From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Help buffer link on name of customizable thing (at start of buffer) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:08:43 -0400 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15 X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1156216149 31735 80.91.229.2 (22 Aug 2006 03:09:09 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 03:09:09 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Aug 22 05:09:07 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GFMdQ-0006fL-Tj for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 22 Aug 2006 05:09:01 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GFMdQ-0000F1-Cz for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:09:00 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GFMdC-0000CJ-4z for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:08:46 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GFMdA-0000BM-P7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:08:45 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GFMdA-0000BJ-MH for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:08:44 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1GFMkg-0006As-Of for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:16:30 -0400 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.34) id 1GFMd9-0003LT-Md; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:08:43 -0400 Original-To: "Drew Adams" In-reply-to: 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:58676 Archived-At: In buffer *Help*, for help on a thing that is customizable, put the same link on the name of the customizable thing (e.g. user variable or face), at the beginning of the *Help* buffer, that is currently put on the word "customize" at the bottom of the buffer. Advantage: When you use, say, `C-v some-option', you can hit RET immediately, to customize the thing, since the cursor is at `point-min' by default. This is quicker than using, e.g., `M-x customize-option': instead of `M-x customize-option RET foo RET', just use `C-h v foo RET RET'. I see no harm in it. Does anyone else object? Also, the same form (i.e., the same *Help* buffer layout) should be used for faces and user options. This is not the case now. Currently, `describe-face' puts a "(customize this face)" link right after the face name, on the first *Help* buffer line, whereas `describe-variable' puts a "You can customize this variable" link at the bottom of the buffer, just before the [back] button. The latter form is preferable, IMO. I did describe-face that way for a reason. The face-spec data is usually big enough that it won't fit on the screen. If we put "You can customize this face" at the end, the user would not initially see it. For describe-variable, that CAN happen, but it is rare. There is no problem in principle with putting at the top for variables, just as it is for faces.