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Dash – Beautiful instant offline docs for almost everything

404 points by AlexMuir 12y ago

sehr 12y ago
Can't imagine life without this anymore. How it frees up the ~5 tabs of docs I used to have open in another window is worth it alone For those of you on OSX, the integration with Alfred[0] is also stellar. [0] - http://www.alfredapp.com/ http://www.alfredapp.com/
purge 12y ago
This has been the single best investment i've made to my workflow for years. Really communicative, friendly developer too.
selectnull 12y ago
Dash is great. The only reason I don't use it is that it offers only latest docset versions; once you update (in-app, great feature) the docsets, there is no way to access previous versions. I would pay and use it immediately if I could access all versions (for example, Django 1.0 thru 1.7 etc)
- kapeli 12y ago
  The latest update of Dash added support for older versions. If any version you need is missing, let me know and I'll add it ASAP.
  - djm_ 12y ago
    This is amazing; I'm sure I wasn't the only one to make that feature request on twitter - so happy to see it, thanks very much.
  - selectnull 12y ago
    Wait, are you talking about 2.1.1? Can you describe how it works or point to docs or something?
    - kapeli 12y ago
      Yes. There are now dropdown buttons next to each docset in Preferences > Downloads. You can use them to choose which version(s) you want.
      - selectnull 12y ago
        Awesome! I bought it. Thank you :) If it's possible, can you make available all Django versions, from 1.0 onwards? Too much work? Perhaps just 1.x.latest?
        kapeli 12y ago
        I'm not able to find the docs for Django 1.0 and 1.1, but all others should be doable. Right now I'm focusing on fixing things for OS X 10.10, but I've added a todo entry for this and as soon as I can I'll add them.
        selectnull 12y ago
        Yep, you're right, django 1.0 and 1.1 are not available anymore according to https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/22273 https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/22273 Take your time with other versions, it's not like it's urgent. Once again thanks for great work.
- deleted 12y ago
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baldfat 12y ago
OS X is surprising to me. This is something that should be cross platform.
- kapeli 12y ago
  I'm Dash's developer. Currently there is Zeal, that has access to all of Dash's docsets - http://zealdocs.org http://zealdocs.org. Native apps for iOS and Windows are also under development and recently an app for Android has been released (http://lovelydocs.io/ http://lovelydocs.io/). Note: these apps are made by other developers, I'm just providing the docsets.
  - Iuz 12y ago
    Zeal AND lovelydocs will help me tremendously. Thanks for that, and I'll be waiting for dash on new platforms too.
  - e12e 12y ago
    Zeal looks nice... but am I missing something or are there no urls available for just the docsets on the dash/zealdocs pages? I get that zealdocs can download dash docsets -- but quickly skimming the c++ source for editdocsets didn't reveal any obvious link to a http repo?
  - craigching 12y ago
    > Native apps for iOS and Windows are also under development Oh, that's nice! I've had Dash for a couple of years now and love it, but it would be very nice to have it open on my iPad while I develop on my mac! Awesome!
  - smortaz 12y ago
    looking fwd to the Windows version (& hopefully Visual Studio integration?)!
- shock 12y ago
  I agree. I'm mainly using Linux so I've started working on a Linux version (also targetting Windows). If you like it you can use Zeal[0], which is free -- works on Linux/Windows. There's a signup page for my app[1] if you want to get notified of the launch/beta. [0] http://zealdocs.org/ http://zealdocs.org/ [1] http://dash-port.launchrock.com/ http://dash-port.launchrock.com/
dorian-graph 12y ago
Great developer too. I've put in docs request (for ColdFusion) and he constantly sought feedback from me to ensure it was presented in the best way possible and if he was unsure about something himself.
kovrik 12y ago
Didn't like it. Why use Dash if you have Google? But maybe I'm missing something. I'll try new version.
- girvo 12y ago
  My use-case is the three hours a day I'm on the train without stable internet :)
  - jakio 12y ago
    Hell, even with an internet connection it's faster than Google .
  - kremdela 12y ago
    This, exactly this!
- speg 12y ago
  Offline use, speed, and software integration. When I'm at the cottage (no internet) I can still use the keyboard shortcut from my editor to instantly pop up the docs for something.
  - craigching 12y ago
    Speed is my number one reason for using it. Internet is fast, but Dash is faster. That and Xcode integration for iOS development is killer.
- pastaking 12y ago
  When you look at docs and stackoverflow answers many, many times a day, the seconds you save REALLY adds up :)
zimbatm 12y ago
Just bought this recently. I feel that I got my money back with all the time won over Google searches multiple times already. The low latency and absence of unrelated results helps me stay in the flow. For me the trick was to assign a global shortcut to invoke the tool.
jablan 12y ago
Call me stupid, but I can't get simple question answered by reading the page: What is Dash? A website? Locally run server listening at 8080? Desktop application? From the screenshots I guess it is probably OSX app, but is it so hard to put it clearly somewhere in the top?
- LatencyKills 12y ago
  In the upper-right corner of the main page there are "Download" and "App Store" links. That seems to indicate that it is an OS X app. ;-)
  - listic 12y ago
    "App Store" _hints_ that "Download" must be an application for Mac OS X, but I had to download and browse through the .zip archive to make sure. I think it could be stated more clearly, at least somewhere on the page (if the author doesn't want to ruin the illusion that there are only Apple products by stating it at the top)
- poolpool 12y ago
  One of the first things you see is a link to download on the App Store...
  - jablan 12y ago
    Frankly, I don't know whether AppStore offers only OSX apps (or you can also buy iOS apps, or certain website access). It also doesn't mean that it's not some kind of portable application (working also on OSX). That's also suggested by the "Download" link below AppStore link, which may mean that there is also other forms of whatever Dash is, apart from the form which is available through AppStore. Ok, I guess the target audience would in 99% _guess_ what Dash is, but that still doesn't mean that it shouldn't be written somewhere clearly.
  - deleted 12y ago
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  - 12y ago
Honzo 12y ago
Dash is great combined with Alfred. I changed the keyword to a period (.) with no space so lookups look like ".extend" and bam I get the results for extend from four docsets.
- jzupnick 12y ago
  Great tip! Doing this.
AlexMuir 12y ago
I travel a lot. And I'm thinking about buying a houseboat in France. I wish I'd seen this years ago. Happily purchased. I can't believe this hasn't come up before - we had a big discussion about working offline on cruise ships and it wasn't mentioned. [1] [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6697787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6697787
- toomuchtodo 12y ago
  I'd be interested in hearing about your plans for a houseboat in France. I have plans to build a titanium Catamaran for a circumnavigation.
  - Scoundreller 12y ago
    You sound like you are living up to your username.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
mhenr18 12y ago
I love Dash, have recommended it to everyone at uni. Using a machine where Alt+Space doesn't throw up documentation feels really weird.
colinramsay 12y ago
Looks good, particularly alfred and sublime integration. It doesn't download any docsets for me on the OSX10.10 preview but I'll try it again when Yosemite is a bit more prepared for the real world! Good stuff!
- kapeli 12y ago
  There are quite a few issues in Yosemite, especially with Apple's new docsets. An update should be available soon.
