Re: I'd like to request a change to the Emacs Info documentation

[Po Lu <luangruo@yahoo.com>]

Ramin Honary <ramin.honary@cross-compass.com> writes:

> Hello, everyone. I thought it would be better to ask my question here
> first, so I don't end up adding noise to the emacs-devel@gnu.org
> mailing list.

This isn't much of a question, so I think it should be sent to
bug-gnu-emacs or emacs-devel instead.

> I would like to change the top-level node of the Info document for
> Emacs so that it displays in prominent lettering how to do index
> search (bound to the "i" key) and full text search (bound to the "s"
> key) at the top of the document. I would like it to read:
>
>    SEARCH IN THIS MANUAL:
>    - Press `i` to enter an index search term
>    - Press `m` to search this "menu" (the table of contents)

Does `m' really search the menu?  I thought it just asks for a menu item
to jump to.

>    - Press `s` to do a full text search.

This should probably mention that regexps are accepted.

>    - Press `q` to quit (close this screen)

I don't understand what kind of screen you refer to here.

> Search is not an "advanced" feature, it is *essential.* And I would
> argue that any mention of the most important feature of an interactive
> documentation browser has been completely buried, which is
> unfortunate.

I-search works in Info, so most Emacs users would probably try that
first.  Secondly, I think the best place to place this information (if
the advanced search functionality is indeed as important as you say it
is, of that I have no opinion) would be somewhere in section 1 of the
Info manual, instead of some extra text at the top level of the
directory node, since that text is not generated by Emacs.

Also, doesn't this kind of change have to be coordinated with the
stand-alone Info developers?  IIRC, the same documentation is used by
both Info readers.

Thanks.