GNU bug report logs - #49166
Writing in help-buffer does not show in history

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From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: philip-agee <at> africamel.net
Cc: 49166 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#49166: Writing in help-buffer does not show in history
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2021 15:30:06 +0200

philip-agee <at> africamel.net writes:

> Have written the following function that inserts text in the
> help-buffer.
>
> Was curious to see whether the inserted text persist if one uses
> the buttons or commands in the Help Buffer that take you
> back/forth in the history of visited entries (you can invoke
> those commands with 'l' for left ('help-go-back') and 'r' for
> right ('help-go-forward')).
>
> It does not show in the history when using ('help-go-back').
>
> Does it make sense to include the text in the history?

The *Help* history doesn't save the actual text in the buffer, but
regenerates it based on the parameters given -- so if you go back to the
documentation for, say `describe-mode', it'll regenerate the buffer
based on the current documentation for that command.  This also means
that if you change the documentation (loading a new version, for
instance), you'll get the new version of the doc string, and not the old
one.

So this is working as intended, and I'm closing this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

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