daleharvey 12y ago
Glad to see people providing offline documentation (and worrying about offline in general) I am wondering why you went with a native app as opposed to something webbased though?
- soa_barym 12y ago
  How can you provide offline anything with a web-based app?
  - daviddoran 12y ago
    Lots of ways actually: it could be hosted on the web but use HTML5 offline storage and caching; it could use something like node-webkit or atom-shell; it could be a Chrome extension.
- unfamiliar 12y ago
  Much quicker access through a HUD.
- peterkelly 12y ago
  As a loyal user of Dash, I find the interface to fit in very seamlessly with OS X. An app built using either offline HTML or a cross-platform toolkit would be unlikely to achieve the same level of consistency with OS X conventions, at least based on my experiences with other such apps.
- outworlder 12y ago
  Can you get a web-based offline app to be invoked by a global keyboard shortcut and appear instantly?
patrickg 12y ago
I really like dash. It's also super easy to provide your own documentation. I've created a small python script for my software [1]. Here is the dash-feed: dash-feed://http%3A%2F%2Fspeedata.github.io%2Fpublisher%2Fspeedata_Publisher_(en).xml [1] https://github.com/speedata/publisher/blob/develop/bin/create-dash-documentsets.py https://github.com/speedata/publisher/blob/develop/bin/creat...
geoffroy 12y ago
Love Dash !! Esp. since you can also add Rubygems doc
listic 12y ago
Is there an easy way to (try to) run Mac apps on Linux, like Wine project +PlayOnLinux for Windows?
- peterkelly 12y ago
  Seriously, if you want to do this just get a mac. I made the switch several years ago after being a loyal Linux user for a long time, after I realised how much easier it made life. I know they're expensive (though a low-end macbook air is pretty reasonably priced) but I've found it well worth the money given it's what I spend almost every waking hour in front of. And with decent enough hardware Linux runs very nicely under a virtual machine when you need it.
  - listic 12y ago
    Get a Mac to do what? Run this one application? Sorry, that looks too excessive for me. Following this logic, should I have bought a latest Windows PC to run the program or two I run under Wine? Why would I want to do everything inside of a Linux virtual machine, as opposed to natively?
    - peterkelly 12y ago
      > Get a Mac to do what? Run this one application? If it's only for one app, no. I just personally find the mac platform in general to offer a better user experience, esp. with regards to not having to waste hours getting stuff to work. This is just my personal experience; if Linux works for you then great.
      - listic 12y ago
        I deeply respect Apple for its attention to user experience and design, but I don't agree with all of it's choices they make for me. I wish there were many different Apples, then I could choose the one I like, but unfortunately we have only one. In my very limited encounters with OS X's desktop environment, I didn't find it practical, and the proposition is: take it or leave it, right? Changes to the default desktop environment are as outlawed as they are in Windows, or aren't they?
davidbrent 12y ago
This is awesome. Although an excellent resource, there are many times I get very distracted using Google to get this kind of information. This could help me stay on task.
hackerboos 12y ago
I used Dash for a couple of months but found myself Googling when Dash returned no results. Dash needs better fuzzy searching.
jrajav 12y ago
I've enjoyed http://devdocs.io/ http://devdocs.io/ for the same purpose, though it doesn't have quite the same library.
- diggan 12y ago
  DevDocs is wonderful! I have the source up and running on my home laptop to be able to have the documentation I want, lightning fast and without internet connection. The source is available here: https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs
- jongraehl 12y ago
  devdocs' C++ doesn't have the first thing I tried (list::erase)
  - pauldino 12y ago
    Strange oversight, the other containers have it.
  - joshvm 12y ago
    It's in there under std::list, but for some reason erase and begin are linked to externally. All the other member functions seem to be present/offline.
- efuquen 12y ago
  One thing that I wish devdocs had was Java integration, but it's been repeatedly stated (just one example here: https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs/issues/26 https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs/issues/26) that they can't include the JDK because of it's restrictive licensee. But, it seems like Dash includes the JDK, so how exactly are they able to do it but not DevDocs? My knowledge on the legal front is limited but if Dash is able to redistributed these docs I don't see why DevDocs couldn't do it.
  - Thibaut 12y ago
    Oracle mention this on their website: This software and related documentation are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and are protected by intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted in your license agreement or allowed by law, you may not use, copy, reproduce, translate, broadcast, modify, license, transmit, distribute, exhibit, perform, publish, or display any part, in any form, or by any means. DevDocs is just a hobby of mine and I don't want to waste my time on a documentation that I may have to remove. If Oracle is willing to grant DevDocs a license (I haven't asked them) I'd gladly add the JDK docs to it.
julenx 12y ago
Bought the license few weeks ago and loving it. Would be willing to pay even more if it integrated well with ReadTheDocs — there are tons of (not only) Python docs living there which I need regularly. And yes, I know #662 exists [1] on the RTD side and the future is not so clear. [1] https://github.com/rtfd/readthedocs.org/issues/662 https://github.com/rtfd/readthedocs.org/issues/662
- guac 12y ago
  If the project is using sphinx (most python projects) you can use https://github.com/hynek/doc2dash https://github.com/hynek/doc2dash to make the docset yourself.
trevorhartman 12y ago
Dash has become a part of my standard workflow in the last few months. It's great and it's always getting better. @kapeli responds quickly to feedback/questions on Twitter. I use it with Alfred and the vim plugin.
Hansi 12y ago
This looks great, assuming it's very useful when you want to do concentrated coding with internet off to avoid distractions. I'm sold, buying this when I get out of work.
rafadc 12y ago
I was very happy to see this in HN. This is one of my favourite everyday job tools in my Mac. It's also easy to integrate with vim, emacs or sublime to show the docs for the selected keyword. For a clojure programmer having clojuredocs docset is also a must (https://github.com/dlokesh/clojuredocs-docset https://github.com/dlokesh/clojuredocs-docset) although I think this is unofficial.
- craigching 12y ago
  Yes, I originally bought Dash for iOS development and was pleasantly surprised to see ClojureDocs appear one day. Really freaked me out ... in a good way!
izacus 12y ago
The thing about Dash is that it's just so much faster at displaying documentation than going to the browser and doing a search query - I use it even when I'm online with Alfred integration. Certanly a great investment.
- nilium 12y ago
  Agreed. I started using it back when it was a free beta and bought it once that was an option (iTunes receipt says that was a few days over two years ago), and I've probably used it daily since then. The ability to almost instantly search through tons of different docsets and find what I'm looking for, narrow them down, create groupings, and so on has made it absurdly useful to me. I make a lot of my own docsets as well (i.e., ones for GLFW 3, Gambit Scheme, JeroMQ, and so on), since kapeli was hesitant in the past to add docsets that would be only of interest to really narrow groups of people, though it looks like the user docset thing on GitHub sort of fixes that. Either way, it not being closed off to outside docsets was nice, since I imagine it would've been easy to not allow it. Anyway, glad to see it on HN since I'm a huge fan of Dash after using it for years. Sort of a shame it's Mac-only, since I keep looking around for ways to jump to Linux, but it looks like there're some open source alternatives. So, yeah, Dash was probably the best $30 I spent back in 2012.
