From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Juri Linkov Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel,gmane.emacs.pretest.bugs Subject: Re: Info-build-node-completions has an extra `*' node Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:29:19 +0200 Organization: JURTA Message-ID: <87k5l3cdk0.fsf@jurta.org> References: <006901c871b3$f4da48d0$2d58908d@us.oracle.com> <006a01c871b5$33b5a260$2d58908d@us.oracle.com> <87tzk7godg.fsf@jurta.org> <008301c871c1$9f45d5c0$2d58908d@us.oracle.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1203294781 3639 80.91.229.12 (18 Feb 2008 00:33:01 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:33:01 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org To: "Drew Adams" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Feb 18 01:33:24 2008 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1JQtwh-0005Gb-CV for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:33:23 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1JQtwD-00085G-6e for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:32:53 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1JQtvR-0007N2-Id for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:32:05 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1JQtvM-0007Ly-OB for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:32:04 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1JQtvM-0007Lv-Ib for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:32:00 -0500 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([140.186.70.10]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1JQtvL-0004z7-V0 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:32:00 -0500 Original-Received: from mx10.gnu.org ([199.232.76.166]) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.67) (envelope-from ) id 1JQtvL-0002RW-OX for emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:31:59 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1JQtvI-0004yB-Jo for emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:31:59 -0500 Original-Received: from anti-4.kiev.sovam.com ([62.64.120.202]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1JQtvI-0004xN-2F for emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:31:56 -0500 Original-Received: from [83.170.232.243] (helo=smtp.svitonline.com) by anti-4.kiev.sovam.com with esmtp (Exim 4.67) (envelope-from ) id 1JQtvF-000B91-ML; Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:31:54 +0200 In-Reply-To: <008301c871c1$9f45d5c0$2d58908d@us.oracle.com> (Drew Adams's message of "Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:02:58 -0800") User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.0.60 (gnu/linux) X-Scanner-Signature: a96565856d7d777f03ae631b61e05b17 X-DrWeb-checked: yes X-SpamTest-Envelope-From: juri@jurta.org X-SpamTest-Group-ID: 00000000 X-SpamTest-Header: Not Detected X-SpamTest-Info: Profiles 2248 [Feb 17 2008] X-SpamTest-Info: helo_type=3 X-SpamTest-Info: {HEADERS: header Content-Type found without required header Content-Transfer-Encoding} X-SpamTest-Method: none X-SpamTest-Rate: 11 X-SpamTest-Status: Not detected X-SpamTest-Status-Extended: not_detected X-SpamTest-Version: SMTP-Filter Version 3.0.0 [0255], KAS30/Release X-detected-kernel: by monty-python.gnu.org: FreeBSD 6.x (1) X-detected-kernel: by monty-python.gnu.org: Linux 2.6, seldom 2.4 (older, 4) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:89423 gmane.emacs.pretest.bugs:21173 Archived-At: >> Please read the Info manual at (info "(info) Go to node") that says: >> >> The node name `*' specifies the whole file. So you can >> look at all of the current file by typing `g*' or >> all of any other file with `g(FILENAME)*'. > > I see. Guess I haven't read the Info manual in a long time. Out of > curiosity, why was this feature added? What is the need that it satisfies? This feature is from prehistoric times. It was already in the revision 1.1. > And why is only `*' written in the mode line as the node name, rather than, > say, `*** All Nodes ***' or `*** Whole Manual ***' (the `***' or something > similar indicating that this is not just a node name). I'm afraid that `*' > is not very noticeable in the mode line. There are already other `*' there, > so you see, for example, `*info* (emacs) *'. I guess that's because the name displayed in the mode line should be the same as provided in the completion for consistency. > And it is not immediately obvious that the entire manual is in fact visible. > I thought that it had just revisited the current node, until I scrolled a > bit and noticed that from the node headers that it was widened. > > Someone falling into this state by accident might well get confused, IMO. > And `*' is the first completion candidate listed in *Completions*. Maybe we should add an explanation text to the completion candidate like e.g. `* (all nodes)'. And accept also `*' but don't display it in the completion list. > It might seem cute that `*' is the name for this pseudo-node (a wildcard, > presumably), but the behavior and meaning are not obvious. Why `go to node' > would have an alternative action of `show all nodes' is not clear to me - > why associate this behavior with `Info-goto-node'? I suppose you'll say that > that's what we do for wildcards with `find-file'. Yes, this looks like wildcards. > It's also not obvious how to get out of this view-whole-raw-info-file mode, > once you fall into the black hole. Things like `C-l' and `u' (Node has no > Up) don't help. > > It turns out that using `g' again, and picking some real node name this > time, will restore Info to its normal self (whew!). There might be > additional ways to get back to normal; I don't know. > > But I don't think it is obvious, and I do think it is potentially confusing. > At the very least, a message should inform the user: (a) what has happened, > and (b) how to get back to normal. Displaying something like `all nodes' in the mode line would inform about what has happened, but I have no idea how it could inform how to get back. -- Juri Linkov http://www.jurta.org/emacs/