From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Eli Zaretskii Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs Subject: bug#46627: [PATCH] Add new help command 'describe-command' Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2021 17:27:17 +0200 Message-ID: <83k0r1xwyy.fsf@gnu.org> References: <835z2o4fes.fsf@gnu.org> Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214"; logging-data="40406"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io" Cc: larsi@gnus.org, rms@gnu.org, 46627@debbugs.gnu.org To: Stefan Kangas Original-X-From: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sun Feb 21 16:28:10 2021 Return-path: Envelope-to: geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane-mx.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17]) by ciao.gmane.io with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqeY-000AOC-6H for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane-mx.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 16:28:10 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:56572 helo=lists1p.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqeX-0007WT-8s for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane-mx.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:28:09 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:42322) by lists.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqeQ-0007WK-PT for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:28:02 -0500 Original-Received: from debbugs.gnu.org ([209.51.188.43]:43084) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_128_GCM_SHA256:128) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqeQ-0008ET-Io for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:28:02 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-debbugs by debbugs.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.84_2) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqeQ-0006k1-Ee for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:28:02 -0500 X-Loop: help-debbugs@gnu.org Resent-From: Eli Zaretskii Original-Sender: "Debbugs-submit" Resent-CC: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Resent-Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2021 15:28:02 +0000 Resent-Message-ID: Resent-Sender: help-debbugs@gnu.org X-GNU-PR-Message: followup 46627 X-GNU-PR-Package: emacs X-GNU-PR-Keywords: patch Original-Received: via spool by 46627-submit@debbugs.gnu.org id=B46627.161392126825893 (code B ref 46627); Sun, 21 Feb 2021 15:28:02 +0000 Original-Received: (at 46627) by debbugs.gnu.org; 21 Feb 2021 15:27:48 +0000 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:54630 helo=debbugs.gnu.org) by debbugs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.84_2) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqeC-0006jY-F5 for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:27:48 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([209.51.188.92]:52662) by debbugs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.84_2) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqe9-0006jK-OX for 46627@debbugs.gnu.org; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:27:47 -0500 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::e]:36095) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqe4-00083h-6e; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:27:40 -0500 Original-Received: from 84.94.185.95.cable.012.net.il ([84.94.185.95]:4257 helo=home-c4e4a596f7) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtpsa (TLS1.2:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:256) (Exim 4.82) (envelope-from ) id 1lDqdu-0001s1-4O; Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:27:30 -0500 In-Reply-To: (message from Stefan Kangas on Sun, 21 Feb 2021 01:18:02 -0600) X-BeenThere: debbugs-submit@debbugs.gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.18 Precedence: list X-BeenThere: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org List-Id: "Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors" List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: "bug-gnu-emacs" Xref: news.gmane.io gmane.emacs.bugs:200499 Archived-At: > From: Stefan Kangas > Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2021 01:18:02 -0600 > Cc: eliz@gnu.org, larsi@gnus.org, 46627@debbugs.gnu.org > > I can't claim that it is the most effective technique in general. > I would use it when I am certain that I almost know the name of a > command -- I would know it if I see it. In such situations, firing up > apropos is an extra step and not what I want. Can you explain how apropos is an extra step, compared to TAB completion followed by browsing through the candidates? I see no extra step here. > But I think the use of `describe-command' goes beyond this one use-case. > In particular, I don't think end-users should need to filter through a > massive, intimidating list of functions when they are just looking for a > command. "C-h a" accomplishes that. It is no accident that it's the very first Help command mentioned in the user manual. In addition, "C-h a" is more powerful, as it accepts regular expressions and lists of keywords, whereas completion has only crude and less powerful approximations of those. > (BTW, in the completion framework I often use, `ivy', there is a command > to run the action associated with the minibuffer without leaving the > minibuffer. That is, I run `C-h f', type in some text to complete on, > and then hit `C-M-n' to repeatedly see the full documentation for a > number of commands. You can likewise type "C-h a", then, with point on the command you were after, type "M-x RET" or "M-x M-n RET" to invoke that command. So the task of finding a command and then quickly invoking it already has a well-developed solution in Emacs, one that is more powerful than completion.