philo23 12y ago
Bought this a while back and was very impressed, definitely a worthwhile purchase if you ever spend some time without much internet access. The integration with Alfred + the fuzzy searching is just the icing on the cake. Also as a little side note, I thought the way it handled the UI for tabs was interesting, though it does leave little room to grab the window and drag when you've got a few open.
estebanrules 12y ago
Dash really is an indispensable developer's tool for OS X, but it took me a bit to integrate it into my work flow. Now I use it all the time, it's great.
Cthulhu_ 12y ago
I like the idea, I bought it and have it open all the time, however I don't find myself using it that often. That's probably because I know most of the tools I work with out of memory (angularJS), and the documentation I do have to look up sometimes (UnderscoreJS) I actually prefer to see in the browser; the navigation on the browser version has a better subdivision in Underscore modules (functions, arrays, objects etc) which Dash's index is missing. (subtle feature request: subcategories for the underscore docset, or headers/sections in the method listing)
- kapeli 12y ago
  The method listing does show headers/sections for Underscore. See http://i.imgur.com/agqawiL.png http://i.imgur.com/agqawiL.png. As far as I can tell, this is the same as the side menu at http://underscorejs.org/ http://underscorejs.org/. If anything is missing, let me know!
QuadDamaged 12y ago
Dash is beautiful because it doesn't get in your way. Very flexible, and even the most convoluted features are quite simple to configure. My only wish is that it would let me use a 'night mode' so I can use white text on dark background at night.
jwr 12y ago
I've been using Dash for more than a year now. I love it. It is great for quickly looking up things, and best of all it works for multiple languages. I regularly write code in Clojure, Perl, Java and C, I also use Redis and PostgreSQL, and Dash helps with all of that. My only wish is that someday I could get Intel's x86 manuals and ARM Cortex M0 and M4 instruction set documentation in Dash.
- ansimionescu 12y ago
  My experience is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I installed it roughly one year ago, played with it and admired its functionality, then never used it since. It might be just that I'm way too connected to my Chrome tabs.
  - rev087 12y ago
    You just need to get used to incorporating Dash into your workflow. If it helps convincing you, Dash also has tabs and uses the same shortcuts as Chrome.
- toyg 12y ago
  Building a package is very easy, it's more a question of how parsable / structured your documentation is. I don't know how those manuals are distributed, but if you have an HTML version, it should be doable.
rgrau 12y ago
For ppl living in emacs, there's a plugin that use dash docsets but don't require dash and it's quite integrated with emacs (helm). They work in linux and windows. BIAS ALERT: I'm coauthor of the plugin. https://github.com/areina/helm-dash https://github.com/areina/helm-dash
- craigching 12y ago
  Oh, nice, I'll have to check that out! It's great to see these sorts of posts on HN, you learn something new every day :)
  - rgrau 12y ago
    :) Indeed, comments in HN aggregate a wiiide range of signal/noise. Great case of study.
winter_blue 12y ago
Wow, this is probably the most incredibly useful app for the Mac I've come across in a long time! The UI is seamless and well-made. I'm gonna love using this. :-) Kudos HN, for bringing this app into the limelight!
jamesu 12y ago
A great example of a purpose-built app which does one thing really well (i.e. searching docs from a single location). Easily beats having to google for docs.
jason_slack 12y ago
I love Dash. My one request. I wish that I could take my own HTML docs (WiiU Dev stuff, as example) and my own PDF's and get them into DASH for searching. I have a fair amount of documentation in HTML that I would love to have all in one place along with the Docsets I use daily.
- Tyr42 12y ago
  There is a way to make your own. http://kapeli.com/docsets http://kapeli.com/docsets It's got examples for 1. AppleDoc (Objective-C Source Files) 2. Python, Sphinx or PyDoctor-Generated Documentation 3. Javadoc-Generated Documentation 4. RDoc or Yard-Generated Documentation 5. Scaladoc-Generated Documentation 6. Doxygen (Source Files: C, C++, C#, PHP, Objective-C, Java, Python) 7. Any HTML Documentation
  - jason_slack 12y ago
    Thank you!
- hey_lu 12y ago
  You can do that already, a docset is basically some html and a sqlite index. The author of dash has some instructions on generating a docset: https://github.com/Kapeli/Dash-User-Contributions#contribute-a-new-docset https://github.com/Kapeli/Dash-User-Contributions#contribute...
  - jason_slack 12y ago
    Thank You!
XorNot 12y ago
In my experience (using Zeal - which is the Linux QT port of Dash and uses the same repos) the docs generally seem to have some glaring oversights at the moment. Possibly Zeal's search just isn't as good yet, but I had a heck of a time finding things about Python which are trivial to locate on the website through Google. Speaking of: http://zealdocs.org/download.html http://zealdocs.org/download.html Dash-docs for Linux, PPA for Ubuntu/Mint available! It uses the exact same documentation sets and supports downloading in app.
- toyg 12y ago
  Having just built a docset for Python 2.2.1 [1], I think the issue with search is that it relies on generated indexes. If the index does not include the keyword you're looking for, it won't return anything. For example, in my docset I've indexed all modules, which is what I'm usually interested in, but not the entire language specification (although it's in the actual package). [1] http://blog.pythonaro.com/2014/06/dash-docset-for-python-221-ie-jython.html http://blog.pythonaro.com/2014/06/dash-docset-for-python-221...
suckprogrammer 12y ago
Nice advertising. It's a decent app that will hold you hostage for data unless you feed it 20 bucks. If they get a better(cheaper) financial model I could see myself doing it.
- shock 12y ago
  I don't understand what do you mean that it will hold you hostage for data unless you feed it 20 bucks. All the data Dash displays is available publicly on the internet, no?
- joshdance 12y ago
  Hold you hostage? How?
pastaking 12y ago
I love this! Thank you!
brockers 12y ago
It is really annoying when these HN links are to Mac only applications.
sdegutis 12y ago
When Dash first came out, I liked it a lot, and found it better than Google for finding what I needed in almost any language I used. But for some reason that even I don't really know, I stopped using it. I just checked the App Store on this computer, and it says Install, not Buy, which means I already paid for it long ago, and could have been using it this whole time. If only the developers could figure out why I stopped, they could probably make a lot more money. That said, I do still see an App Store notification pop up every once in a while saying Dash needs to be updated, and it is pretty annoying how often that happens compared to any other app.
robertcarter 12y ago
Is there a way to tab into the content for a query (right side column) instead of having to mouseover and scroll? Also it would be nice to be able to search the content area as well so I can more effectively jump to the material I think I need.
TheHippo 12y ago
For users other platforms there is Zeal which does almost the same (and also is free): http://zealdocs.org/ http://zealdocs.org/
Ryel 12y ago
Dash has been one of the most amazing tools to improve my day-to-day workflow. It's incredible. I love to travel and specifically I love to travel to places that dont have wifi. Often times I take fly fishing trips to Montana, or shorter trips to the Smokey Mountains and during these times I need to be able to work an entire day without internet and Dash is the only reason I can do this effectively. Dash + Alfred + Sublime are probably my most used tools in any given day (aside from Spotify which is rarely ever turned off)
