From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: storm@cua.dk (Kim F. Storm) Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Improved help from minibuffer prompts Date: 19 Apr 2004 13:50:58 +0200 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1082368880 31339 80.91.224.253 (19 Apr 2004 10:01:20 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 10:01:20 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Mon Apr 19 12:01:11 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BFVaQ-00017M-00 for ; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:01:10 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BFVaQ-0001cK-00 for ; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:01:10 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1BFVV0-0003Pw-Gi for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 05:55:34 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1BFVSZ-0002wy-I1 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 05:53:03 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1BFVQx-0002Xh-L5 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 05:51:55 -0400 Original-Received: from [212.88.64.25] (helo=mail-relay.sonofon.dk) by monty-python.gnu.org with smtp (Exim 4.30) id 1BFVQt-0002X6-Cu for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 19 Apr 2004 05:51:19 -0400 Original-Received: (qmail 52374 invoked from network); 19 Apr 2004 09:51:16 -0000 Original-Received: from unknown (HELO kfs-l.imdomain.dk.cua.dk) (213.83.150.2) by 0 with SMTP; 19 Apr 2004 09:51:16 -0000 Original-To: =?utf-8?b?U3RlZmFuIFJlaWNow7Zy?= In-Reply-To: Original-Lines: 35 User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3.50 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.4 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:21875 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:21875 Stefan Reich=C3=B6r writes: > > Here is a new idea. We can develop a convention for delimiting, in > > the doc string, the help about each argument. Then the help facility > > for entering an argument could look thru the doc string for the part > > that refers to the current argument. >=20 > * The convention for delimiting the doc strings would require a > rewrite of many docstrings. IMO, that is a lot of work for only a minor benefit (arg specific help vs. full doc string). > * Look at the following (randomly) choosen functions and their documentat= ions: > Consider the find-dired example. When asked for dir or args > I would like to get the whole docstring, because it covers the things > I need to know. >=20 > I am not sure about the benefit of stripping the information down for > every argument. I agree.=20=20 IMO, the full doc string is often MORE useful than getting info on one arg, so why limit it. Here is another idea, enhancing on Richard's idea: Show the full doc string, but highlight occurrences of the upper case PARAM name in the doc string -- then the user will be able to quickly locate the relevant information and focus on that... --=20 Kim F. Storm http://www.cua.dk