23.0.60; `l' in Info skips last visited node

23.0.60; `l' in Info skips last visited node

[Drew Adams]

emacs -Q
 
C-h i, choose Elisp manual.
g Customization Types
m d TAB RET, to go to node Defining New Types
SPC SPC to get to node Loading
l
 
This takes you back to node Customization, not to the last visited
node, which is Defining New Types, or even to the node visited just
before that, which is Customization Types. Node Customization is the
grandparent of the last visited node, and it was never even visited.
 
This behavior contradicts what a user expects, which is a strict
chronological navigation, unrelated to the hierarchical manual
organization.
 
It also contradicts what the doc of `l' says it is supposed to do: "Go
back in the history to the last node visited." 
 
Likewise, the Info tutorial says this about `l':
 
"`l' command (`l' for "last") will do that, one node-step at a time.
As you move from node to node, Info records the nodes where you have
been in a special history list.  The `l' command revisits nodes in the
history list; each successive `l' command moves one step back through
the history."
 
`l' is not in fact moving one step through the history list. In fact,
it is even moving to nodes that are not on the history list (never
visited).
 
The doc is not wrong about what `l' should do; it is the actual
behavior that is wrong. `l' should act like the `Back' button of a Web
browser; it should totally ignore book structure and stick to the
navigation history.
 
In GNU Emacs 23.0.60.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2008-05-04 on LENNART-69DE564
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/g/include
-fno-crossjumping'
 

Re: 23.0.60; `l' in Info skips last visited node

[Juri Linkov]

> C-h i, choose Elisp manual.
> g Customization Types
> m d TAB RET, to go to node Defining New Types
> SPC SPC to get to node Loading
> l
>
> This takes you back to node Customization, not to the last visited
> node, which is Defining New Types, or even to the node visited just
> before that, which is Customization Types. Node Customization is the
> grandparent of the last visited node, and it was never even visited.

This is confusing but deliberate.  I agree we should change it.

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/

Re: 23.0.60; `l' in Info skips last visited node

[Juri Linkov]

>> C-h i, choose Elisp manual.
>> g Customization Types
>> m d TAB RET, to go to node Defining New Types
>> SPC SPC to get to node Loading
>> l
>>
>> This takes you back to node Customization, not to the last visited
>> node, which is Defining New Types, or even to the node visited just
>> before that, which is Customization Types. Node Customization is the
>> grandparent of the last visited node, and it was never even visited.
>
> This is confusing but deliberate.  I agree we should change it.

This can be fixed with the following patch:

Index: lisp/info.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/emacs/emacs/lisp/info.el,v
retrieving revision 1.531
diff -c -r1.531 info.el
*** lisp/info.el	6 May 2008 07:57:40 -0000	1.531
--- lisp/info.el	11 May 2008 00:07:47 -0000
***************
*** 2526,2533 ****
  	 ;; go up to the end of this node.
  	 (goto-char (point-max))
  	 ;; Since logically we are done with the node with that menu,
! 	 ;; move on from it.
! 	 (Info-next-preorder))
  	(t
  	 (error "No more nodes"))))
  
--- 2526,2535 ----
  	 ;; go up to the end of this node.
  	 (goto-char (point-max))
  	 ;; Since logically we are done with the node with that menu,
! 	 ;; move on from it.  But don't put intermediate nodes to the
! 	 ;; history on recursive calls.
! 	 (let (Info-history)
! 	   (Info-next-preorder)))
  	(t
  	 (error "No more nodes"))))

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/