localhost 12y ago
If this were integrated with an offline cache of StackOverflow questions that would be fantastically awesome.
- localhost 12y ago
  And ... I see that this feature is already in the product. You've now got my $20.
  - colomon 12y ago
    Out of curiosity, how large is the Stack Overflow docset?
    - discohead 12y ago
      The SO docsets are specific to a tag. Some of theme are gigantic. Therefore you have the option of downloading them in their entirety for offline use (I think the iOS one was 300-400MB's) or you can download just the index (which was like 20MB) which allows for fast search results but needs a connection to retrieve the full content.
hopeless 12y ago
Dash is great and a big shout-out to the developer (@kapeli) who is really responsive to support requests. I found that the backbone docset was actually using the Edge version not the latest stable release. He had it fixed in a few hours.
- csffsc 12y ago
  Agreed; a few weeks ago my license of Dash (purchased via iTunes) somehow went out of sync. Within 5 minutes of forwarding Kapeli my iTunes receipt of purchase I was back in business. Fantastic support. The advantages of searching document's offline really can't be emphasized enough, 'hotkey - search term - answer', all provided in a floating window that doesn't interrupt the programmers workspace.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
brianzelip 12y ago
This is pretty sweet. How do the docsets get prepped for download? The author scrapes the html doc pages at the tool's site? But for example in the case of Node.js, the menu nav on the left side of the official docs [0] aren't found in Dash's docset. [0]http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html
chm 12y ago
I bought Dash a year ago. I've barely used it. My brain is wired to search on the web, not on Dash. The only times I've used it were when I had no internet connectivity, and it saved me. Great product, it just doesn't fit into my routine.
- j_s 12y ago
  Many would find the cost justified even by the no-internet-connection saves! Perhaps the author should integrate web search for the best of both worlds when available.
  - McRask 12y ago
    If I understand what you're suggesting, it does fall back to a web search if it doesn't find what you're looking for which can be really helpful.
- danpalmer 12y ago
  I've found this too, although when I remember, Cmd+H from Sublime Text is really useful.
- moystard 12y ago
  The Dash workflow available for Alfred has allowed me to overcome my tendency to search the web first.
chrisgd 12y ago
I have no idea what this is as I am not a programmer, but the website looks really good
tolmasky 12y ago
When the option to buy on the website or on the App Store is presented like this, which do the authors usually prefer?
- jonnynezbo 12y ago
  They probably prefer the customer buy on the website, since Apple get's their 30% cut on App Store sales. However, the App Store apparently gives great exposure to some apps. The Pixelmator creators are fans of the Mac App Store: http://allthingsd.com/20110125/pixelmator-co-founder-mac-app-stores-30-percent-cut-definitely-worth-it/ http://allthingsd.com/20110125/pixelmator-co-founder-mac-app...
- j_s 12y ago
  If you are comfortable managing your own problems, giving the author Apple's 30% cut is probably appreciated. However, the app store handles long-term hassles like re-installation, etc. A support incident is probably more expensive time-wise than the $6.
  - avoid3d 12y ago
    Consider however that if we all bought off the app store, then while apple may take 30% of our payments, the author may benefit far more from the increased exposure due to the inherent popularity contest that is the app store.
j_s 12y ago
Definitely a requirement on the next non-Internet-accessible development opportunity! I would like to see a utility that would collect (readability-ified) urls and package them nicely for Dash/Zeal. This would make it easy to build an ultra-custom collection of useful info - a searchable offline bookmarking tool. Best of all would be something that knew how to periodically refresh this archive. Also, these tools should include a timeline tracking what was useful so that as I return to projects/problems I can scroll back and pick up where I left off.
markthethomas 12y ago
I've really found this app incredibly helpful; I use a really wide variety of libraries and APIs and not having to go to each site has saved me tons of time. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I've loved it. Worth trying out.
jzupnick 12y ago
Dash ramped up my programming game like nothing else. Pair it with the Dash Alfred workflow and you'll be flying. Highly recommended.
gesman 12y ago
C#?
benatkin 12y ago
What happened with this? https://twitter.com/wakaba_en/status/322751026211983360 https://twitter.com/wakaba_en/status/322751026211983360 https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon
- t0asterb0t 12y ago
  It looks like there's a back-and-forth with someone associated with Dash on the Dribbble here: https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon#comment-2490121 https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon... The icon has changed since then as well.
  - benatkin 12y ago
    That was the second in the comment you replied to. I reread it though and noticed that it looks like they admitted their mistake: https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon#comment-2490121 https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon... I guess I'm OK with the situation now and I shall use Dash without guilt (if it turns out to be useful, buying the Alfred Powerpack now I think).
    - ChikkaChiChi 12y ago
      I can't unsee how bad that black visor looks on the new icon, though. They should just throw out the baby and the bathwater and start fresh.
encoderer 12y ago
This integrated with Alfred is a must-have dev tool IMO.
electic 12y ago
I like DevDocs better. I kind of find it shady that Dash is free and then suddenly, poof, you have to pay.
- ben336 12y ago
  Are you saying that its shady that it has a free trial period (with nags) or that it used to be free and then became a product that the developer charged for? And how are either of these things shady?
shunya 12y ago
I have been using it for 6 months, love it.
d1ffuz0r 12y ago
For python you can try a docsets collection of the most popular packages: http://python-dashapp.tk/ http://python-dashapp.tk/
shoki 12y ago
I love dash; I've been using it for years. A small wishlist: - ClojureDocs: http://clojuredocs.org/ http://clojuredocs.org/ - Hoogle integration: http://www.haskell.org/hoogle/ http://www.haskell.org/hoogle/ - BroPages: http://bropages.org/ http://bropages.org/
emilyst 12y ago
I wonder how out of the question Spotlight integration would be.
cobalt 12y ago
It looks nice, I wish it were on windows as well (and linux while you're at it)
john2x 12y ago
Dash is the only app that's making me think twice about buying a Linux machine when my current laptop retires.
- shock 12y ago
  I'll prolly have the Linux version out by then ;)
  - john2x 12y ago
    Cool! Are you working with Kapeli on the Linux version? Is there a site I can keep track of progress? I'd love to check it out once it's available.
    - shock 12y ago
      I haven't set up a site yet for posting about progress but that's because I've been busy, not for lack of interest in doing so. There's a list of people interested in the Linux version and I will email the list once I set up the site. If you want to add yourself to the list you can do so at http://dash-port.launchrock.com/ http://dash-port.launchrock.com/ .
      - john2x 12y ago
        The pink, it burns! Signed up :)
crag 12y ago
I LOVE the integration: Alfred, PHPStorm, and Sublime. Brilliant. And frankly, I can't believe you have docs for things like Yii. Easily worth the 19.99 price. Thanks.
- crag 12y ago
  OMG is has tabs! Ok, now I REALLY love this app.
visarga 12y ago
@kapeli : I am trying to buy Dash, but when I click the green "Purchase Dash" button, nothing happens. Is it normal?

