From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Luc Teirlinck Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: customizing a variable named in Info Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 10:12:20 -0500 (CDT) Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <200310191512.h9JFCKC04028@raven.dms.auburn.edu> References: <4763.1066527268@mixed> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1066577106 30329 80.91.224.253 (19 Oct 2003 15:25:06 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 15:25:06 +0000 (UTC) Cc: p.galbraith@globetrotter.net, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Sun Oct 19 17:25:04 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1ABFQW-0006pX-00 for ; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 17:25:04 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1ABFQV-0000Ex-00 for ; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 17:25:04 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1ABFKI-0000dH-AI for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:18:38 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1ABFKA-0000bz-QH for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:18:30 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1ABFJe-0000UU-Kh for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:18:29 -0400 Original-Received: from [131.204.53.104] (helo=manatee.dms.auburn.edu) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1ABFIj-0000F3-AU for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 11:17:01 -0400 Original-Received: from raven.dms.auburn.edu (raven.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.29]) by manatee.dms.auburn.edu (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id h9JFGrKk005078; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 10:16:53 -0500 (CDT) Original-Received: (from teirllm@localhost) by raven.dms.auburn.edu (8.11.6+Sun/8.11.6) id h9JFCKC04028; Sun, 19 Oct 2003 10:12:20 -0500 (CDT) X-Authentication-Warning: raven.dms.auburn.edu: teirllm set sender to teirllm@dms.auburn.edu using -f Original-To: eliz@elta.co.il In-reply-to: (message from Eli Zaretskii on 19 Oct 2003 07:58:30 +0200) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:17245 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:17245 Eli Zaretskii wrote: > Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 21:34:28 -0400 > From: Peter S Galbraith > > It would be nice to have a way to identity an Emacs variable in texinfo > sources such that when Emacs Info renders the page it can make the > variable name clickable in order to customize it. I think this is a good idea, but it needs to be elaborated a bit in order to discuss its merits. I have not yet thought of the following long enough really, but I just want to point it out before people start to pursue possibly more complex and less unifying avenues, that could require more work. There would appear to be the possibility of using `help-make-xrefs', which does something similar in *Help* buffers, stripped of its *Help*-buffer specific aspects. That would make the conventions for Info the same as the ones for *Help* buffers, preventing both users and Elisp programmers from getting confused by subtle and unnecessary differences between both. That would affect not only variables, but also functions and, if preceded or followed by the word `face', also faces. Indeed, we are not just talking about access to customization, but also information. Moreover, faces are customizable too. Note that the making of hyperlinks in *Help* buffers has become somewhat more conservative since yesterday evening. Since all of this only makes sense for Info manuals dealing with Elisp, this feature would only be activated by, say, a file local variable or something similar. It should not apply to all info files by default, since for many of them it would make no sense. Or we could have makeinfo generate something special for a variable mentioned in a paragraph that has a @vindex entry before it. Makes no sense unless we are talking about an _Elisp_ variable. `@vindex' by no means guarantees this. Even then, the variable documentation might not be available unless the reader is reading Info using Emacs. > I know I can put point on the string, do `C-h v' and then click on > customize, but such a feature would make customizable variables stand > out and the documentation would therefore render the information in a > more efficient way (specially for new users). Perhaps some shorter procedure, like a key binding for "customize the variable at point", would do? I believe that Peter wants the variable to "stand out better", which the `help-make-xrefs' derivative would do by underlining. Sincerely, Luc.