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From: Juri Linkov <juri@linkov.net>
To: Howard Melman <hmelman@gmail.com>
Cc: 55527@debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#55527: 28.1; Clearer abbrev docstrings
Date: Fri, 20 May 2022 10:41:56 +0300	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <86ee0ohcqj.fsf@mail.linkov.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <D7770BA8-552C-41C6-AE35-20F809516341@gmail.com> (Howard Melman's message of "Thu, 19 May 2022 14:32:44 -0400")

> When using abbrev commands I'm always confused by which 
> is the abbrev and which is the expansion.  I think there are a 
> few reasons for this.

The unhelpful abbrev docstrings and prompts is a known problem.
Recently I tried to ameliorate this problem by adding these new sections
to the docstrings:

  See also ‘inverse-add-global-abbrev’, which performs the opposite task:
  if the abbrev text is already in the buffer, use this command to
  define an abbrev by specifying the expansion in the minibuffer.

and

  See also ‘add-global-abbrev’, which performs the opposite task:
  if the expansion is already in the buffer, use this command
  to define an abbrev by specifying the abbrev in the minibuffer.

So every time I use this feature, I have to consult these parts
of docstrings to recall what these commands do.

> I think these would be clearer:
>
>     Use word(s) before point as the expansion of a new global abbrev.
>     Use word before point as the abbreviation of a new global abbrev.
>
> [...]
>
> 	Global abbrev for expansion "foo":
> 	Global expansion of abbrev "foo":

Thanks, these and other such changes would be much of help.





  parent reply	other threads:[~2022-05-20  7:41 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 18+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2022-05-19 18:32 bug#55527: 28.1; Clearer abbrev docstrings Howard Melman
2022-05-19 18:52 ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-19 19:30   ` Howard Melman
2022-05-19 19:46     ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-19 20:38       ` Howard Melman
2022-05-20  5:48         ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-20 13:35           ` Howard Melman
2022-05-20 15:59             ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-20 17:03               ` Howard Melman
2022-05-21  7:23                 ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-21 13:41                   ` Howard Melman
2022-05-21 14:09                     ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-21 17:49                       ` Howard Melman
2022-05-21 18:06                         ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-21 18:26                           ` Howard Melman
2022-05-21 18:46                             ` Eli Zaretskii
2022-05-20  7:41 ` Juri Linkov [this message]
2022-05-20 13:12   ` Howard Melman

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