404 points by AlexMuir 12y ago

sehr 12y ago

Can't imagine life without this anymore. How it frees up the ~5 tabs of docs I used to have open in another window is worth it alone For those of you on OSX, the integration with Alfred[0] is also stellar. [0] - http://www.alfredapp.com/ http://www.alfredapp.com/

purge 12y ago

This has been the single best investment i've made to my workflow for years. Really communicative, friendly developer too.

selectnull 12y ago

Dash is great. The only reason I don't use it is that it offers only latest docset versions; once you update (in-app, great feature) the docsets, there is no way to access previous versions. I would pay and use it immediately if I could access all versions (for example, Django 1.0 thru 1.7 etc)

kapeli 12y ago
The latest update of Dash added support for older versions. If any version you need is missing, let me know and I'll add it ASAP.
- djm_ 12y ago
  This is amazing; I'm sure I wasn't the only one to make that feature request on twitter - so happy to see it, thanks very much.
- selectnull 12y ago
  Wait, are you talking about 2.1.1? Can you describe how it works or point to docs or something?
  - kapeli 12y ago
    Yes. There are now dropdown buttons next to each docset in Preferences > Downloads. You can use them to choose which version(s) you want.
    - selectnull 12y ago
      Awesome! I bought it. Thank you :) If it's possible, can you make available all Django versions, from 1.0 onwards? Too much work? Perhaps just 1.x.latest?
      - kapeli 12y ago
        I'm not able to find the docs for Django 1.0 and 1.1, but all others should be doable. Right now I'm focusing on fixing things for OS X 10.10, but I've added a todo entry for this and as soon as I can I'll add them.
        selectnull 12y ago
        Yep, you're right, django 1.0 and 1.1 are not available anymore according to https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/22273 https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/22273 Take your time with other versions, it's not like it's urgent. Once again thanks for great work.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

baldfat 12y ago

OS X is surprising to me. This is something that should be cross platform.

kapeli 12y ago
I'm Dash's developer. Currently there is Zeal, that has access to all of Dash's docsets - http://zealdocs.org http://zealdocs.org. Native apps for iOS and Windows are also under development and recently an app for Android has been released (http://lovelydocs.io/ http://lovelydocs.io/). Note: these apps are made by other developers, I'm just providing the docsets.
- Iuz 12y ago
  Zeal AND lovelydocs will help me tremendously. Thanks for that, and I'll be waiting for dash on new platforms too.
- e12e 12y ago
  Zeal looks nice... but am I missing something or are there no urls available for just the docsets on the dash/zealdocs pages? I get that zealdocs can download dash docsets -- but quickly skimming the c++ source for editdocsets didn't reveal any obvious link to a http repo?
- craigching 12y ago
  > Native apps for iOS and Windows are also under development Oh, that's nice! I've had Dash for a couple of years now and love it, but it would be very nice to have it open on my iPad while I develop on my mac! Awesome!
- smortaz 12y ago
  looking fwd to the Windows version (& hopefully Visual Studio integration?)!
shock 12y ago
I agree. I'm mainly using Linux so I've started working on a Linux version (also targetting Windows). If you like it you can use Zeal[0], which is free -- works on Linux/Windows. There's a signup page for my app[1] if you want to get notified of the launch/beta. [0] http://zealdocs.org/ http://zealdocs.org/ [1] http://dash-port.launchrock.com/ http://dash-port.launchrock.com/

dorian-graph 12y ago

Great developer too. I've put in docs request (for ColdFusion) and he constantly sought feedback from me to ensure it was presented in the best way possible and if he was unsure about something himself.

kovrik 12y ago

Didn't like it. Why use Dash if you have Google? But maybe I'm missing something. I'll try new version.

girvo 12y ago
My use-case is the three hours a day I'm on the train without stable internet :)
- jakio 12y ago
  Hell, even with an internet connection it's faster than Google .
- kremdela 12y ago
  This, exactly this!
speg 12y ago
Offline use, speed, and software integration. When I'm at the cottage (no internet) I can still use the keyboard shortcut from my editor to instantly pop up the docs for something.
- craigching 12y ago
  Speed is my number one reason for using it. Internet is fast, but Dash is faster. That and Xcode integration for iOS development is killer.
pastaking 12y ago
When you look at docs and stackoverflow answers many, many times a day, the seconds you save REALLY adds up :)

zimbatm 12y ago

Just bought this recently. I feel that I got my money back with all the time won over Google searches multiple times already. The low latency and absence of unrelated results helps me stay in the flow. For me the trick was to assign a global shortcut to invoke the tool.

jablan 12y ago

Call me stupid, but I can't get simple question answered by reading the page: What is Dash? A website? Locally run server listening at 8080? Desktop application? From the screenshots I guess it is probably OSX app, but is it so hard to put it clearly somewhere in the top?

LatencyKills 12y ago
In the upper-right corner of the main page there are "Download" and "App Store" links. That seems to indicate that it is an OS X app. ;-)
- listic 12y ago
  "App Store" _hints_ that "Download" must be an application for Mac OS X, but I had to download and browse through the .zip archive to make sure. I think it could be stated more clearly, at least somewhere on the page (if the author doesn't want to ruin the illusion that there are only Apple products by stating it at the top)
poolpool 12y ago
One of the first things you see is a link to download on the App Store...
- jablan 12y ago
  Frankly, I don't know whether AppStore offers only OSX apps (or you can also buy iOS apps, or certain website access). It also doesn't mean that it's not some kind of portable application (working also on OSX). That's also suggested by the "Download" link below AppStore link, which may mean that there is also other forms of whatever Dash is, apart from the form which is available through AppStore. Ok, I guess the target audience would in 99% _guess_ what Dash is, but that still doesn't mean that it shouldn't be written somewhere clearly.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- 12y ago

Honzo 12y ago

Dash is great combined with Alfred. I changed the keyword to a period (.) with no space so lookups look like ".extend" and bam I get the results for extend from four docsets.

jzupnick 12y ago
Great tip! Doing this.

