GNU bug report logs - #3454
<SPC> when reading the emacs manual sometimes goes to the wrong node

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (Emacs bug Tracking System)
To: Shannon Jones <zedzap <at> gmail.com>
Subject: bug#3454 closed by Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> (Re: bug#3454:
 <SPC> when reading the emacs manual sometimes goes to the wrong node)
Date: Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:45:04 +0000

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This is an automatic notification regarding your bug report
which was filed against the emacs package:

#3454: <SPC> when reading the emacs manual sometimes goes to the wrong node

It has been closed by Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>.

Their explanation is attached below along with your original report.
If this explanation is unsatisfactory and you have not received a
better one in a separate message then please contact Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> by
replying to this email.


-- 
3454: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=3454
Emacs Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Shannon Jones <zedzap <at> gmail.com>, 3454-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#3454: <SPC> when reading the emacs manual sometimes goes to the
	wrong node
Date: Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:39:17 -0400

> Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 00:40:37 -0500
> From: Shannon Jones <zedzap <at> gmail.com>
> Cc: 
> Reply-To: Shannon Jones <zedzap <at> gmail.com>, 3454 <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com
> 
> Run emacs -Q
> C-h r (Reads emacs manual)
> g Command Index (takes you to the "Command and Function Index" page of the
> manual)
> M-> (Go to end of info node)
> 
> At this point, your cursor should be at the end of the info node that lists
> all commands and functions.  Note that at the top, the next node is listed
> as "Variable Index".  I would expect that pressing <SPC> would take you to
> this node.  However, if you press <SPC> it takes you to some other node.  It
> takes me to the middle of the node "49 Two-Column Editing".

This is not a bug: SPC does _not_ necessarily go to the Next node;
instead, it traverses the nodes as a tree: if there is a menu in the
current node, it takes you to the first menu item of that menu.

If you need to go to the Next node, type `n', not SPC.

> According to the manual for Info, "You can read an entire manual top to
> bottom by just typing <SPC>".

Right, but by going to the Next node you will not end up reading the
whole manual, because Next does not descend to sections, subsections,
subsubsections, etc.  SPC does, so it does indeed guarantee that you
end up reading the whole manual in the logical order: before you move
to the next chapter, you read all the sections and subsections of the
current chapter.

This logic does TRT in nodes that are not indices, because an index is
ordered alphabetically, not in any meaningful order as far as the
sections are concerned.

Morale: do not use SPC at the end of an index, use `n'.

I'm closing this report.

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From: Shannon Jones <zedzap <at> gmail.com>
To: emacs-pretest-bug <at> gnu.org
Subject: <SPC> when reading the emacs manual sometimes goes to the wrong node
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 00:40:37 -0500

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<SPC> when reading the emacs manual sometimes goes to the wrong node.

Emacs version: GNU Emacs 23.0.94.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.10.4)
 of 2009-05-26 (built from pretest source tarball)

Running on CentOS 5.3.
No options given to configure.
Also tested on Windows with same results.


How to reproduce:

Run emacs -Q
C-h r (Reads emacs manual)
g Command Index (takes you to the "Command and Function Index" page of the
manual)
M-> (Go to end of info node)

At this point, your cursor should be at the end of the info node that lists
all commands and functions.  Note that at the top, the next node is listed
as "Variable Index".  I would expect that pressing <SPC> would take you to
this node.  However, if you press <SPC> it takes you to some other node.  It
takes me to the middle of the node "49 Two-Column Editing".

I believe <DEL> has a similar problem, but I didn't narrow down a test case.

According to the manual for Info, "You can read an entire manual top to
bottom by just typing <SPC>".  So it seemed strange to me that pressing
<SPC> went to some place in the middle of the manual instead of the next
node.

This problem also existed in emacs 22.3.

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