From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Emanuel Berg Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: How to alphabetasize sections? Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 07:27:14 +0200 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Message-ID: <8761gsjdjh.fsf@debian.uxu> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1410586225 31139 80.91.229.3 (13 Sep 2014 05:30:25 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 05:30:25 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Sep 13 07:30:18 2014 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1XSfuc-0000gD-8V for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 13 Sep 2014 07:30:18 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:48548 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1XSfub-0001F1-Lp for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 13 Sep 2014 01:30:17 -0400 Original-Path: usenet.stanford.edu!news.kjsl.com!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!news.stack.nl!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 41 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: P0uMB9BthHuWo8+BJXB4Mw.user.speranza.aioe.org Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.3 (gnu/linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Cancel-Lock: sha1:nnMPw/nX7DVPbK0TJw2WWxGczxc= Mail-Copies-To: never Original-Xref: usenet.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:207595 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:99869 Archived-At: Robert Thorpe writes: >> That's very creative, both of you, but isn't the >> best way to move all the sections to separate files >> and then put one-line references in the >> "motherfile", and simply sort those with >> `sort-lines'? > > I'd say it depends how long the sections they are. If > they're quite short it's probably best to put them in > one file. If they're longer than a few pages it's > probably best to split them. Yes, of course. But: when you boil water, the changes from 50 degrees to 51 degrees or 74 to 75 doesn't mean a thing. But from 99 to 100 it means the water boils, i.e. has changed state. Quantity has turned into quality. If you, like the OP, has decided sorting is necessary to keep it under control, then that tells me the switch from 99 to 100 has already occurred. If there were few or very short sections, sorting wouldn't cross your mind to begin with, as the situation would have been possible to grasp by inspection anyway. Now, this is generally speaking. The OP knows her situation and if she wants to sort it in one file, that will be an improvement. But I wouldn't be surprised if she, soon, will want to have separate files (at the next stage of 99->100, or 999->1000 perhaps). The advantages of an organized file system to express purpose as well as all the practical boosts it gets you - that's an overlooked thing. Many computer people do it without thinking. But it still surprises me that you very rarely read about it in books and tutorials. -- underground experts united