AlexMuir 12y ago

I travel a lot. And I'm thinking about buying a houseboat in France. I wish I'd seen this years ago. Happily purchased. I can't believe this hasn't come up before - we had a big discussion about working offline on cruise ships and it wasn't mentioned. [1] [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6697787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6697787

toomuchtodo 12y ago
I'd be interested in hearing about your plans for a houseboat in France. I have plans to build a titanium Catamaran for a circumnavigation.
- Scoundreller 12y ago
  You sound like you are living up to your username.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]

mhenr18 12y ago

I love Dash, have recommended it to everyone at uni. Using a machine where Alt+Space doesn't throw up documentation feels really weird.

colinramsay 12y ago

Looks good, particularly alfred and sublime integration. It doesn't download any docsets for me on the OSX10.10 preview but I'll try it again when Yosemite is a bit more prepared for the real world! Good stuff!

kapeli 12y ago
There are quite a few issues in Yosemite, especially with Apple's new docsets. An update should be available soon.

daleharvey 12y ago

Glad to see people providing offline documentation (and worrying about offline in general) I am wondering why you went with a native app as opposed to something webbased though?

soa_barym 12y ago
How can you provide offline anything with a web-based app?
- daviddoran 12y ago
  Lots of ways actually: it could be hosted on the web but use HTML5 offline storage and caching; it could use something like node-webkit or atom-shell; it could be a Chrome extension.
unfamiliar 12y ago
Much quicker access through a HUD.
peterkelly 12y ago
As a loyal user of Dash, I find the interface to fit in very seamlessly with OS X. An app built using either offline HTML or a cross-platform toolkit would be unlikely to achieve the same level of consistency with OS X conventions, at least based on my experiences with other such apps.
outworlder 12y ago
Can you get a web-based offline app to be invoked by a global keyboard shortcut and appear instantly?

patrickg 12y ago

I really like dash. It's also super easy to provide your own documentation. I've created a small python script for my software [1]. Here is the dash-feed: dash-feed://http%3A%2F%2Fspeedata.github.io%2Fpublisher%2Fspeedata_Publisher_(en).xml [1] https://github.com/speedata/publisher/blob/develop/bin/create-dash-documentsets.py https://github.com/speedata/publisher/blob/develop/bin/creat...

geoffroy 12y ago

Love Dash !! Esp. since you can also add Rubygems doc

listic 12y ago

Is there an easy way to (try to) run Mac apps on Linux, like Wine project +PlayOnLinux for Windows?

peterkelly 12y ago
Seriously, if you want to do this just get a mac. I made the switch several years ago after being a loyal Linux user for a long time, after I realised how much easier it made life. I know they're expensive (though a low-end macbook air is pretty reasonably priced) but I've found it well worth the money given it's what I spend almost every waking hour in front of. And with decent enough hardware Linux runs very nicely under a virtual machine when you need it.
- listic 12y ago
  Get a Mac to do what? Run this one application? Sorry, that looks too excessive for me. Following this logic, should I have bought a latest Windows PC to run the program or two I run under Wine? Why would I want to do everything inside of a Linux virtual machine, as opposed to natively?
  - peterkelly 12y ago
    > Get a Mac to do what? Run this one application? If it's only for one app, no. I just personally find the mac platform in general to offer a better user experience, esp. with regards to not having to waste hours getting stuff to work. This is just my personal experience; if Linux works for you then great.
    - listic 12y ago
      I deeply respect Apple for its attention to user experience and design, but I don't agree with all of it's choices they make for me. I wish there were many different Apples, then I could choose the one I like, but unfortunately we have only one. In my very limited encounters with OS X's desktop environment, I didn't find it practical, and the proposition is: take it or leave it, right? Changes to the default desktop environment are as outlawed as they are in Windows, or aren't they?

davidbrent 12y ago

This is awesome. Although an excellent resource, there are many times I get very distracted using Google to get this kind of information. This could help me stay on task.

hackerboos 12y ago

I used Dash for a couple of months but found myself Googling when Dash returned no results. Dash needs better fuzzy searching.

jrajav 12y ago

I've enjoyed http://devdocs.io/ http://devdocs.io/ for the same purpose, though it doesn't have quite the same library.

diggan 12y ago
DevDocs is wonderful! I have the source up and running on my home laptop to be able to have the documentation I want, lightning fast and without internet connection. The source is available here: https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs
jongraehl 12y ago
devdocs' C++ doesn't have the first thing I tried (list::erase)
- pauldino 12y ago
  Strange oversight, the other containers have it.
- joshvm 12y ago
  It's in there under std::list, but for some reason erase and begin are linked to externally. All the other member functions seem to be present/offline.
efuquen 12y ago
One thing that I wish devdocs had was Java integration, but it's been repeatedly stated (just one example here: https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs/issues/26 https://github.com/Thibaut/devdocs/issues/26) that they can't include the JDK because of it's restrictive licensee. But, it seems like Dash includes the JDK, so how exactly are they able to do it but not DevDocs? My knowledge on the legal front is limited but if Dash is able to redistributed these docs I don't see why DevDocs couldn't do it.
- Thibaut 12y ago
  Oracle mention this on their website: This software and related documentation are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and are protected by intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted in your license agreement or allowed by law, you may not use, copy, reproduce, translate, broadcast, modify, license, transmit, distribute, exhibit, perform, publish, or display any part, in any form, or by any means. DevDocs is just a hobby of mine and I don't want to waste my time on a documentation that I may have to remove. If Oracle is willing to grant DevDocs a license (I haven't asked them) I'd gladly add the JDK docs to it.

julenx 12y ago

Bought the license few weeks ago and loving it. Would be willing to pay even more if it integrated well with ReadTheDocs — there are tons of (not only) Python docs living there which I need regularly. And yes, I know #662 exists [1] on the RTD side and the future is not so clear. [1] https://github.com/rtfd/readthedocs.org/issues/662 https://github.com/rtfd/readthedocs.org/issues/662

guac 12y ago
If the project is using sphinx (most python projects) you can use https://github.com/hynek/doc2dash https://github.com/hynek/doc2dash to make the docset yourself.

trevorhartman 12y ago

Dash has become a part of my standard workflow in the last few months. It's great and it's always getting better. @kapeli responds quickly to feedback/questions on Twitter. I use it with Alfred and the vim plugin.

Hansi 12y ago

This looks great, assuming it's very useful when you want to do concentrated coding with internet off to avoid distractions. I'm sold, buying this when I get out of work.

rafadc 12y ago

I was very happy to see this in HN. This is one of my favourite everyday job tools in my Mac. It's also easy to integrate with vim, emacs or sublime to show the docs for the selected keyword. For a clojure programmer having clojuredocs docset is also a must (https://github.com/dlokesh/clojuredocs-docset https://github.com/dlokesh/clojuredocs-docset) although I think this is unofficial.

craigching 12y ago
Yes, I originally bought Dash for iOS development and was pleasantly surprised to see ClojureDocs appear one day. Really freaked me out ... in a good way!

izacus 12y ago

The thing about Dash is that it's just so much faster at displaying documentation than going to the browser and doing a search query - I use it even when I'm online with Alfred integration. Certanly a great investment.

nilium 12y ago
Agreed. I started using it back when it was a free beta and bought it once that was an option (iTunes receipt says that was a few days over two years ago), and I've probably used it daily since then. The ability to almost instantly search through tons of different docsets and find what I'm looking for, narrow them down, create groupings, and so on has made it absurdly useful to me. I make a lot of my own docsets as well (i.e., ones for GLFW 3, Gambit Scheme, JeroMQ, and so on), since kapeli was hesitant in the past to add docsets that would be only of interest to really narrow groups of people, though it looks like the user docset thing on GitHub sort of fixes that. Either way, it not being closed off to outside docsets was nice, since I imagine it would've been easy to not allow it. Anyway, glad to see it on HN since I'm a huge fan of Dash after using it for years. Sort of a shame it's Mac-only, since I keep looking around for ways to jump to Linux, but it looks like there're some open source alternatives. So, yeah, Dash was probably the best $30 I spent back in 2012.

philo23 12y ago

Bought this a while back and was very impressed, definitely a worthwhile purchase if you ever spend some time without much internet access. The integration with Alfred + the fuzzy searching is just the icing on the cake. Also as a little side note, I thought the way it handled the UI for tabs was interesting, though it does leave little room to grab the window and drag when you've got a few open.

estebanrules 12y ago

Dash really is an indispensable developer's tool for OS X, but it took me a bit to integrate it into my work flow. Now I use it all the time, it's great.

