(emacs)Help Echo

(emacs)Help Echo

[Luc Teirlinck]

`(emacs)Help Echo' says:

    On most window systems, the help text is displayed as a "tooltip"
    (sometimes known as "balloon help").  *Note Tooltips::.  Otherwise, it
    is shown in the echo area when you move point into the active text.

Unless I am confused, the last sentence is only true if
`help-at-pt-display-when-idle' is t.  If it is nil, the default,
help-echos are only displayed on mouse-over, not on point-over.

What about the following patch to help.texi?  I can install if desired.

===File ~/help.texi-diff====================================
*** help.texi	01 Nov 2005 11:42:42 -0600	1.39
--- help.texi	04 Nov 2005 21:43:24 -0600	
***************
*** 613,620 ****
  the mouse or a key like @kbd{RET}, it often has associated help text.
  Areas of the mode line are examples.  On most window systems, the help
  text is displayed as a ``tooltip'' (sometimes known as ``balloon
! help'').  @xref{Tooltips}.  Otherwise, it is shown in the echo area
! when you move point into the active text.
  
  @kindex C-h .
  @findex display-local-help
--- 613,622 ----
  the mouse or a key like @kbd{RET}, it often has associated help text.
  Areas of the mode line are examples.  On most window systems, the help
  text is displayed as a ``tooltip'' (sometimes known as ``balloon
! help''), when you move the mouse over the active text.  @xref{Tooltips}.
! On some systems, it is shown in the echo area.  On text-only
! terminals, Emacs may not be able to follow the mouse and hence will
! not show the help text on mouse-over.
  
  @kindex C-h .
  @findex display-local-help
============================================================

Re: (emacs)Help Echo

[Richard M. Stallman]

    Unless I am confused, the last sentence is only true if
    `help-at-pt-display-when-idle' is t.  If it is nil, the default,
    help-echos are only displayed on mouse-over, not on point-over.

    What about the following patch to help.texi?  I can install if desired.

I am puzzled that the patch does not mention `help-at-pt-display-when-idle'.
The patch seems to be about a totally different issue.
(It might be correct; I don't know.)

Re: (emacs)Help Echo

[Luc Teirlinck]

Richard Stallman wrote:

   I am puzzled that the patch does not mention `help-at-pt-display-when-idle'.
   The patch seems to be about a totally different issue.
   (It might be correct; I don't know.)

That is because the diff has only three lines of context.  Here is
the paragraph that follows the one I propose to change:

       You can also access text region help info using the keyboard.  The
    command `C-h .' (`display-local-help') displays any help text
    associated with the text at point, using the echo area.  If you want
    help text to be displayed automatically whenever it is available at
    point, set the variable `help-at-pt-display-when-idle' to `t'.

The paragraph before that, which I propose to change, suggests that
emacs will show the help echo when you move point into the text,
regardless of the value of `help-at-pt-display-when-idle'.  That
definitely does not happen for me in `emacs -q -nbc'.

Sincerely,

Luc.

Re: (emacs)Help Echo

[Richard M. Stallman]

I haven't checked your text for correctness, but I'll assume you did.
It seems to be clear enough.  So please install.