bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Stefan Kangas]

Severity: wishlist

It would be useful if we could get hyperlinks to Info manuals on the
`describe-package' screen, just like we can in `describe-variable'.

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se> writes:

> It would be useful if we could get hyperlinks to Info manuals on the
> `describe-package' screen, just like we can in `describe-variable'.

Do you mean the `(manual)Node Name' links?  If so, do you have an
example of a package with such a link?

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

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Stefan Kangas]

Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

> Do you mean the `(manual)Node Name' links?

Yes.

> If so, do you have an example of a package with such a link?

No, but I wanted to add it to ERT just today.  (But didn't because it
doesn't link.)

However, thinking a bit more about this, perhaps we should just make
it easier to link to the Info manual up at the top?  I.e. where it
currently says:

     Status: Installed in ‘xr-1.22/’. Delete
    Version: 1.22

One question is what to do if the package/manual is not installed.  I
guess we could just show it without a link in such cases.

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se> writes:

>> Do you mean the `(manual)Node Name' links?
>
> Yes.
>
>> If so, do you have an example of a package with such a link?
>
> No, but I wanted to add it to ERT just today.  (But didn't because it
> doesn't link.)

If you add it the link, I can add code to recognise it.  😀

> However, thinking a bit more about this, perhaps we should just make
> it easier to link to the Info manual up at the top?  I.e. where it
> currently says:
>
>      Status: Installed in ‘xr-1.22/’. Delete
>     Version: 1.22
>
> One question is what to do if the package/manual is not installed.  I
> guess we could just show it without a link in such cases.

Yes, that'd also be nice.

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

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Stefan Kangas]

Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

> If you add it the link, I can add code to recognise it.  😀

Now added (to ert.el)!

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se> writes:

>> If you add it the link, I can add code to recognise it.  😀
>
> Now added (to ert.el)!

You have

Info manual `(ert) Top'

in the doc, but the magical phrase is "info node", according to
`help-xref-info-regexp'.  We could add "manual" as an alternative...

"\\<[Ii]nfo[ \t\n]+\\(node\\|anchor\\)[ \t\n]+['`‘]\\([^'’]+\\)['’]"

But this reminds me -- why are we so strict about the Info links,
anyway?  Could `(foo) Bar' in a doc string be anything but a manual
reference?

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

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Visuwesh]

[திங்கள் ஜூலை 11, 2022] Lars Ingebrigtsen wrote:

> But this reminds me -- why are we so strict about the Info links,
> anyway?  Could `(foo) Bar' in a doc string be anything but a manual
> reference?

Perhaps, the same could be said for man pages as well.
`man-page(section)' is probably refers to a manpage.  If we want to
avoid a lot of false positives, then we can restrict section to be
numeric I think?

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Robert Pluim]

>>>>> On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 15:22:56 +0530, Visuwesh <visuweshm@gmail.com> said:

    Visuwesh> [திங்கள் ஜூலை 11, 2022] Lars Ingebrigtsen wrote:
    >> But this reminds me -- why are we so strict about the Info links,
    >> anyway?  Could `(foo) Bar' in a doc string be anything but a manual
    >> reference?

    Visuwesh> Perhaps, the same could be said for man pages as well.
    Visuwesh> `man-page(section)' is probably refers to a manpage.  If we want to
    Visuwesh> avoid a lot of false positives, then we can restrict section to be
    Visuwesh> numeric I think?

Not all man page sections are numeric

Robert
-- 

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Visuwesh]

[திங்கள் ஜூலை 11, 2022] Robert Pluim wrote:

>     Visuwesh> Perhaps, the same could be said for man pages as well.
>     Visuwesh> `man-page(section)' is probably refers to a manpage.  If we want to
>     Visuwesh> avoid a lot of false positives, then we can restrict section to be
>     Visuwesh> numeric I think?
>
> Not all man page sections are numeric

Indeed, that's why I said "avoid a lot of false positives."  But IME,
the only non-numeric sections I came across were the Perl ones.

bug#56420: Link to Info manual from describe-package help

[Robert Pluim]

>>>>> On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 15:32:11 +0530, Visuwesh <visuweshm@gmail.com> said:

    Visuwesh> [திங்கள் ஜூலை 11, 2022] Robert Pluim wrote:
    Visuwesh> Perhaps, the same could be said for man pages as well.
    Visuwesh> `man-page(section)' is probably refers to a manpage.  If we want to
    Visuwesh> avoid a lot of false positives, then we can restrict section to be
    Visuwesh> numeric I think?
    >> 
    >> Not all man page sections are numeric

    Visuwesh> Indeed, that's why I said "avoid a lot of false positives."  But IME,
    Visuwesh> the only non-numeric sections I came across were the Perl ones.

But if you restrict to only numeric, youʼd miss those, along with n,
l, and the various 3foo sections. Iʼll admit theyʼre not common.

Robert
--