Cthulhu_ 12y ago

I like the idea, I bought it and have it open all the time, however I don't find myself using it that often. That's probably because I know most of the tools I work with out of memory (angularJS), and the documentation I do have to look up sometimes (UnderscoreJS) I actually prefer to see in the browser; the navigation on the browser version has a better subdivision in Underscore modules (functions, arrays, objects etc) which Dash's index is missing. (subtle feature request: subcategories for the underscore docset, or headers/sections in the method listing)

kapeli 12y ago
The method listing does show headers/sections for Underscore. See http://i.imgur.com/agqawiL.png http://i.imgur.com/agqawiL.png. As far as I can tell, this is the same as the side menu at http://underscorejs.org/ http://underscorejs.org/. If anything is missing, let me know!

QuadDamaged 12y ago

Dash is beautiful because it doesn't get in your way. Very flexible, and even the most convoluted features are quite simple to configure. My only wish is that it would let me use a 'night mode' so I can use white text on dark background at night.

jwr 12y ago

I've been using Dash for more than a year now. I love it. It is great for quickly looking up things, and best of all it works for multiple languages. I regularly write code in Clojure, Perl, Java and C, I also use Redis and PostgreSQL, and Dash helps with all of that. My only wish is that someday I could get Intel's x86 manuals and ARM Cortex M0 and M4 instruction set documentation in Dash.

ansimionescu 12y ago
My experience is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I installed it roughly one year ago, played with it and admired its functionality, then never used it since. It might be just that I'm way too connected to my Chrome tabs.
- rev087 12y ago
  You just need to get used to incorporating Dash into your workflow. If it helps convincing you, Dash also has tabs and uses the same shortcuts as Chrome.
toyg 12y ago
Building a package is very easy, it's more a question of how parsable / structured your documentation is. I don't know how those manuals are distributed, but if you have an HTML version, it should be doable.

rgrau 12y ago

For ppl living in emacs, there's a plugin that use dash docsets but don't require dash and it's quite integrated with emacs (helm). They work in linux and windows. BIAS ALERT: I'm coauthor of the plugin. https://github.com/areina/helm-dash https://github.com/areina/helm-dash

craigching 12y ago
Oh, nice, I'll have to check that out! It's great to see these sorts of posts on HN, you learn something new every day :)
- rgrau 12y ago
  :) Indeed, comments in HN aggregate a wiiide range of signal/noise. Great case of study.

winter_blue 12y ago

Wow, this is probably the most incredibly useful app for the Mac I've come across in a long time! The UI is seamless and well-made. I'm gonna love using this. :-) Kudos HN, for bringing this app into the limelight!

jamesu 12y ago

A great example of a purpose-built app which does one thing really well (i.e. searching docs from a single location). Easily beats having to google for docs.

jason_slack 12y ago

I love Dash. My one request. I wish that I could take my own HTML docs (WiiU Dev stuff, as example) and my own PDF's and get them into DASH for searching. I have a fair amount of documentation in HTML that I would love to have all in one place along with the Docsets I use daily.

Tyr42 12y ago
There is a way to make your own. http://kapeli.com/docsets http://kapeli.com/docsets It's got examples for 1. AppleDoc (Objective-C Source Files) 2. Python, Sphinx or PyDoctor-Generated Documentation 3. Javadoc-Generated Documentation 4. RDoc or Yard-Generated Documentation 5. Scaladoc-Generated Documentation 6. Doxygen (Source Files: C, C++, C#, PHP, Objective-C, Java, Python) 7. Any HTML Documentation
- jason_slack 12y ago
  Thank you!
hey_lu 12y ago
You can do that already, a docset is basically some html and a sqlite index. The author of dash has some instructions on generating a docset: https://github.com/Kapeli/Dash-User-Contributions#contribute-a-new-docset https://github.com/Kapeli/Dash-User-Contributions#contribute...
- jason_slack 12y ago
  Thank You!

XorNot 12y ago

In my experience (using Zeal - which is the Linux QT port of Dash and uses the same repos) the docs generally seem to have some glaring oversights at the moment. Possibly Zeal's search just isn't as good yet, but I had a heck of a time finding things about Python which are trivial to locate on the website through Google. Speaking of: http://zealdocs.org/download.html http://zealdocs.org/download.html Dash-docs for Linux, PPA for Ubuntu/Mint available! It uses the exact same documentation sets and supports downloading in app.

toyg 12y ago
Having just built a docset for Python 2.2.1 [1], I think the issue with search is that it relies on generated indexes. If the index does not include the keyword you're looking for, it won't return anything. For example, in my docset I've indexed all modules, which is what I'm usually interested in, but not the entire language specification (although it's in the actual package). [1] http://blog.pythonaro.com/2014/06/dash-docset-for-python-221-ie-jython.html http://blog.pythonaro.com/2014/06/dash-docset-for-python-221...

suckprogrammer 12y ago

Nice advertising. It's a decent app that will hold you hostage for data unless you feed it 20 bucks. If they get a better(cheaper) financial model I could see myself doing it.

shock 12y ago
I don't understand what do you mean that it will hold you hostage for data unless you feed it 20 bucks. All the data Dash displays is available publicly on the internet, no?
joshdance 12y ago
Hold you hostage? How?

pastaking 12y ago

I love this! Thank you!

brockers 12y ago

It is really annoying when these HN links are to Mac only applications.

sdegutis 12y ago

When Dash first came out, I liked it a lot, and found it better than Google for finding what I needed in almost any language I used. But for some reason that even I don't really know, I stopped using it. I just checked the App Store on this computer, and it says Install, not Buy, which means I already paid for it long ago, and could have been using it this whole time. If only the developers could figure out why I stopped, they could probably make a lot more money. That said, I do still see an App Store notification pop up every once in a while saying Dash needs to be updated, and it is pretty annoying how often that happens compared to any other app.

robertcarter 12y ago

Is there a way to tab into the content for a query (right side column) instead of having to mouseover and scroll? Also it would be nice to be able to search the content area as well so I can more effectively jump to the material I think I need.

