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From: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com>
Subject: RE: Getting more info on a variable in Customize buffers
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 10:12:49 -0800	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <FDELKNEBLPKKDCEBEJCBOEOCCKAA.drew.adams@oracle.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <rjzmzpttkt.fsf@sheridan.dina.kvl.dk>

    > In fact, that is perhaps another, general problem: how to know how to
    > customize Customize.

    M-x customize-group <ret> customize <ret>

    Or from a customize buffer, select Custom -> Customize from the menu
    bar (they are all there).

That just brings up the customize buffer for the Customize group. I meant
that there is no doc that tells you _how to use the Customize UI_. I'm
thinking of a simple doc that describes the various UI features in a
Customize buffer (what you see, how it works).

Maybe a Customize buffer should be self explanatory, but it's not - look at
the custom-unlispify discussion and the discussion of what Show Initial Lisp
Expression really means, both in this thread.

    > If nothing else, I would hope that it would serve as an options
    > browser (like `edit-options').

    I like the customize-browse interface way better for browsing than
    using customize-group.  Try it.

I don't have a problem considering either one of those a browser for
customize.

My point was that Customize is not only a UI for _changing_ variable values:
it is also a browser for viewing information about variables (including
their values) and their interrelations (e.g. grouping into libraries).

I wrote the following in response to the claim that we shouldn't provide a
link to the source-code definition because if you need to look at the source
code then you shouldn't be using Customize:

  And the question is not just whether you _need_ to consult the source code
  to be able to _customize_ a variable - Customize is not just for changing
  things (customizing); it is also an options and options-groups _browser_
  (remember `edit-options'?). Even if a doc string is perfect, I might want
to
  consult the code - and I doubt that I am alone in that.

    > See the
    > Manual button I mentioned above, for instance: If we assume
    that Customize
    > users are to shun Lisp, then why send them to the Lisp manual
    for info on
    > how to code customize groups and such?

    Because there were no user manual for customize at the time the :link
    was added, and nobody have bothered to edit it since a customize
    section was added to the user manual.  Please send a patch or a bug
    report.

Done: you just sent a bug report.

  reply	other threads:[~2005-01-04 18:12 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 71+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2005-01-02  6:41 Getting more info on a variable in Customize buffers Drew Adams
2005-01-02 13:27 ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-02 19:48   ` Drew Adams
2005-01-02 20:44     ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-02 23:52       ` Drew Adams
2005-01-03 16:55         ` Robert J. Chassell
2005-01-03 17:13           ` Drew Adams
2005-01-03 17:20             ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-03 17:57               ` Drew Adams
2005-01-04  9:03                 ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04  9:10         ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04  9:26           ` Miles Bader
2005-01-04 10:16             ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04 15:55           ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-04 18:12             ` Drew Adams
2005-01-04 18:27               ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-04 19:50                 ` Drew Adams
2005-01-05  8:33             ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-05 17:50               ` Robert J. Chassell
2005-01-02 20:25 ` Reiner Steib
2005-01-02 20:34   ` Andreas Schwab
2005-01-02 23:52   ` Drew Adams
2005-01-03  0:35     ` Stefan
2005-01-03  1:57       ` Drew Adams
2005-01-03 17:39         ` Stefan Monnier
2005-01-03 20:45           ` Drew Adams
2005-01-04  9:46             ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04 18:12               ` Drew Adams [this message]
2005-01-05  3:31               ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-05 17:31                 ` Drew Adams
2005-01-05 20:48                   ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-05 21:43                     ` Drew Adams
2005-01-05 21:54                       ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-06  9:06                         ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-06 15:26                           ` Robert J. Chassell
2005-01-06 20:23                             ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-06 19:05                           ` Drew Adams
2005-01-06 19:55                         ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-06 20:30                           ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-24 22:29                           ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-09  3:23                   ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-04  9:24           ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04 14:13             ` Stefan
2005-01-04 19:54               ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-04 20:39                 ` Stefan Monnier
2005-01-05 20:07                   ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-05 20:25                     ` Stefan Monnier
2005-01-06 19:56                       ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-05  8:48               ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-03 17:47         ` Robert J. Chassell
2005-01-03 20:39           ` Stefan Monnier
2005-01-04  1:58             ` Robert J. Chassell
2005-01-03  7:51       ` David Kastrup
2005-01-04  0:54         ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-05  3:31           ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-05  4:43             ` Stefan Monnier
2005-01-06  3:46               ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-06 13:43                 ` Stefan Monnier
2005-01-07  2:49                   ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-06 19:56                 ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-07  4:17                   ` Luc Teirlinck
2005-01-07 23:04                     ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-04  3:38         ` Richard Stallman
2005-01-03 17:28       ` drkm
2005-01-03 18:16         ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-03 18:56           ` drkm
2005-01-04  9:49         ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04  9:32     ` Per Abrahamsen
2005-01-04 12:53       ` Lennart Borgman
2005-01-04 18:12       ` Drew Adams
2005-01-03  0:58 ` Richard Stallman

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