From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Alan Mackenzie Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Info bug with @xref{Sample .emacs File, , , ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}. Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:28:43 +0000 (GMT) Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1134337005 29889 80.91.229.2 (11 Dec 2005 21:36:45 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:36:45 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Dec 11 22:36:42 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ElYqC-0005Fr-UW for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 22:34:45 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ElYqf-0004tx-AU for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:35:13 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1ElYih-0006dq-Vc for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:27:00 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1ElYhR-0005tX-Ku for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:25:42 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ElYgW-00059y-C1 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:24:44 -0500 Original-Received: from [193.149.49.134] (helo=acm.acm) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1ElYi6-0005Wu-AB; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:26:23 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost (root@localhost) by acm.acm (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id VAA00997; Sun, 11 Dec 2005 21:28:44 GMT X-Sender: root@acm.acm Original-To: Eli Zaretskii In-Reply-To: X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:47479 On Sun, 11 Dec 2005, Eli Zaretskii wrote: >> Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 18:37:49 +0000 (GMT) >> From: Alan Mackenzie >> Whilst amending programs.texi (to incorporate changes from CC Mode >> 5.31), I hit a problem with Info. I've inserted the cross reference: >> >> @xref{Sample .emacs File,,, ccmode, the CC Mode Manual}. >> , and makeinfo'd it. When I load the info file, this xref fails with >> the error message "No such node or anchor: Sample". [BTW: on the same >> file.info, Emacs 21.3 says much the same: "No such anchor in tag table >> or node in tag table or file: Sample".] >The problem here is with your usage of Texinfo: node names cannot >contain periods. The Texinfo manual says: > > * Unfortunately, you cannot use periods, commas, colons or > parentheses within a node name; these confuse the Texinfo > processors. Perhaps this limitation will be removed some day, too. > >So there you are: don't do that ;-) Hey, that's not fair! We've had a node called "Sample .emacs File" in the CC Mode manual since 22nd February 1995, and that was before I could even spell "Emacs". ;-( And, so far as I know, we've _NEVER_ had any problems with it. It has simply worked. More to the point, makeinfo has never given a warning about it. Damn! :-) By the way, WHY can't we have periods in node names? OK, we need commas to separate the arguments of the @xref and info node, we need colons to delimit the node name, we need parens to give an info filename. But why periods? Over ten years of "@node Sample .emacs File" suggests that the restriction isn't really necessary. What would break if the prohibition on periods were tracked down and removed? -- Alan.