TheHippo 12y ago

For users other platforms there is Zeal which does almost the same (and also is free): http://zealdocs.org/ http://zealdocs.org/

Ryel 12y ago

Dash has been one of the most amazing tools to improve my day-to-day workflow. It's incredible. I love to travel and specifically I love to travel to places that dont have wifi. Often times I take fly fishing trips to Montana, or shorter trips to the Smokey Mountains and during these times I need to be able to work an entire day without internet and Dash is the only reason I can do this effectively. Dash + Alfred + Sublime are probably my most used tools in any given day (aside from Spotify which is rarely ever turned off)

localhost 12y ago

If this were integrated with an offline cache of StackOverflow questions that would be fantastically awesome.

localhost 12y ago
And ... I see that this feature is already in the product. You've now got my $20.
- colomon 12y ago
  Out of curiosity, how large is the Stack Overflow docset?
  - discohead 12y ago
    The SO docsets are specific to a tag. Some of theme are gigantic. Therefore you have the option of downloading them in their entirety for offline use (I think the iOS one was 300-400MB's) or you can download just the index (which was like 20MB) which allows for fast search results but needs a connection to retrieve the full content.

hopeless 12y ago

Dash is great and a big shout-out to the developer (@kapeli) who is really responsive to support requests. I found that the backbone docset was actually using the Edge version not the latest stable release. He had it fixed in a few hours.

csffsc 12y ago
Agreed; a few weeks ago my license of Dash (purchased via iTunes) somehow went out of sync. Within 5 minutes of forwarding Kapeli my iTunes receipt of purchase I was back in business. Fantastic support. The advantages of searching document's offline really can't be emphasized enough, 'hotkey - search term - answer', all provided in a floating window that doesn't interrupt the programmers workspace.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

brianzelip 12y ago

This is pretty sweet. How do the docsets get prepped for download? The author scrapes the html doc pages at the tool's site? But for example in the case of Node.js, the menu nav on the left side of the official docs [0] aren't found in Dash's docset. [0]http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html

chm 12y ago

I bought Dash a year ago. I've barely used it. My brain is wired to search on the web, not on Dash. The only times I've used it were when I had no internet connectivity, and it saved me. Great product, it just doesn't fit into my routine.

j_s 12y ago
Many would find the cost justified even by the no-internet-connection saves! Perhaps the author should integrate web search for the best of both worlds when available.
- McRask 12y ago
  If I understand what you're suggesting, it does fall back to a web search if it doesn't find what you're looking for which can be really helpful.
danpalmer 12y ago
I've found this too, although when I remember, Cmd+H from Sublime Text is really useful.
moystard 12y ago
The Dash workflow available for Alfred has allowed me to overcome my tendency to search the web first.

chrisgd 12y ago

I have no idea what this is as I am not a programmer, but the website looks really good

tolmasky 12y ago

When the option to buy on the website or on the App Store is presented like this, which do the authors usually prefer?

jonnynezbo 12y ago
They probably prefer the customer buy on the website, since Apple get's their 30% cut on App Store sales. However, the App Store apparently gives great exposure to some apps. The Pixelmator creators are fans of the Mac App Store: http://allthingsd.com/20110125/pixelmator-co-founder-mac-app-stores-30-percent-cut-definitely-worth-it/ http://allthingsd.com/20110125/pixelmator-co-founder-mac-app...
j_s 12y ago
If you are comfortable managing your own problems, giving the author Apple's 30% cut is probably appreciated. However, the app store handles long-term hassles like re-installation, etc. A support incident is probably more expensive time-wise than the $6.
- avoid3d 12y ago
  Consider however that if we all bought off the app store, then while apple may take 30% of our payments, the author may benefit far more from the increased exposure due to the inherent popularity contest that is the app store.

j_s 12y ago

Definitely a requirement on the next non-Internet-accessible development opportunity! I would like to see a utility that would collect (readability-ified) urls and package them nicely for Dash/Zeal. This would make it easy to build an ultra-custom collection of useful info - a searchable offline bookmarking tool. Best of all would be something that knew how to periodically refresh this archive. Also, these tools should include a timeline tracking what was useful so that as I return to projects/problems I can scroll back and pick up where I left off.

markthethomas 12y ago

I've really found this app incredibly helpful; I use a really wide variety of libraries and APIs and not having to go to each site has saved me tons of time. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I've loved it. Worth trying out.

jzupnick 12y ago

Dash ramped up my programming game like nothing else. Pair it with the Dash Alfred workflow and you'll be flying. Highly recommended.

gesman 12y ago

C#?

benatkin 12y ago

What happened with this? https://twitter.com/wakaba_en/status/322751026211983360 https://twitter.com/wakaba_en/status/322751026211983360 https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon

t0asterb0t 12y ago
It looks like there's a back-and-forth with someone associated with Dash on the Dribbble here: https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon#comment-2490121 https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon... The icon has changed since then as well.
- benatkin 12y ago
  That was the second in the comment you replied to. I reread it though and noticed that it looks like they admitted their mistake: https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon#comment-2490121 https://dribbble.com/shots/1046492-Dash-app-replacement-icon... I guess I'm OK with the situation now and I shall use Dash without guilt (if it turns out to be useful, buying the Alfred Powerpack now I think).
  - ChikkaChiChi 12y ago
    I can't unsee how bad that black visor looks on the new icon, though. They should just throw out the baby and the bathwater and start fresh.

encoderer 12y ago

This integrated with Alfred is a must-have dev tool IMO.

electic 12y ago

I like DevDocs better. I kind of find it shady that Dash is free and then suddenly, poof, you have to pay.

ben336 12y ago
Are you saying that its shady that it has a free trial period (with nags) or that it used to be free and then became a product that the developer charged for? And how are either of these things shady?

shunya 12y ago

I have been using it for 6 months, love it.

d1ffuz0r 12y ago

For python you can try a docsets collection of the most popular packages: http://python-dashapp.tk/ http://python-dashapp.tk/

shoki 12y ago

I love dash; I've been using it for years. A small wishlist: - ClojureDocs: http://clojuredocs.org/ http://clojuredocs.org/ - Hoogle integration: http://www.haskell.org/hoogle/ http://www.haskell.org/hoogle/ - BroPages: http://bropages.org/ http://bropages.org/

emilyst 12y ago

I wonder how out of the question Spotlight integration would be.

cobalt 12y ago

It looks nice, I wish it were on windows as well (and linux while you're at it)

john2x 12y ago

Dash is the only app that's making me think twice about buying a Linux machine when my current laptop retires.

shock 12y ago
I'll prolly have the Linux version out by then ;)
- john2x 12y ago
  Cool! Are you working with Kapeli on the Linux version? Is there a site I can keep track of progress? I'd love to check it out once it's available.
  - shock 12y ago
    I haven't set up a site yet for posting about progress but that's because I've been busy, not for lack of interest in doing so. There's a list of people interested in the Linux version and I will email the list once I set up the site. If you want to add yourself to the list you can do so at http://dash-port.launchrock.com/ http://dash-port.launchrock.com/ .
    - john2x 12y ago
      The pink, it burns! Signed up :)

crag 12y ago

I LOVE the integration: Alfred, PHPStorm, and Sublime. Brilliant. And frankly, I can't believe you have docs for things like Yii. Easily worth the 19.99 price. Thanks.

crag 12y ago
OMG is has tabs! Ok, now I REALLY love this app.

visarga 12y ago

@kapeli : I am trying to buy Dash, but when I click the green "Purchase Dash" button, nothing happens. Is it normal?