Subject: bug#34023: Support double colons in Info index entries

From: Juri Linkov <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2019 02:55:17 +0200

>> The following patch handles the cases that you presented,
>> but it's hard to predict what other cases it might break.
>>
>> Do you have a sample test file that covers different cases?
>> We could add such file to Emacs regression tests.
>
> I've attached a file that includes different possibilities.

Thanks.

>> I have to say that the current regexp-based parsing is
>> an inherently fragile approach.  Do you think it would be possible
>> to add more markup to Info files instead of relying on regexps?
>
> I don't understand.  Whatever markup is added has to be read somehow,
> with regexp or other.

This is a hint for using more XML-like markup languages with more
reliable parsing.

>> Better yet would be to read Info manual in HTML format in Info reader.
>> That would allow extracting all information unambiguously.
>
> That would be a different project with several unresolved questions; this
> could be the way forward in the long term.  I would be opposed to making
> the standalone info program read HTML as this would be a complete
> rewrite of the program and there are probably better ways of dealing
> with it.

Maybe not rewrite, but just adding a HTML "add-on" to the info program.