++

That's a nice link to know about, but many appear to be a couple years old .. looking at the date code in the file names.
Just noticin'

@musiclover if the file is on the internet I should get an error opening up that demo. I have not so far. But, if they are on the internet and I get an error, at that point I can open up the internet and load the DEMO. Then close the internet connection and continue using BIAB ad RB.

Thanks for the heads up

@jim F Where do you put these files after you download them?

Edit: I see the instructions on the link page.

In windows 10 the pdfs are located under ALL Apps>Band n a BoX. PDF BIAB User Guide and under that RB PDF User Guide in addition to these 2 PDFs there are 2 New Features 2016 PDFs

Bump? No one using iPad?