The Documentation Window

The documentation window permits you to read, search, and navigate Max's documentation resources. There are two main components to this window: the top toolbar and the left sidebar.

Documentation Window Toolbar

There are several icons across the top of the documentation window that are designed to help you navigate through the documentation.

The Home button displays the Max documentation home page, the entry point for all documentation resources.

The Recently Viewed button displays a list of recent documentation pages that you have viewed, and allows you to quickly select one of those pages to jump to.

The Navigate Back button is the same thing as a Back button in a web browser.

The Navigate Forward button is the same thing as a Forward button in a web browser.

When a documentation page is selected and displayed in the Documentation window, a Navigation Path will appear in the toolbar. You can click on any element of the path to jump to that page.

The search field allows you to search the entire documentation for key words.

The Open in Browser button will open the currently displayed documentation page in your web browser.

Documentation Window Sidebar

The left sidebar serves two functions: When on the Documentation home page, it allows you to quickly navigate to specific types of documentation that are relevant to different areas of Max (MSP, Jitter, Gen, etc.). When a documentaion page is selected and displayed in the window, the sidebar allows you to quickly jump to sections within that document.

The X button at the top closes the sidebar.

When on the Documentation home page, there will be a Getting Started link in the sidebar that displays documents inteded to help new users.

Each module of the Max application (Max, MSP, Jitter, Gen, etc.) is displayed in the home page sidebar. Expanding one of these sections will show the various types of documentation relevant to that module. For instance, when expanding the Max section you will see a drop-down menu for Objects, Topics, Tutorials, and Guides that all relate to Max.

Clicking on Objects from any of the module menus will display a list of all objects related to that module. These objects can be sorted alphabetically or by function.

Any external packages that are installed via the Package Manager or placed in Documents/Max 8/Packages will appear under the Packages section of the sidebar.

If a documentaion page is displayed, and that page is divided into multiple sections, the sidebar will allow you to quickly jump to each section within the document.