Re: Enhancements to options menu (was Re: Reveal mode)

["Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@is.elta.co.il>]

> Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 14:30:32 -0400
> From: karl@freefriends.org
> 
> How can the Info format support images?

If the Info file is read in Emacs, the image can be displayed.  In the
stand-alone reader, some text could be available instead, perhaps an
ASCII-art equivalent if possible, or a text description if not, just
like with text-mode HTML browers.

> If you make an ASCII drawing picture.txt, the @image command will read it.

Right.  But I think there should be some means of actually displaying
the image if the browser can handle that.

>     There are no directives to describe a sequence of menu selections,
> 
> Why not just use arrows?
> start -> next -> next -> command

It's a possibility, but not the prettiest one, I think.  (I'm thinking
about the printed version, mainly, not about plain-ASCII readers such
as the stand-alone Info.)  Most books I've seen that document GUI
software have special glyphs to typeset this.

>     no way to typeset dialog boxes and other simple widgets,
> 
> How can such things be represented in text-based Info?

Similar to @image, with some ASCII art, I guess.

> They're usually screen shots in other formats, which is probably what's
> most useful to users.  I'm not sure there's much point in
> transliterating fancy gui stuff into text?

Well, we do have @cartouche, for example.  Isn't it possible to
typeset a dialog box with a caption, a few buttons, etc., along the
same lines?

In other words, we don't need to confine ourselves to screen shots
(those are not easy to create to begin with).  The idea is to have
special directives to typeset popular widgets where we nowadays use
verbal descriptions.

Again, I'm thinking primarily about the printed version, not about
what the stand-alone Info will display.  Many books about GUI programs
use something like this, I'm sure you will find many examples in your
favorite bookstore.  (We even talked with you about this some time
ago.)

> Can ghostscript create ascii from .eps?

I don't know.  Anybody?