From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: lee Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: describe-mode "some-mode"? Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 14:49:41 +0200 Organization: my virtual residence Message-ID: <87egw7z8ca.fsf@yun.yagibdah.de> References: <87bnrc1lkz.fsf@yun.yagibdah.de> <988b6e41-62ed-4d33-abf1-804ddcedef59@default> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1408798427 1583 80.91.229.3 (23 Aug 2014 12:53:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 12:53:47 +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 Aug 23 14:53:41 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 1XLApB-0002v1-9c for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 14:53:41 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:41025 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1XLApA-00079L-Vk for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 08:53:40 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:48311) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1XLAok-0006qA-Lj for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 08:53:18 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1XLAoY-0001SE-BJ for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 08:53:14 -0400 Original-Received: from client-194-42-186-216.muenet.net ([194.42.186.216]:57162 helo=jarl.yagibdah.de) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1XLAoY-0001Qx-1n for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 08:53:02 -0400 Original-Received: from yun.yagibdah.de ([192.168.3.20]) by jarl.yagibdah.de with esmtps (TLS1.2:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA256:256) (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1XLAoU-0004CB-EI for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 14:52:58 +0200 Original-Received: from lee by yun.yagibdah.de with local (Exim 4.80.1) (envelope-from ) id 1XLAoU-00039X-AZ for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 23 Aug 2014 14:52:58 +0200 In-Reply-To: <988b6e41-62ed-4d33-abf1-804ddcedef59@default> (Drew Adams's message of "Fri, 22 Aug 2014 11:21:07 -0700 (PDT)") User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4.50 (gnu/linux) Mail-Followup-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 3.x X-Received-From: 194.42.186.216 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:99369 Archived-At: Drew Adams writes: >> is there a function like describe-key which describes a mode specified >> by the user? >> >> The docstring of describe-mode says it either describes the mode of the >> current buffer or of the buffer given. How can I get a description of a >> mode without enabling the mode in a buffer? > > Something like this will get you started. For more info (e.g. to include minor-mode info) see the definition of `describe-mode'. You could also improve the interactive spec, to use completion against major modes or something. > > (defun my-describe-mode (mode) > (interactive (list (intern (read-string "Mode: ")))) > (with-help-window (help-buffer) > (with-current-buffer (help-buffer) > (insert (help-documentation mode nil 'ADD-HELP-BUTTONS))))) ,---- | Compiling file /home/lee/emacs/my-helper-functions.el at Sat Aug 23 14:44:35 2014 | | In end of data: | my-helper-functions.el:116:1:Warning: the function `help-documentation' is not | known to be defined. `---- > On the other hand, it is OK and simple to instead create a temporary buffer, put it in the mode, and use `describe-mode' there. Yes, I thought about writing a function to do just that and thought it shouldn't be necessary to create a dummy-buffer to see the docstring for a particular mode. Emacs is self-documenting :) It seems I'd have to do just that for now ... -- GNU Emacs 24.4.50.2 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars) of 2014-08-17 on yun.yagibdah.de