Subject: Re: bug#59954: 29.0.50; flymake-reporting-backends documentation could use some work

From: João Távora <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2022 11:36:51 +0000

Stefan Kangas <[email-masked]> writes:

> On a side note, and not necessarily part of this bug report, it would
> also be useful with some documentation that says to find out more about
> a particular back-end.  Currently, I guess `C-h f' is the recommended
> way to do that?

Yes.  describe-function (C-h f) is the right way because back-ends are
represented by functions.  You can invent a M-x flymake-describe-backend
with a different completion set, but it should funnel to M-x
describe-function and give the very same output.

On a related note, you can see that in the commands M-x
flymake-show-[buffer|project]-diagnostics, the backend's itself is
represented in a column.  Currently this name is synthesized from the
initials of the symbol name bound to the function.  This works well as a
default, but it could be augmented:

For example:

* There could be a 'flymake-backend-name' property on the symbols for
  an extra indirection or better names

* Clicking the name in that report could bring up the same thing as C-h
  f, effectively describing the backend.

João