bug#27277: 25.2; Be able to get back to the *Help* of query-replace

bug#27277: 25.2; Be able to get back to the *Help* of query-replace

[Drew Adams]

1. Use `M-%' to do some query-replacing.  Hit `?' during
query-replacing, to see the query-replace help, in buffer *Help*.

2. Use a help command, such as `C-h f'.  The contents of *Help* do not
show a Back button, to get to the query-replace help.  They should.

In GNU Emacs 25.2.1 (x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2017-04-24 built on LAPHROAIG
Windowing system distributor 'Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
Configured using:
 'configure --without-dbus --without-compress-install 'CFLAGS=-O2
 -static -g3''

bug#27277: 25.2; Be able to get back to the *Help* of query-replace

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> 1. Use `M-%' to do some query-replacing.  Hit `?' during
> query-replacing, to see the query-replace help, in buffer *Help*.
>
> 2. Use a help command, such as `C-h f'.  The contents of *Help* do not
> show a Back button, to get to the query-replace help.  They should.

I don't agree -- that seems like such a context-dependent help buffer
that it's not very helpful to include that in the stack of help
buffers.  Other help buffers usually have links to things you can jump
to and the like.  Closing.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

bug#27277: 25.2; Be able to get back to the *Help* of query-replace

[Drew Adams]

> > 1. Use `M-%' to do some query-replacing.  Hit `?' during
> > query-replacing, to see the query-replace help, in buffer *Help*.
> >
> > 2. Use a help command, such as `C-h f'.  The contents of *Help* do
> not
> > show a Back button, to get to the query-replace help.  They should.
> 
> I don't agree -- that seems like such a context-dependent help buffer
> that it's not very helpful to include that in the stack of help
> buffers.  Other help buffers usually have links to things you can jump
> to and the like.  Closing.

No.  Forward links from *Help* to, say,
function-name *Help* display could be
considered to be for related information.

The [back] link is explicitly NOT that.

It's purely a chronological link, to take you
back to the _previously shown_ *Help* content,
whatever that might be.  Similarly, for
[forward].

`C-h f completing-read' followed by `C-h v
fill-column' has nothing to do with related
information.  [back] just goes back in time.

You've apparently misunderstood what [back]
and the help-stack is for.

If we wanted only links to related information,
and no chronological backtracking links, then
we would not have the stack - no [back] and
[forward].  (That's what we had in the old days.)

The [back] and [forward] links in *Help* are,
like `l' and `r' in Info, and like the Back and
Forward links in your browser, purely chronological.

Info has Up, Next, and Previous links for
structural navigation.  And it has inline (See)
links for related information.  Such things are
not to be confused with chronological-visit
links.

Please consider reopening this bug.  Thx.